There was a time when things ended. When the stories on our screens had a beginning, middle, and end. A time when a trilogy was the longest series of films you could hope for, and when a show aired its final season, it was actually its final season.
That time is gone. Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel, Godzilla, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, DC, Doctor Who… the list goes on and on. These franchises are no longer vehicles for structured stories, but instead sprawling universes in which stories build and collide and ramble on ad infinitum. If a successful film or show does end, the result is more of that thing, especially if it already has an established fan base.
