The 18 best TV shows that ended in 2017

HBO

Sometimes you know what you’ve got before it’s gone, and that’s certainly the case for these dearly departed shows.

IndieWire watched every one, some for years at a time, others for the few short weeks they were with us. Ranging from award-winning series to one-and-dones, 2017 saw a slew of great programs come to a close.

Below, we’ve taken note of their legacies one last time. If you were a fan, here’s one more chance to gush over your favorite show.

If you’ve never heard of a few of these, we’ve listed where you can watch them right now. They may be over, but that’s no reason to stay away. If anything, now you can go at your own pace from beginning to end.

Enjoy. Remember. Watch. Now then, onto the list.

"Bates Motel"

• 2013 – 2017
• Five Seasons
• Lives on via Netflix

One of those shows that sounded like a bad idea until the execution proved it to be great, “Bates Motel” ended on its own terms, got freaking Rihanna to play Marion Crane (a massive coup for the show, given the importance of the character and the fact that it was freaking Rihanna), and delivered a solid finale. It’s hard to say goodbye to great TV, but “Bates Motel” went gracefully into that good night.

"Blood Drive"

• 2017 – 2017
• One Season
• Lives on via Syfy

There’s something incredibly endearing about how this raw and insane homage to grindhouse was such a labor of love for everyone involved. The fact this show existed remains a miracle, especially given how it was on ad-supported cable. The ways in which it pushed the boundaries of what might be possible on TV while gleefully exploding genre tropes should be studied by scholars for years to come. We may never get a Season 2, but we’re lucky to have gotten Season 1.

"The Carmichael Show"

• 2015 – 2017
• Three Seasons
• Lives on via Hulu and Netflix

The family sitcom usually breaks down on one of two lines: It’s either them against the world or them against other. Over three seasons, “The Carmichael Show” forged a distinct third path, representing a wider variety of opinions and perspectives on some of the days’ most inescapable topics. Sure, some of the characters fit into recognizable categories like David Alan Grier’s curmudgeonly patriarch, Lil Rel Howery’s occasionally goofy son, or Jerrod Carmichael himself, as the semi-neutral center of family chaos.

But what really separated out “Carmichael” was the intense love it had for its characters as more than those recognizable types. These arguments never reset family back to zero at the end of each episode and never resorted to letting the same character win every single time. It was a foundation that could have continued on for years — we’re hoping its spirit will live on in whatever comes next for those who helped bring it to life.