MELISSA HANK AND LINDSEY WARD
We’ve all been there. You find a television show you love, you binge, you become emotionally attached, and before you know it — bam — that’s a wrap. With countless quality series out there, it’s easier than ever to become so invested that you feel empty inside after that highly anticipated finale fades to black. We’re here to remind you that it’s going to be all right — but probably not before these fives stages are up:
1 Denial
“This isn’t happening … This can’t be happening,” you think as the final credits roll. You press rewind, re-watch the last scene, stare blankly at the screen and repeat. You wander around the living room, wondering how you’ll fill the void. Chopped repeats? CNN? Wait! Maybe there’s an aftershow airing somewhere, or a Christmas special coming up! You type the words into Google with the fire of a thousand suns, but in vain. What’s the point?
2 Anger
How dare they end the series on a cliffhanger! Those producers have a lot of nerve. You unleash an onslaught of heavily hash-tagged tweets about the show (#dondraperforever, #heartbreakingbad #lostbutnotforgotten), or perhaps call up a fellow fan of the series — or anyone who will listen, really — to vent. You start smack-talking the very series you were just so smitten with, in an attempt to guard yourself from the pain. And the rage. Oh, the rage.
3
Bargaining
Hey! Didn’t you read somewhere that fans of Jericho sent 20 tons of peanuts to CBS when it cancelled the show, and the network ordered seven more episodes? And Veronica Mars fans raised $5.7 million to fund a post-show movie? Or maybe another network or streaming service will pick it up? All you have to to is rally your fellow fans together. It can be done! It has been done! For the love of all things good, IT MUST BE DONE.
4
Depression
OK, so maybe it can’t always be done. Now that you’ve realized all the fans in the world can’t bring back Friends (seriously, it’s just not happening), you fall into such a deep funk it feels like even Dexter couldn’t dig you out. You cry so much, people keep asking you if you just finished watching an episode of This Is Us.
5
Acceptance
Will you be forever irked by the end of The Good Wife? Possibly. But one can only dwell on the finale of their favourite series so long. Besides, there’s no reason to get all hung up on just one show at a time when there are more viewing options than ever before. FX Networks CEO John Landgraf coined the term “Peak TV” to describe the industry’s saturation when reports showed there were more than 1,400 prime-time series in 2015. Sure, you have to do some sifting to find a quality show that’s right for you. But it won’t be long until you find yourself hooked all over again. Just keep this list handy for when that ends.