Show creators have to undergo a long process of thinking and rewriting the script. A storyline is often met with several changes, depending on the viewers’ responses. Sometimes a season is supposed to go with a particular plot but backlash or other unforeseen circumstances force the writers to adopt another strategy. Everyone has different expectations from the series and satisfying all of them is nearly impossible. So the makers have to choose a conclusion that makes the majority happy and also achieves the purpose of the show. The makers had a different idea for the original finale of these famous shows but they had to concede and change it at the last moment. Find out the 10 popular TV series that were meant to end differently.
1. Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were teen sensations for the ‘90s kids. It depicted the daily struggles of a teenage girl, Miley Stewart who tried to balance her life as an ordinary girl and an international pop star, Hannah Montana. The main plot of the show revolved around Miley taking extreme to hide her identity as Hannah.
The series ended with Hannah turning down a movie offer and joining her best friend Lily to attend college as Miley Stewart. But the original script was supposed to be quite ballsy. It went like little Miley Cyrus dreaming the entire series and imagining herself to be a rockstar someday. But the show changed its mind as they didn’t want to get hit by tomatoes and eggs.
2. Castle
The light-hearted crime show, Castle got a happy ending in its 8th season. It concluded with a flash-forward sequence where Castle and Beckett lived happily ever after with their kids. But the show-runners wanted to end the episode with the two stars being shot to build curiosity for the next season. They couldn’t go ahead with it since the network canceled the show on its 8th.
3. 13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why was an adaption of a novel of the same title. It depicted various incidents and episodes that led a teenager Hannah Baker to take her own life. But the showrunners had envisioned that Hannah’s parents would save her in the last moment and help her restart her life. But they changed their mind and decided to stick with the novel in order to echo in the audiences’ minds.
4. The Sopranos
The Sopranos swirled the internet with diehard fans deducing if Tony Soprano was alive or not. But an alternate script was more explicit on a man being sent to kill Tony. That script involved more scenes of the mystery man’s action that led to his final act. Apart from the finale, this mobster show is a rare masterpiece in today’s era.
5. Dexter
Dexter never paid for his crimes and went on to live under a false identity after the authorities assumed that he died in a boat crash. In an alternate ending, Dexter was caught by the authorities and injected with a fatal serum. The entire series was supposed to be a flashback of Dexter’s actions.
6. The Vampire Diaries
The first few seasons of the popular teen show were focused on the love triangle of Damon, Stefan, and Elena. By the 4th season, Elena had turned into a vampire and started a heated romance with Damon. The series ended with Stefan sacrificing his life to save his brother. The show had come full circle as it focused on the brothers and Stefan’s redemption.
But the makers didn’t foresee this ending in the beginning. They had planned for Elena and Stefan to rekindle their romance and reunite by the end. The alternate ending also envisioned the two brothers sacrificing their lives once again for Elena’s protection. Has that happened, we may have seen newfound chemistry between Klaus and Caroline. But plans changed as Nina Dobrev had left the show and could only return for one episode. They had to reunite her with Damon since there was no story to show how Elena fell for Stefan again.
7. Everwood
Everwood had shot two scenes for the finale since there was confusion regarding its return for another season. What we saw was Amy and Ephram rekindling their romance by the Ferris Wheel. But an alternate scene showed Amy being stood up by Ephram by the Ferris Wheel after he got a call from his former girlfriend. It would have acted as a cliffhanger for the next season.
8. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Captain Benjamin Sisko had joined the Prophets in the finale but promised to reunite with his family someday. The writers originally thought of giving a final farewell to Siski, indicating that he would never return. But Avery Brooks didn’t want the show to send any wrong message by showing a man abandoning his pregnant wife.
9. Prison Break
The peaceful ending of Prison Break where Michael reunites with his family was supposed to go in another direction. It would have seen Sara assuring Michael that he need not look at the past anymore. But Michael would continue staying paranoid about the events of his past.
10. Star Trek: Enterprise
The finale of the Star Trek: Enterprise was deeply disappointing for everyone since the entire plot ended up being a fragment of Will Riker’s perspective from Star Trek: The Next Generation. But the original script was also supposed to be a part of another Star Trek story, Voyager. It had the doctor from Star Trek: Voyager treat a patient who believed that his name was Captain Archer who needed to head for his reality. This finale would have been an open-ended episode.
