Prepare for tears: The long-running TV shows we’ll have to say goodbye to this year

2023 is shaping up to be a potentially traumatic year for those addicted to particular TV shows.

Already we’ve seen the last episodes of UK crime thriller Happy Valley and American medical drama New Amsterdam play out, while fans have of programmes like 1899, Reboot, Let the Right One In, American Gigolo and The Mysterious Benedict Society have had to digest the bad news that those series haven’t been renewed.

Stuff to Watch has had a look through the other recent announcements, so you can prepare yourself for the characters and settings that we’ll be seeing the last of at some stage over the next 11 months.

Be warned though, 2024 could be even more of a wrench, with Stranger Things, Outlander and The Handmaid’s Tale already signalling their respective demises will take place next year.

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The Blacklist (Netflix)

Let’s be honest, many of you probably thought this James Spader-headlining crime drama ended long ago.

Once the biggest series in the world, its convoluted storylines, character departures and ridiculous twists have meant its loyal audience is now rather much smaller (US figures suggest it’s only attracting about 30% of what it once did). Still after more than 200 episodes, it will be interesting to see how they attempt to wrap it up.

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Who knew that a YouTube-hosted TV spin-off of a 1980s film trilogy would eventually become a global hit that’s now one of Netflix’s most beloved series?

Revisiting rival teens William Zabka’s Jonny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in middle age has proved to be a real crowd-pleaser, the creators gradually weaving in a new crop of younger aspiring martial artists into the story. Whether production will finish in time for Christmas is still up for debate, but the producers are promising the season six finale will continue the trend of going bigger every year and offering “moments that you really feel”.

The Crown (Netflix)

The on-again, off-again sixth-and-final season of this once Emmy-conquering British royal drama is expected to roll out towards the tail end of this year.

Last year’s core cast will be back, but the big question remains around how far past Season 5’s eventual 1997 setting the creators will dare traverse. It’s a conundrum muddied by the show’s financial backers’ increasingly cosy relationship with a certain estranged Prince and his American wife.

Fear the Walking Dead (Neon)

Another series you might well have thought had actually completed its tenure some time ago. Cliff Curtis’ Travis Manawa might not have survived past the third season, but this Walking Dead spin-off has actually completed seven cycles so far.

A May debut has been set for the final round, with the franchise’s “chief content officer” promising “one of the most vibrant, inventive, exciting seasons ever”.

Manifest (Netflix)

Dead and buried (and here in New Zealand petering out in a graveyard slot on Saturday nights on TVNZ 1) in 2021, this supernatural drama gained a new lease of life after it unexpectedly topped the Netflix charts around the globe last southern summer. Cue a chance for the creators to finish the story of the passengers aboard Montego Air Flight 828, who (in a storyline predating the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Snap”) lost five-and-a-half years while travelling from Jamaica to New York.

We’ve already had one-half of the 20-episode finale, with fans feverishly speculating as to when the other half will drop.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Although it hasn’t been dominating the Emmy Awards recently in quite the same way as it did when it first debuted in 2017, this mid-20th Century-set dramedy has done a good job of maintaining the quality throughout its four-season run so far. Much of the credit for that has to go to the terrific performances of both Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, as the eponymous housewife-turned-stand-up-comedian and her long-suffering manager Susie.

Season five wrapped almost a year ago, so expect to see the final instalment sooner rather than later, with showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino telling The Hollywood Reporter that they planned to “go out with a bang”.

A Million Little Things (Neon)

Starting a day after New Amsterdam back in 2018, ABC’s answer to This is Us has treated its viewers to a breathless succession of seriously soapy storylines as a group of Boston Bruins fans have dealt with trials and tribulations galore in their ongoing quest for happiness.

A show that managed to shoehorn in storylines around Black Lives Matter and Covid, it also survived the loss of one of its leads – Stéphanie Szostak – who simply couldn’t commute from her home in Canada while the pandemic raged. The final season debuts on Neon on February 10.

Riverdale (Netflix)

Yep, Kiwi KJ Apa’s time as the “reimagined” comic-book-inspired Archie Andrews is up, as this wild teen series finally comes to a close after seven seasons. Quite how the writers will be able to wrap up the misadventures of Veronica, Betty, Jughead and all remains to be seen, but don’t be surprised if they go for something distinctly left-field.

A show that is probably well past its use-by date (especially given how old the actors are getting – although that didn’t stop the original Beverly Hills 90210), it’s arguable that it’s successor has already been found in the form of Wednesday.

Star Trek: Picard (Prime Video)

Sure, this sequel series might only be in its third season, but I’ve included it here because it also promises to be the final frontier for The Next Generation crew who also traversed the galaxy for seven seasons during the late-1980s and early 1990s (as well as in four feature films).

Comparisons have been made by the writers to Star Wars: The Force Awakens for this last hurrah which they believe will provide the beloved characters with the proper send-off Star Trek: Nemesis denied them 20 years ago. The first episodes drop on February 17.