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Tricks & advice for moving on once your favorite TV series is over
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Post-series depression can be a dangerous thing. After your favorite show has ended, it might feel like nothing else will do the trick. Recovering after you've spent so many hours engaged with a TV series that ended is not always an easy process. The empty feeling subsides with time, and there are fortunately tons of other great shows to dive into once you're done with one of them. This wikiHow article will help you cope with grief after the finale of your favorite TV show.
Tips to Beat Post-Show Sadness
- You're not alone—try reaching out to fellow fans online to grieve together.
- Buy the show on DVD to experience deleted scenes, bloopers, and other DVD-only content you may not have seen.
- Seek recommendations for similar shows and give them a fair try. You may even find shows that star your favorite cast members.
Steps
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Take a break from TV. Once your favorite show ends, nothing else you watch is going to feel like it fills the void. Considering the sort of time investment that's usually incurred with watching a show, it may be time to take a break from TV. Do other things; read books, play video games, see friends, focus on hobbies.
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Vent online. If you have just finished a series on its first-run, there will be a lot of other people in the exact same position as you. A great show ending doesn't feel great, but the empty feeling can be alleviated by sharing your thoughts with others.
- Make a post outlining your opinions on the show wrap-up. Online posts can spark an engaging conversation about what you just saw. Sharing the loss with other people will make it feel better.
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Make friends with other fans of the show. If your existing friends aren't huge into the show you're interested in, take to the internet and befriend fans of the show. If only so you have people to geek out over your favorite parts with, fellow fans are a great way to intensify your appreciation for parts of a show.
- A show's first-run comes with the social aspect of being able to discuss it the morning after an episode airs. The same should be true when the show ends.
- You can connect with others on social media, such as X (Twitter) , Instagram , or even TikTok. Even if a show doesn't seem too popular, there's almost always a fanbase for it. Try searching using #hashtags with the series' name, or even characters from the show.
- You can even sign up for Discord and look for servers dedicated to your favorite show.
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Write fanfiction based on the show . Fanfiction refers to a genre of fiction (prose, play or poetry) written by fans about their favorite fictional characters. If you can't bear the thought of your favorite show ending, why not continue writing the show yourself? Pick up where the characters were in the final episode and start their story anew from there. If you're really passionate and knowledgeable about the show, you should have at least some idea of where the characters would go next.
- If a show's fandom is big enough, it's quite likely that other writers have penned their own fanfictions about the show already. Go to sites like FanFiction.net, Wattpad.com, or ArchiveofOurOwn.org, and read some work about your favorite characters. [1] X Research source
- Remember to give credit to the creator of a TV show or the author of a book.
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Host a farewell party for the show. If you know people who are also mourning the loss of the show, you should get them together for dinner and drinks. Sit around and discuss your favorite parts of the show. If footage is available, watch some of your favorite clips.
- Get into friendly debates over aspects of the series finale. A bit of friendly argument is a great way to get your mind off the loss.
- If you want to get theatrical with your farewell, you can hold a mock funeral for the show and its characters. You can go around in a circle and reflect on your favorite characters and scenes.
- You can even incorporate PowerPoint Night to showcase your favorite scenes, plotlines, tropes, and more.
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Send complaint letters to the network. Not all shows are lost forever. If a network canceled a show and realizes there is a significant following they've alienated, they may be convinced to bring the show back on air. Find out whoever canceled or ended the show and send a letter expressing your love for the show.
- If it was canceled, make sure to emphasize that you would like to see the show returned to television. If a network gets enough feedback for one show, it almost certainly has an effect on whether they decide to bring it back or not.
- You even can organize a petition on Change.org to save the canceled show. This is a great way to show how many other fans want the same as you.
- Don't get your hopes up about a revival. Shows like Firefly received a zealous backlash when they were canceled, but never got the TV revival fans were looking for.
- If it was canceled, make sure to emphasize that you would like to see the show returned to television. If a network gets enough feedback for one show, it almost certainly has an effect on whether they decide to bring it back or not.
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Watch the series again on DVD or Blu-ray . After some time, all the seasons of your favorite show will be available for home purchase. The most conventional way of this is to buy the DVD box sets. Having a concrete copy of your favorite show at home is great if you watch the show a lot and don't want to rely on a channel for it.
- Streaming services like Netflix also showcase entire shows. This makes streaming services perfectly suited for the "binge watching" that usually comes with watching a great show.
- Check online to see if your show is available as a free download. Some of the channel's websites will feature old episodes so people can catch up on their own time.
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Watch the show again from start to finish. If you were watching a show as it aired the first time, rewatching it will give you the opportunity to experience it without the year-long wait between seasons. You can watch a few episodes per night, or marathon entire seasons in a day if you want.
- As always, the most enjoyable way to do this is to do it in pairs or as a group. Watching a whole show together requires some common scheduling, but it will feel a lot less lonely.
