When to End

I've watched Stargate SG-1 pretty faithfully for two seasons now, and have caught almost all the rest of the episodes thanks to SG-1 Monday on Sci-Fi (there is no such thing as overkill.)

I can honestly say that I would consider myself a fan of the show. This in spite of Sci-Fi cutting Farscape and keeping SG-1. Among the other fans of the show, there is a debate stirring. It's now official that Richard Dean Anderson will not be signing on to be a regular, and he might not show up anymore at all. The two most fearsome enemies to threaten earth (including THE enemy of the show thus far) have been defeated and all new dynamics will rule the show. Add on to that the fact that Ben Browder will take a star role in the show, Lexa Doig from Andromeda is coming on board, and Beau Bridges will replace Anderson as SGC commander and you have to start to wonder what the show will look like in its 9th season.

And this is where the debate begins. A fair number of fans argue that the show is not the show without Anderson. They say that the show cannot go on and truly be SG-1. Add Claudia Black in a recuring role to the list of new actors and you can see why people might feel this way. Personally, I think the changes will be good. I like Anderson but the show needs new blood and new focus. But my feelings don't negate the issue, which is this. When should a show simply end? So much of what SG-1 has been about is now complete. Wouldn't this be a perfect time to end the show and start a new project? BUT...

The show is called SG-1 and that particular unit continues to exist. Therefore, shouldn't the show continue even as the ranks may change? After all, it is from SG-1 that we see SG Command. So, when is the right time to end a show? I'm not talking about financially either. Let's pretend we live in a perfect world where executives with no taste have no say because it's not about money. Is it fair to take a show in a totally new direction after 8 seasons? Or is that mistreating the fans?

X-Files didn't even barely change the format, only the actors, and receieved such a beating that it never recovered. Are fans so fickle? Do we invest so much in a character that we have no tolerance for change? I was extremely dissapointed to find Farscape cancelled. And I hated SG-1 for a time because of it. But it's only entertainment and shouldn't our fake worlds have the same chance to change and grow like our real one?