Every show should end by the 3rd and 4th season. Sopranos barely survived the 5th as an example. I just download thru bit torrent the shows I like like Game of Thrones (avoiding giving HBO a ratings point), Camelot and even the new Thundercats.
The GI Joe series that just ended is also recommended: a cartoon that defended the US military and showed respect for it, even though it was in the wrong. No lib nonsense which is a miracle. (I have a sister in high school so that’s how I discovered it)
I watched a bit of Game of Thrones, but couldn’t get into it. Then I read the book and am now reading a sequel. Good reads! I think probably the books are better than a TV show good ever capture.
Camelot - I got bored after 30 minutes - seemed like a bad PC imitation of Spartacus, which I loved and could not stop comparing it to.
Spartacus and Breaking Bad are the only two shows (other than some reality TV and MMA stuff) that I have really, really enjoyed. I also got them by torrent as I live in Thailand.
I agree with that and most of them should end in one or two. A great TV show need not have a "jump the shark" moment. End the series on a bang with the audience wanting more (as opposed to being sick of it and tuning out).
Too many great TV shows got off to a great start (i.e. X-Files, Sopranos, The Shield, LOST, etc.) but went on for too many shows so that the plot lines got too convoluted to resolve properly and the audience couldn't keep track of all the back stories any longer.
A classic example of a show that should have lasted one season was "24." If it stopped after that first season, it would be remembered as one of the best shows in TV history as well as quite plausible. However, it stretched all credulity that Jack Bauer and his CTU unit would be in such an intense situation at least seven more times!
Getting back to Breaking Bad, my wife and I just discovered it on Netflix. I must say that the concept of the show initially turned us off as it appeared to glorify running a meth lab - one of the most contemptible scourges in the drug world. However, as we get into the episodes, it is clear that this is not going to encourage young kids to start their own meth lab. Cooking and distributing meth is nasty business!