MovieChat Forums > Malcolm in the Middle (2000) Discussion > Did the show end in 2006 only because...

Did the show end in 2006 only because...


... of the fact that MALCOLM graduated? I mean, it wouldn't be the same show if it was him in college and his family would be only guest stars. Anyway, was that the reason or did the ratings got too low? Or did the cast and/or crew want to move on?

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Probably because 1) rating tanked, and 2) like you said, it was a good time for it to.

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"Probably"?

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Smart TV shows will contract their actors for a few years... but not 8 years... except Saturday Night Live! So basically at some point you have to renegotiate with the actors, and it's extremely difficult to recast them because they are loved family members.

As the actors get more and more famous, they want more and more money... plus it's difficult to keep even a well written show at the top of its game for years and years. Sooner or later viewer count will drop off, leading to fewer advertising dollars.

Plus serious actors eventually want to explore other roles, other options. You know, Henry Winkler didn't want to be The Fonz forever.

Malcolm in the Middle got lucky that it didn't have any weak cast members, but sometimes these family comedies, you know, they hire a cute kid age 5 but then 7 years later the kid is 12 and it turns out that he or she can't act when given more grow-up stories.

All these things tend to pull shows apart over time, but the upside is that it makes room for fresh concepts, and it's not like the actors can't get work in the future. Clearly Bryan Cranston has achieved the most success.

Have any of the others hit it big with a great show or movie that I missed and should watch? I'd love a recommendation.

Johnny Monsarrat Consulting. All content by Jon Monsarrat!

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Well Frankie Muniz was pretty big in the day. He starred in My Dog Skip, Agent Cody Banks, and Big Fat Liar, and they were all really good. You should check them out.

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If I recall correctly, I believe ratings started to plummet either around season 5 or 6, and because Fox kept changing the show's time slots.

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Most sitcoms usually end when the main teenage character graduates high school.

The last full house episode ended with DJ attending her prom and almost graduating.

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The last full house episode ended with DJ attending her prom and almost graduating.


Except that wasn't intended to be the final episode. If I recall correctly, the last episode of Full House was where Michelle got amnesia and it was mostly flashbacks of the previous 8 seasons. Producers and cast had wanted a season 9 and the show was still getting good ratings (it was in the Top 20 shows its final season), but ABC didn't want to pay the costs of the cast (Ashley & Michelle, Stamos, et al). ABC cancelled the show AFTER the season 8 finale had wrapped. Producers thought they were coming back because ratings were still good so they didn't film a "final" episode.

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The last 2 seasons or so really weren't that good.

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The kids got too old.

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Yes, he did graduate and the show wouldn't work with him in Boston, Reese out of the house and Francis most likely getting close to starting a family. I would say it could no longer target the teen demographic the network wanted to reach.

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I just think the show reached the same point Young Sheldon is finding itself in in it's final season. Kids where now adults or reaching their late teens (Except for that baby, but no one cared about the baby) and it reached the point where the show could no longer be what it was. It started with crazy parents and young unruly children, it had a strong young kids vs parents dynamic to it and it is one of the things that made it a success. By the last season everybody had grown up so the show switched in story lines and adapted itself to fit it's now adult or near adult cast. Some people stayed around but others stopped watching as the show was not the same as when it started, therefore ratings dropped so they had to end it before loosing more viewers.

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