Shows that stayed too late and ones we wish had stayed a little longer

By Kati Johnston
Special to MSN TV

Saying goodbye to TV shows is tough -- unless, of course, those shows overstayed their welcome. This month we say farewell and a final "Thank-KEW!" to "The Closer" and to Kyra Sedgwick's Emmy-winning role as Brenda Leigh Johnson. And while we really did love the Chief in her first several seasons, "The Closer," alas, got stale as a week-old peach pie and should have done its own closing a few seasons sooner.

Many of our favorite shows have suffered from the "How can we miss you if you won't go away?" syndrome, sticking around a season (or three) too long. Yet others were gone way before their magic or humor had fully played out. Here are 10 shows we liked, but which overstayed their welcomes, as well as 10 shows we would have loved to see have more seasons.

Stayed too late

"The Closer": Sedgwick was rightly honored with an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her brittle, eccentric portrayal of a Southern belle turned crack LAPD official. And when "The Closer" premiered on TNT in 2005, it paved the way for many talented film actresses to regain fame and challenging roles on TV (Holly Hunter, Laura Linney, Toni Collette, Madeleine Stowe and Glenn Close are just a few). But the writing began to feel wrung out, and viewers' ability to appreciate Chief Johnson's personality quirks along with crime-solving plots just sort of ran out of gas. Here's hoping Sedgwick will get another meaty role, and will also know when it's time to pull the plug.

Bing: 'The Closer'

What show do you think should've ended sooner? Tell us on MSN TV on Facebook and on Twitter.

"The Closer" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TNT.

(TNT)