9 TV Shows That Should Wrap Things Up In 2025

A new year means new TV, but some ongoing shows need to wrap things up in 2025 and allow for a fresh set of titles to be introduced. There are several huge TV shows returning in 2025, and while some are welcome, others are making viewers query how much longer they’ll be on the air. Plenty of ongoing fantasy TV shows are confirmed to end over the next few years, for example, but only a few are going to be genuinely missed.

The reasons as to why these shows need to end vary. Some shows are simply too long and are exhausting what little options they have left, some are lacking in the quality they are known for, and some are simply trying to outlive their expiration date. Regardless of why, these TV shows need to wrap up in the upcoming calendar year.

9

The Bear

3 Seasons Since 2022

The Bear season 4 is coming in 2025, and while there is yet to be an official release date, it’s likely that it’ll air at some point in the summer. While The Bear is a highly anticipated title, there can be too much of a good thing, and the show has the opportunity to end on a high. Between Syd’s job offer and his struggles with Carmy, there’s plenty of content that can potentially launch The Bear’s ending storyline.

Syd needs the opportunity to move on from the trauma of his brother’s death and to finally get a win with the restaurant, but a fitting ending doesn’t necessarily need to see this happen. Although this is a compelling plot, it feels a little dragged out now, and Syd deserves a break. However, there’s a good chance that the show will wrap up in 2025 as FX bosses’ comments about The Bear ending are suspiciously vague.

8

Yellowjackets

2 Seasons Since 2021

Yellowjackets season 3 is set to arrive in February 2025, close to two years after season 2’s premiere. Although Yellowjackets has a fascinating premise, which focuses on two timelines and how the events of the past impact the characters’ futures, this also proves that the show is running on limited time.

As further installments are broadcast and the 1996 timeline progresses, it makes it harder for writers to continue the present-day story without encountering plot holes or contradictions.

As further installments are broadcast and the 1996 timeline progresses, it makes it harder for writers to continue the present-day story without encountering plot holes or contradictions. Because audiences know certain characters survive the crash and return to a normal life, their stories can only be taken so far.

Yellowjackets season 3’s timeline will hopefully delve into the rescue mission, and it’s time for the show to do so. The two timelines need to sync up before the narrative gets too complicated, and as viewers know there’s an end in sight, Yellowjackets is at risk of dragging itself out for too long if it continues past 2025.

7

Grey’s Anatomy

21 Seasons Since 2005

Grey’s Anatomy is a TV show that many are shocked is still airing. With episodes of season 21 currently being released, it seems unlikely that the show will wrap up anytime soon, but this doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t end in 2025. The first set of Grey’s Anatomy’s interns are all gone now, except for the appearances and voice-overs that Meredith makes, which are very minimal.

There are so many fatalities and periods of loss throughout the show that many of viewers’ favorite characters are either dead or are spread across the world. Although Grey’s Anatomy does a great job of extending its lore by introducing various new characters, several of whom are related to an existing personality, this can only be done so many times.

The show also tackles various medical conditions and mysteries, and with that many seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, it’s likely that they will soon start to run out of ideas. In fact, Grey’s Anatomy season 21 is repeating a tragedy from years ago, which proves that its fire could be going out already.

6

The Simpsons

36 Seasons Since 1989

The Simpsons is one of the longest-running TV shows ever, with season 36 airing in 2024. Audiences of all ages find something to enjoy in The Simpsons, whether it’s the titular family, the supporting characters, or the hilarious gags and predictions of the future.

The Simpsons somehow manages to come up with new stories with every passing year, but this comes at a price. Although continuity errors are pretty standard with a long-spanning show like The Simpsons, writers often have to modify the characters’ personalities slightly in order to fit the narrative they have in mind.

While these changes aren’t groundbreaking or hugely contradictory, it shows that if a character’s opinion or attitude toward something doesn’t work for a story, it probably means that The Simpsons has either told it before or they’re running out of options. The Simpsons is a timeless show and there are loads of seasons to rewatch again and again, but if it continues for much longer, there won’t be any stories left to tell.

5

Rick And Morty

7 Seasons Since 2013

Although Rick and Morty is one of the most popular shows on the air right now, the later seasons demonstrate why it’s time for it to wrap up. Technically, Rick and Morty has been renewed for seasons 11 and 12, but things could still change. There are plenty of potential spin-offs that Adult Swim could produce instead, expanding the franchise rather than continuing the original.

