History Main / PostScriptSeason

* ''ComicBook/SuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' was slated to run for 12 issues, but the vocal fanbase got it extended to 17. By Nick Spencer's own account, this actually worked out for the best, as it allowed him to do DayInTheLimelight stories for Beetle and Overdrive.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'': The show was cancelled abruptly before an ending could be written aand trhe Prophecy could be fulfilled; the final episode doesn't resolve ''anything''. According to Robby London, this was done to avoid season-writing conflicts, should the series have been picked up for another season. The planned comic conclusion was also shelved.

** ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'': The show was cancelled abruptly before an ending could be written aand trhe Prophecy could be fulfilled; the final episode doesn't resolve ''anything''. According to Robby London, this was done to avoid season-w2riting conflicts, should the series have been picked up for another season. The planned comic conclusion was also shelved.

** Depending on who you ask, any given arc of the original Dragon Ball manga could be considered this. [[http://www.kanzenshuu.com/intended-end/ Kazenshuu has a guide detailing the rumors]], but most fans will say at the very least that the Buu arc was the latest point in time for this to have happened, considering that arc started to actively ''make fun'' of the very tropes it had built its name on. The fact that many feel Toriyama ended the manga less through narrative conclusion and more personal weariness contributes to this outlook.

** The TV series itself had a "postscript last couple of episodes." The BigBad ManBehindTheMan was finally, decisively and explosively defeated. Happily ever after, right? Unfortunately years before the series began [[spoiler:a spore for a "New Machine Species" implanted itself in Mikoto's nervous system and took her over, leading to a new, powerful and nigh indestructible foe to give GGG a hard time.]] While it reeked of an AssPull (there was some {{foreshadowing}}, but it was only apparent in hindsight), it somehow managed to wrap itself up nicely.

* ''Series/MurphyBrown'' was revived for an eleventh season in 2018, seeing the title character coming out of retirement to confront the modern-day media landscape of cable news, social media, presidents with volatile personalities, and her son Avery becoming a host on a Creator/FoxNews expy. The majority of the original cast returned for the revival (which only lasted a single season), although Avery was recast as an adult, and Phil's bar is now run by his daughter since [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Pat Corley died]].

* The original plan for ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' was to cover only [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first generation games]], while giving sneak peaks to the Pokémon of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]'', which would launch shortly after the anime's end. This was because video game adaptations to other media [[VideoGameMoviesSuck have not had good track records]]. Of course, things turned out differently [[LongRunners than what they planned for]].

* The original plan for ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' was to cover only [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first generation games]], while giving sneak peaks to the Pokémon of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]'', which would launch shortly after the anime's end. This was because video game adaptations to other media [[VideoGameMoviesSuck have not had good track records]]. Of course, [[FranchiseZombie things turned out differently]] [[LongRunners than what they planned for]].

-->-- '''Giles''', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "Once More With Feeling"

* ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita: Last Order'' might be seen as that, because when road accident forced Yukito Kishiro to WrapItUp, he tacked a HappyEnding onto the series and left it for half a decade, until he returned to it in ''Last Order''. However, as the "PostScriptSeason" is ''even longer'' than the original series, and it completely disregarded said happy ending, it is more like a cross between the sequel, remake and the {{Revival}} now.

* This was parodied with ''AudioPlay/EvangelionAfterTheEnd'', an official audio drama SelfParody released by the cast and crew of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. The plot involves the show unexpectedly being renewed for a second season (despite the ending making that unlikely), and the cast subsequently struggling to come up with a decent way to continue the franchise. Among other things, they contemplate {{Retool}}ing it as a Franchise/SuperSentai program, a teen drama, and even a [[ContinuityReboot reboot]]... [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]!

* ''Comicbook/SuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' was slated to run for 12 issues, but the vocal fanbase got it extended to 17. By Nick Spencer's own account, this actually worked out for the best, as it allowed him to do DayInTheLimelight stories for Beetle and Overdrive.
* ''Comicbook/StarWarsPoeDameron'' was supposed to end with issue #25, where it resolved its story arcs and led into ''Film/TheForceAwakens''. However, it was successful enough to continue with another six-part story, which served as a POVSequel to that movie and ''Film/TheLastJedi''.

