How do you end a drama series and keep your viewers happy?

How do you end a drama series and keep your viewers happy?

Pamela Douglas (Screenwriter) gives expert video advice on: Where do I start working in a TV drama?; Is a drama shot on location or in a studio? and more...

There has been much controversy about series endings after the famous Sopranos blackout. Actually, to keep your viewers happy, you only need to fulfill the quest, or premise, of the show. In other words, the character does not have to win, but they have to come to the end of the long arc. They have to fulfill the promise of what you were going for. That's why the Sopranos blackout was so controversial. However, it could be analyzed as very well fulfilling that promise, and that's why it was, in a way, quite brilliant. I don't think killing Tony, or having him become an agent for the Feds would have been nearly as satisfying as wondering about their lives continuing.