There’s no doubt that Rick and Morty’s new voice actors are talented, but considering the controversy, it’s probably a good idea for Adult Swim to quietly close things down and start focusing on other titles. However, there are more pressing issues that justify why the show needs to end in 2025. More recent seasons of the show contain episodes that feel overly familiar, to the point that viewers experience Déjà vu.

This is a great concern for Rick and Morty season 8, too. Although the confusion can be attributed to the titular characters using the portal gun across the universe, it makes the watching experience a little convoluted. Rick and Morty sets up some great subplots but drops them after a while, and it’s strange when these story arcs are so half-formed.

4

Pokémon/Pokémon Horizons: The Series

27 Seasons Since 1997 / 1 Season Since 2023

Although Pokémon has technically ended, Pokémon Horizons: The Series is counted as season 26, despite the change in title. After decades of Pokémon adventures, Ash Ketchum finally bows out in the season 25 finale, and Pokémon Horizons introduces a new protagonist in Liko.

The Pokémon world is so layered and diverse, but the anime decides to keep pushing a child hero rather than delving into the other areas of the franchise.

Although Pokémon Horizons goes in another direction, with Liko attending the Indigo Academy rather than being a standard trainer, the franchise has made this change too late into its run. Pokémon should really wrap up with Ash’s departure, but it doesn’t, and the sudden shift of focus to a new lead character isn’t as exciting as it should be.

The Pokémon world is so layered and diverse, but the anime decides to keep pushing a child hero rather than delving into the other areas of the franchise. The overall Pokémon animated series should end in 2025 and instead start working on new titles, such as spin-offs that focus on Pokémon centers or even egg nurseries, just to mix things up.

3

Only Murders In The Building

4 Seasons Since 2021

If production decides that Only Murders in the Building season 5 is the last, the show can end at the height of its popularity and avoid continuing past its expiration date. Only Murders in the Building typically spreads its seasons out, with a new installment releasing a year after the one before it.

But considering the show is less than five years old, it’s at risk of burning through its content too quickly, and season 5 is an ideal time to wrap things up. There are only so many investigations that Mabel, Charles, and Oliver can tackle, and it’s already bordering on unrealistic how many crimes they are caught up in.

Only Murders in the Building neglects some of its characters after wrapping up a story arc, and season 5 is the perfect time to offer some closure. With Oliver and Loretta now married and another dead body cropping up in Only Murders in the Building’s season 4 ending, the show is approaching a natural stopping point and an ideal climax, so it makes sense for it to end in 2025.

2

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

26 Seasons Since 1999

There are loads of Law & Order TV shows, but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has even more seasons than the original title does. Audiences are still following Olivia Benson’s 26-season journey, although it’s getting to the point that the show’s length is causing a decline in quality. Many feel that the episodes are getting progressively worse and that Olivia’s character has become insufferable.

It’s not uncommon for new characters to arrive, but this happens so frequently, and they are often kicked out again within a matter of episodes. In fact, a lot of viewers consider Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s best episodes to be from the first 15 seasons of the show, but after this point, it’s hard to stay invested. Law & Order is a lengthy and layered franchise anyway, and while there’s no end for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in sight right now, 2025 seems like a good time for Olivia Benson to finally retire.

1

Emily In Paris

4 Seasons Since 2020

The fact Emily is no longer in Paris is more than enough to prove that Emily in Paris needs to wrap up in 2025. Filming for Emily in Paris season 5 will start in May 2025, and although there is currently no release date, there’s still a chance that it will air before the year is out.

Emily in Paris season 5 is moving to Rome, but the fact that the show title doesn’t make sense anymore isn’t the only reason why it needs to come to an end. Many viewers feel Emily is unbearable as a character now. Her love triangle storyline is dragged out, only for the show to suddenly introduce a new romantic interest out of the blue. The things Emily achieves through her marketing job are also quite unrealistic, like the dog app.

Rumors of creative differences on the Emily in Paris set are causing conflict between the cast, which suggests that the show’s end may be out of production’s hands, especially if certain actors don’t want to come back. Whether it wraps up in 2025 in terms of the last shoot or the release of the final season, Emily in Paris needs to end.