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Digest the special features. If you went ahead and purchased the show box set on DVD or Blu-ray, you'll most likely have special features to dive into. Special features show the behind-the-scenes stuff in a TV show. Things like interviews, on-set documentaries and marketing spots all help to enrich your knowledge and appreciation of the show.
- If you look at everything that went into the making of a particular scene, you'll almost certainly have a greater appreciation for it the next time you put it on.
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Look at the TV tropes page for your show. TV tropes is a wonderful website for cataloging tropes in TV and media. If you look up your favorite show on it, you can look for all of the listed plot devices that show used, and see how it ties in with the rest of pop culture. All of it can seem overwhelming at first to a newcomer, but the associations between your show and the rest of pop culture can be a ton of fun to research. [3] X Research source
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Convince new friends to rewatch it with you. There are few things as satisfying as getting a good friend into a show you're really passionate about. This way, you'll be able to live vicariously through someone's fresh excitement over a show you've grown familiar with.
- If you can't meet up in person, you can host an online movie night by streaming on Discord .
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Consider how your opinions on the show have evolved. After you watch a show for the second time, you should think about the ways your opinion has changed towards it. Watching a show a second time means you'll know what happens at the end even on the first episodes. This will frame character arcs and dialogue in a fresh new light, now that you know what the writers were leading up to.
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Hunt the web for recommendations. Sites like IMDb are perfectly suited for hunting down TV recommendations. [4] X Research source There are lists of "best ever" TV shows you can use as a reference for finding new shows when you feel you're ready to move on.
- Recommendations are easy to find online. It shouldn't take long to find a few potential prospects that might be worth looking into for your next show.
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Check shows with common crew and cast members. Each of the people who worked on your favorite shows have careers that kept going once that show ended. It is likely that each of those people (from the cast or crew) have worked on other shows. If you had a favorite actor, check to see what his or her other credits are.
- Loved the witty scripts in a show? Check to see what the screenwriter or show runner has been up to since your favorite show ended.
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Talk to friends about what they're watching. Friends are a perfect source of recommendations. If you're not sure what you want to watch, it's a good idea to talk to them. See what they've been into lately. Ask if there's a show they think you might be into. Friends are a useful source of eyes and ears when it comes to new media. There are way too many shows to look into yourself, so getting others to do the legwork for you will save you loads of time.
- It goes without saying that it's preferable to ask friends who have cultural tastes you agree with or respect.
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Get an automatic recommendation. There are websites online that offer recommendations based on algorithms. These can be very helpful, as they'll give you recommendations that your friends might not have heard of before.
- Sites like IMDb and RateYourMusic will offer you their best guesses as to stuff you might be into, based on the ratings and interests you input in their system.
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Give a few shows a test-run. Once you start a show, there's nothing forcing you to keep up with it. Watch the pilot episode of a few shows. Give them each a fair chance, and move on if you're not finding it grabs you. You may have to go through a few shows before you find one that seems like it'll be truly worth your time.
- Keep the time investment of a new show in mind. Shows take dozens of hours out of your life. That is valuable time that should only be invested if the show is something that really inspires you.
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Join a new fandom. When all is said, it may eventually come time to jump ship and join a new fandom with a show that's still happening. Go online and make posts about this new show. Look at the fanfiction. Lurk on fan forums and read up on fan theories for this new show.
- The more you immerse yourself in a new show, the less you'll miss the old one.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat shows are like Grimm?Community AnswerThe Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, The Originals, Being Human (UK, US), Supernatural, and True Blood are some examples of TV shows that are similar to Grimm.
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QuestionWhat can I do if I'm in love with one of the characters in my show?Community AnswerRead fan fiction, or try writing your own. Look up the show's fandom for like-minded fans.
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QuestionWhat if the show might end up continuing?Community AnswerIf there is any hope whatsoever that the show will continue, support it in any way possible to show the network that the show has an audience. Look for petitions online and sign them. Send the network an email. Maybe try contacting Netflix or Hulu about picking up your favorite show.
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Tips
- Great new shows are always coming out, and you can never dismiss the possibility of your favorite show coming back to life in the future.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you want to remember your favorite show, buy merchandise like DVDs, books about the show, toys or action figures, or even clothing with your favorite characters on it. That way you’ll never forget your favorite show.
- What really helps is if you ask a friend what show they suggest. Tell them your favorite show ended, and ask if they have any good ideas on some new shows. That's a simple and easy way to help.
- If it is an anime, then original video animations (OVAs) are always a good idea. The same goes for manga. You can try reading spin-offs or fan fiction.
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Warnings
- Television addiction is real, and it can have a severely negative effect on someone's life if left unchecked. [5] X Research source If you feel compelled to spend hours a day watching TV, it's a good idea to take some time away from it completely. Cut down on your TV use and focus on other aspects of your life until the compulsion subsides.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about human behavior, check out our in-depth interview with Asa Don Brown, PhD, DNCCM, FAAETS .
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