Limited Runs

From Zanecorpwiki

Over the past two or three years, I've been on to anyone that will listen how I hate it when shows go on too long. Jump the shark is the term of art. You have just a wonderful show, and there comes this point where it just isn't good anymore and it's such a dick move. They take this thing that we love and fuck it up just to squeeze some more money out of it.

Of course, some shows go on too long for other reasons. Twin Peaks falls apart because (almost) everything David Lynch touches falls apart. The man just can't seem to hold it together.

On the other hand, you have one of the greatest sitcoms of all time: Fawlty Towers. In the interviews at the end of the 3rd disk are two interviews. Cleese's interview (as normal) is as good in it's own as the shows. The first interview, however, is with Prunella Scales who plays Sybil. One thing she says is quite telling: there was tremendous pressure to do more than the 12(!) that were made, but Cleese and Booth (the writers) were done. They'd worked out their anger [at hotel people]. It was done. That's why it ends up in the top sitcom polls and personal lists. Plenty of series have great shows. Almost none have great runs.

Art, design, writing, whatever--those that teach quality in a craft push edit, cut, and focus. The most effective cut is to do nothing. To stop production. When you've said what you set out to say, stop. Don't do another season because you can. Even if you think it's going to be as good or better, stop. Take the lessons you learned and apply them to another, limited run.