The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
FINAL BOWS COMING
Fans will say goodbye to ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Gotham’ and others in 2019
As once the opined, great American “Breaking philosopher up is hard to Neil do.” Sedaka ¶ But that’s the dilemma facing many TV viewers in 2019 as an extraordinary number of shows prepare to deliver their final episodes. We’ll have to bid farewell to some of our favorite characters and storylines and, somehow, find a way to — sob — move on.
To help you start out on the road to closure, we’ve compiled a list of shows that will depart this year. Grab the tissues and take a gander:
“THE AFFAIR” (SHOWTIME) >>
Montauk will never be the same. All the emotionally wrenching drama will cease after a fifth season coming later this year. The show will make a substantial time jump and introduce Anna Paquin (“True Blood”) as the daughter of Alison (Ruth Wilson) and Cole (Joshua Jackson). Premiere date TBA.
“THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS) >>
Prime time’s most popular sitcom will end this spring after 12 seasons. Why leave when you’re still No. 1? Mostly because cast member Jim Parsons wanted to move on and the producers didn’t want to do the show without his Sheldon. “It feels like we chewed all the meat off this bone,” Parsons recently told Entertainment Weekly.
“BROAD CITY” (COMEDY CENTRAL) >>
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer will bring their hilarious comedy to a close with a fifth season that kicks off at 10 tonight. Guest stars include Alan Cumming, Mark Consuelos and Amy Sedaris.
“CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND” (THE CW) >>
The delirious musical comedy is in the stretch run of an 18-episode fourth and final season that began back in October and will conclude in April. We wish troubled Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) all the best.
“THE DEUCE” (HBO) >>
It will be three seasons and out for David Simon’s drama about the fledgling years of the American porn industry. Premiere date TBA.
“ELEMENTARY” (CBS) >>
The Sherlock Holmes crime drama’s upcoming seventh season will be its last. Production has wrapped on the show’s final 13 episodes, but CBS has yet to announce a premiere date.
“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO) >>
After a nearly 20-month absence, the global phenomenon based on George R.R. Martin’s (unfinished) book series will wrap things up with an eighth season consisting of only six episodes. Expect an epic — and bloody — ending to the adventures in Westeros. “The scope of this definitely exceeds anything we’ve attempted before,” executive producer David Benioff told TV Guide. Premieres April 14.
“GOTHAM” (FOX) >>
The Batman origin saga launched its fifth and final season on Jan. 3. Made up of 12 episodes, the season is focusing on Bruce Wayne’s (David Mazouz) ultimate transformation into the Caped Crusader.
“HOMELAND” (SHOWTIME) >>
Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) will bid farewell with the spy thriller’s 12-episode eighth season, launching in June. Filming in Morocco begins soon.
“IZOMBIE” (THE CW) >>
Apparently, there’s a limit to the number of brains a zombie girl can eat. The series will conclude with a fifth season that begins at 8 p.m. May 2.
“JANE THE VIRGIN” (THE CW) >>
The dramedy starring Gina Rodriguez will finish things up with a fifth season that launches at 9 p.m. March 27.
“KILLJOYS” (SYFY) >>
The space adventure series will tie up loose ends with a fifth season, most likely arriving in the summer.
LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS” (NETFLIX) >>
The fantasy tale starring Neil Patrick Harris as con man Count Olaf released its third season on New Year’s Day. The final four books of Daniel Handler’s series — “The Slippery Slope,” “The Grim Grotto,” “The Penultimate Peril” and “The End” — are adapted in the final run.
“MR. ROBOT” (USA) >>
The trippy hacker drama that made Rami Malek a star will end with a 12-episode fourth season. Premiere date TBA.
“ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (NETFLIX) >>
The prison dramedy that helped put Netflix on the map makes its end run with a seventh season sometime this summer.
“POLDARK” (PBS) >>
The “Masterpiece” series, starring Aidan Turner and based on Winston Graham’s novels, will end after its upcoming fifth season. The final episodes will take inspiration from “The Stranger from the Sea,” which pushes the story ahead 10 years. Premiere date TBA. “SHADOWHUNTERS” (FREEFORM) >>
The supernatural series unveils its final batch of episodes at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 as our heroes face “a new level of evil.” The series culminates with a two-hour finale event.
“TEACHERS” (TV LAND) >> School’s out for the campus comedy. The final set of episodes began airing Jan. 15. “TRANSPARENT” (AMAZON PRIME) >>
The fifth and final season of the award-winning drama won’t feature its former headliner Jeffrey Tambor, who was ousted after sexual harassment allegations. Expect the final episodes in fall.
“UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (NETFLIX) >>
The final six episodes — comprising the second half of Season 4 — arrive on Friday. But that may not be the last we see of Ellie Kemper’s sunny title character because producers are considering a movie.
“VEEP” (HBO) >>
Get ready to part ways with pottymouthed Selina Meyer, the character who brought Julia Louis-Dreyfus a boatload of Emmys. The seventh season of the critically adored political comedy is set to arrive sometime in spring. It will consist of seven episodes.
“YOU’RE THE WORST” (FXX) >>
Will the often-toxic relationship between Gretchen (Aya Cash) and Jimmy (Chris Geere) actually lead to marriage? We’ll soon find out. The caustic rom-com launched its fifth and final season on Jan. 9.