As it always does in May, the regular TV season is drawing to a close… but it’s happening a little differently this year.
By now, you’re probably all too aware of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the entertainment industry, including the 100-plus production shutdowns that forced many shows to end their seasons early.
If, like us, you’re curious about what would have unfolded on those intended season finales, we’ve got you covered: The attached photo gallery includes intel on more than 15 series, with details from executive producers and showrunners about what would have transpired in a non-quarantined world.
Note: Our roundup does not include every show that was forced to end prematurely, but it does feature many of them.
CHARMED (The CW)
Number of Episodes Aired: 19 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: Showrunners Craig Shapiro and Liz Kruger are remaining relatively tight-lipped about what the final three episodes of Season 2 had in store for the Charmed Ones, as their plan is to shoot those completed scripts whenever production resumes for Season 3. “We will have a chance to wrap up all of these stories as we intended,” Shapiro says. “It’s just going to be a minute.”
That said, Kruger suggests we would have seen “satisfying” developments both for Mel and Ruby as well as Macy and Harry. Additionally, Abby would have returned to play a significant role in the “endgame of the season.”
CHICAGO MED (NBC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: “We intended to have major developments in all the important relationships: Natalie/Crockett, Will/Hannah, Ethan/April, Charles and his daughter Anna, Goodwin and her son Michael, and Maggie/Ben. “We want to incorporate these personal stories into the next season, but how far we jump ahead in the timeline remains to be seen. Stay tuned!”
CHICAGO P.D. (NBC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: The season ender was supposed to be a deadly one, with the murder. While the “exciting” ending didn’t make it to air, it will likely still see the light of day as “Episode 4 or 5 of next season,” which will pick up in real time, Eid added.
DYNASTY (The CW)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: “We would have seen Fallon and Liam get married. As he explains, “Episode 20 recalibrated all of the relationships to take us into the last two episodes, and everything was going to sort of come to a head. Blake was going to finally go to war with Alexis, Jeff and Adam; Fallon and Liam were going to have their wedding; and we were setting Sam up to have a new relationship.”
Speaking of that last tease, Reims also hinted that the final episodes of Season 3 would set up a love triangle of sorts between Sam, his accidental husband “Scorpio” and his ex-boyfriend Fletcher. And although Reims won’t say whether we’d see a full-blown Moldavian massacre, he confirms that we haven’t heard the last of those troublesome royals.
GOOD GIRLS (NBC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 11 (out of 16)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: Should Good Girls return, we’ll definitely see how this season’s unfinished stories would’ve played out, and the potential fourth season will kick-start the show with a bang. With the Bolands’ acquisition of the pool and spa store, Beth and Rio would’ve had a brand new operation to wash their cash. Dean, however, would still be left in the dark regarding Rio’s involvement, adding further friction to Beth’s marriage and making that triangle more complicated than ever.
On the law enforcement side, Agent Donnegan would’ve continued inching her way closer to the truth, getting to know all of the ladies and not just Ruby. “We wanted to see [Phoebe and Beth] get drawn together in a frenemy sort of way,” hinted EP Bill Krebs. As for Boomer: We haven’t seen the last of him.
GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 21 (out of 25)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: The ill-fated Episode 25 would’ve dealt with the fallout from this week’s explosion-themed Station 19 season ender, and — according to sources — featured the death of a major character.
LAST MAN STANDING (Fox)
Number of Episodes Aired: 21 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: The intended finale would have picked up right where we left off, with all the Baxters gathered in a hospital waiting room as Kristin gives birth to her daughter. “If we get picked up [for Season 9]
LAW & ORDER: SVU (NBC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 24)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: Olivia and her squad would’ve revisited the death of her brother, Simon Marsden, who passed away earlier in the season after an apparent overdose. And that’s great and all, but we know what you’re here for: any and all things Stabler. Though showrunner Warren Leight was not planning to have Christopher Meloni’s fan-favorite character appear in the season-ender, he had plotted a story that would’ve brought Kathy Stabler and their son into Olivia’s orbit after the kid fell in with a bad crowd that may have drugged him.
That interaction then would’ve paved the way for the upcoming Stabler-centric spinoff. But do not despair, SVU diehards: The Kathy-and-kid story may show up in Season 22, albeit in a shortened version, and Leight recently said it’s “pretty clear” that Elliot Stabler will be part of the upcoming season’s premiere.
NCIS (CBS)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 24)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: What would have been the long-running drama’s 402nd overall episode “did not have a cliffhanger” per se “but was planned to have a very surprising ending,” one that served up “a reveal/development,” co-showrunner Frank Cardea told us. “We do plan to go forward with the episode in the early part of Season 18 but will probably reevaluate the ending when the time comes.” Also, despite being the last of Season 17’s four unfilmed episodes, it might not necessarily be the fourth episode of Season 18. “We have a lot of flexibility,” explained Cardea. “We can pretty much air the first six episodes in any order that we choose.”
NEW AMSTERDAM (NBC)
Number of Episodes Aired: 18 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: In a Facebook Q&A, EP/director Peter Horton revealed that the season ender was supposed to shoot in the Dominican Republic. There was a culmination of storylines for Max and Helen, Floyd and Evie,” Horton shared. In addition to a possible turning point in Max and Helen’s relationship, addressing what happened between them in her office
THE RESIDENT (Fox)
Number of Episodes Aired: 20 (out of 23)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: The season’s three unaired episodes, including the finale, would have focused heavily on Dr. Cain in the aftermath of his ex-girlfriend Justine’s death. Will those be the things that send him on a path of redemption, or will it send him the other way? There’s a lot of story in that.”
Viewers also would have seen the aftermath of the offer that Logan Kim presented Conrad, which will now kick off a potential fourth season. “The only way [Conrad] would be enticed [to say yes] is if he sees that power and influence as a conduit into changing the system,” Harthan said. “That’s going to be the psychology that we delve into if he takes Kim up on it.”
RIVERDALE (The CW)
Number of Episodes Aired: 19 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: We would’ve seen Archie and his friends go to senior prom and get their diplomas at graduation. But don’t worry: We’ll see those events in the first three episodes of Season 5, he promises. “They’re big, emotional episodes, and there’s a lot of stuff with the characters that we’re still playing out.” That includes “major, major repercussions” for Archie and Betty’s kiss “that go down at prom, in true teen drama fashion.”
S.W.A.T. (CBS)
Number of Episodes Aired: 21 (out of 22)
What Would Have Happened in Planned Finale: Originally scheduled to land on April 29 — the anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots — the finale would have “split time between present-day action and a teenage Hondo and his father during the L.A. riots.
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