* ''[[Series/{{Andromeda}} Andromeda's]]'' final season feels very much like this. [[BigBad The Abyss]] is confronted and the Route of Ages opened in the season 4 finale. Season 5 suddenly and inexplicably leaves the titular ship unpowered and mostly abandoned for the crew (with some new and replacement characters) to hop around on poorly explained backwater desert planets orbiting a weird dying artificial sun. Its only saving grace comes late when it's revealed [[spoiler: the system is Tarn Vedra, the long lost home of the System Commonwealth's founders, and the artificial sun is a crazy BatmanGambit designed to once and for all kill The Abyss. And that Trance is the Avatar of Tarn Vedra's real sun who kills The Abyss when she returns to her proper place.]]

* This happened to ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' in its original radio incarnation, which had to get Arthur and Ford off of prehistoric Earth and rescue Marvin and Zaphod from a carbon copy of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal so they could go on further adventures. (While poor old Trillian got a one-line PutOnABus). The bus came back later, when they started making radio versions of [[Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy the book series]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' got renewed for one additional season; the surprise of this development could be seen in that the three-part finale for Season Four was titled simply "The End." As such, the show had to forego the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil for the fifth season's villain (because really, there's really no way to go ''up'' from the resident GodOfEvil) and instead bring back nearly every villain the show had ever had (in addition to the new ones) to serve in Brain's LegionOfDoom. The season also had a fair amount of DayInTheLimelight episodes for more minor characters, and ''finally'' delivered a long-awaited OriginsEpisode explaining how the team got together.

* Fanfic/TheLittlePonyLegend: This series of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic MLP:FIM]]'' loosely retelling the events of both shows, with several installments taking place after the the former's grand finale. In ''Shadow of Ronin'', many of the characters lamenting that their lives are almost boring now that they saved the world.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' germinated as a post-script season for Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration. You could easily swap the roles around -- Troi for Kes, Worf for Tuvok, Riker for Chakotay -- and not lose anything in the transfer, especially during Seasons 1 and 2.

** ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' was to be the final season, as Disney had decided to shelf the entire series, partly because they didn't know what to do with it and partly because [[OldShame they were actually kind of embarrassed to have it.]] However, when Saban bought the series back, they decided to continue with a new Sentai adaptation, forcing a final decision on whether RPM's {{After the End}} plot would be canon. (It is, [[TheMultiverse sort of...]]) The post-script seasons here don't have as much of an effect as other examples, as each season has been a standalone story since ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy''.

* The final two (half-)seasons of ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'' leave this impression. They were drawn ten years after the main series was complete in an attempt to revive it, feature antagonists that are nowhere as awesome and world-shattering as Fibrizzo and Dark Star, and, to boot, are new versions of old enemies [[spoiler: Zanaffar and Rezo-Shabranigdo]].

* The 2020 finale movie for ''LightNovel/VioletEvergarden'' was not part of the plan for the series since Director Taichi Ishidate [[spoiler: originally had no plan [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-10-12/violet-evergarden-director-discusses-his-initial-hesitation-about-creating-sequel-film/.165111 to reveal Major Gilbert's fate]]]]. However, he changed his mind after scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida turned in a sequel concept.

*** The plots for the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' anime at the time of ''V'' have already been dealt with, so ''V'' focuses exclusively on novel-only content. Still doesn't stop Gauron, Gates, Yu Fan and Yu Lan from serving as bosses, though.

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' was originally set to end with TheMovie ''So the Drama'', but was renewed for another season. The following season was well-received and the new finale finished up all the remaining story arcs the original left hanging, such as [[spoiler:Ron finally managing to master his Mystical Monkey powers.]]

* Season 3 of ''Anime/SonicX''. Ratings had been mediocre in Japan, so the anime was unable to get past the initial 52 episode order and had to quickly wrap up its TrappedInAnotherWorld premise... and then [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff it became an absolute hit in the international market]], resulting in a somewhat DarkerAndEdgier season that had barely anything to do with the rest of the series before it. Notably, this is one of the few cases in which the general consensus is that the post script season is actually better that the seasons before it.

* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'' has its fifth episode start a whole new plot arc involving alternate worlds and special portals after [[spoiler:the death of the Wither Storm and CoolPet Rueben]].

* This was parodied with ''AudioPlay/EvangelionAfterTheEnd'', an official audio drama SelfParody released by the cast and crew of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. The plot involves the show unexpectedly being renewed for a second season (despite the ending making that [[KillEmAll unlikely]]), and the cast subsequently struggling to come up with a decent way to continue the franchise. Among other things, they contemplate {{Retool}}ing it as a Franchise/SuperSentai program, a teen drama, and even a [[ContinuityReboot reboot]]... [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]!

