What with all the definitely announced series finales inspiring citizen-critics – and paid ones, too – to eulogize ad nauseam on their blogs, plus the slew of other series potentially facing untimely ends, this May ratings sweeps is shaping up as one of the most glutinous ever.
Here’s a look at some of the flotsam and jetsam:
“7th Heaven” – Considered a miracle of modern television, the WB series turned CW series was declared dead, then rose from the ashes and inhabited the Earth for one more season. Now it’s scheduled to die again, on May 13, as Eric (Stephen Collins) and Annie (Catherine Hicks) say to heck with global warming and hooey to gas prices and pack up the gang for a trip around the country in their new RV, for a series finale cutely called, “And Away We Go …”
“King of Queens” – Nine seasons and 200 episodes later, CBS’s sitcom about a Cro-Magnon guy and his mate is bowing out May 14, just in time to avoid comparison with ABC’s new caveman sitcom.
“The Sopranos” – The buzz died a while back, but the HBO mob drama itself is finally, and this time they mean it, winding down during the May sweeps, though the very last episode, “Made in America,” won’t air until June 10.
“Jericho” – The producers of this serialized drama have promised one of the town’s leaders will not survive an attack by the citizens of a nearby city, in hopes the human sacrifice on Tuesday will attract a large crowd and appease CBS suit-gods, who will announce at Carnegie Hall exactly one week later whether the show survives.
“Gilmore Girls” – The episode is called “Bon Voyage.” The guest star is CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour; Rory is graduating from college, and Lorelai and Luke are coming to a “new understanding” – all on May 15. Could it be more over? Or will the show limp along, a shadow of its former self, for another half-season’s worth of episodes in 2007-08 as has been speculated?
“Law & Order” – NBC’s aged (How old? It debuted when Sanjaya Malakar was 1) has been ratings-starved since the network moved it to Fridays, and it finally may be on its way out. NBC’s not saying, but the May 18 episode reads like Dick Wolf’s kitchen sink. “The Family Hour” sees the ex-wife of a prominent ex-senator brutally murdered after a fundraiser and all fingers point to the senator when he’s found with another family member’s corpse.
“Scrubs” – NBC’s description for the May 17 season finale of this on-again-off-again sitcom – “father-to-be J.D.” and Eliot contemplate the paths they have chosen and question whether or not they were the ones that were meant for each other all along” – has the hair on the necks of “Scrubs” fans standing on end.
“Veronica Mars” – As we write, devoted fans/scary obsessives are poring over CW’s description of the two-hour season finale on May 22 for clues. Depending on where you like to get your unsubstantiated rumors, “Mars” is either going away, not going away, being fast-forwarded into a future in which perky little Veronica is an all-grown-up FBI agent, or nothing of the sort.