* For those who took Latin in high school, one can't help but wonder if the writers of the ''Literature/CambridgeLatinCourse'' textbook thought they wouldn't get their contracts renewed after Book I. Vesuvius blows and [[KillEmAll everybody dies]], Caecilius dying onscreen and his son's fate left in question... until next semester. Also, Book IV had ''a lot'' of {{filler}} arcs, don't you think? Who cares about ThoseTwoGuys at Bath and random weddings? Get back to Salvius and his evil!

*** ''UX'' explicitly happens post-''Dunbine'', to which the original series was a KillEmAll ending.

* Music/{{Eminem}} finished off a trilogy of albums dedicated to his personas and a sequel to the final album in that cycle, documenting his CreatorBreakdown, his chaotic personal life, [[TheNewRockAndRoll baiting and shutting down a moral panic]], [[InsultComic insulting]] every TeenPop sensation of the era, ending and launching several careers, and becoming enough of a threat to the Bush administration that the FBI investigated him as a potential revolutionary. Afterwards, he claimed that he felt that he had achieved everything he wanted to with rap, dropped a GreatestHits album and announced his retirement. He was reinvigorated after [[CreatorRecovery recovering from a serious pill addiction that was destroying his ability]], made a couple of {{Concept Album}}s about his addiction and rejuvenation, then followed that with ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', an OlderAndWiser take on his original persona. On that album's [[AlbumClosure final track]], "Evil Twin", he reflects on having [[AntagonistInMourning no more]] {{Boy Band}}s to insult and compares his situation to Ma$e quitting rapping to become a priest. His follow-up label compilation contains a song in which he [[TrueArtIsAngsty worries about how there's nowhere else for him to go now that he's so far from the trailer park]]. Albums that followed have been criticised for not having anything to say, and giving the impression of just jamming with words.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' initially played this straight with Season 6, which was a collection of episodes finished after the series' cancellation in 2013 and released onto Netflix in 2014. Then the series was UnCanceled in 2018 by Creator/{{Disney}}, for a twelve-episode seventh season to stream on Creator/DisneyPlus with the aim of concluding the series as it was originally planned to have been concluded - with the [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSiegeOfMandaloreArc Siege of Mandalore]] set [[SimultaneousArcs concurrently]] with the events of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''.

* The original ''VisualNovel/MuvLuv'' trilogy ended quite definitively with ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternative'', as it resolved every major plot point and effectively concluded the character arcs of the entire main cast. However, it was followed up by numerous follow-up titles as the producers sought to make it their FlagshipFranchise. These have included spin-offs and sidestories featuring new characters, a new VN series set in an AlternateContinuity, and a straight example [[spoiler:in ''Altered Fable's'' "The Shimmering Shard of Spacetime", which is an epilogue set entirely in ''Final Extra'', the reality created at the end of ''Alternative''.]]

** The next season, Creator/SylvesterMcCoy's first, also had to deal with this. Producer Creator/JohnNathanTurner had been expecting to move onto another series, only to be told by his bosses that he would be staying on ''Who'', and found he basically had to plan the next season from scratch with limited time to prepare, including finding a new Doctor (the BBC refused to let Colin have another season, and Colin was unwilling to do only a regeneration story, as it would make it difficult to find work) and a new script editor, the previous one having left when his contract ended. On top of that, it was scheduled against popular British soap opera ''Series/CoronationStreet'', treated as a sacrificial lamb. The series managed to hang on by the skin of its teeth, and got another two seasons before the next, and much longer, hiatus.

** A more straightforward example is Series 10 of the revived program - not for the show as a whole, but for Creator/StevenMoffat's era as showrunner. Series 9 was intended as his last, tying up loose plots from his era (e.g. what happened to the Zygons [[spoiler:and Gallifrey]] after "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]") and ending with an epic 3-part GrandFinale (featuring [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent his own most acclaimed script]]) that removed Clara Oswald from the series [[spoiler:and from the Doctor's memories]], leaving behind a clean slate. The [[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong post-series Christmas Special]] then gave a happy ending to the Doctor, serving as another perfectly acceptable conclusion to his era. But, with Creator/ChrisChibnall having to finish up ''Series/{{Broadchurch}}'' before taking over, Moffat had to keep going for one more series. With a new companion and a premiere entitled "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E1ThePilot The Pilot]]", this was clearly something of a retool.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime The two-part]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls Finale]] of Series 10 itself, bringing the Doctor and Missy's character arcs to their climax while writing out [[spoiler: Bill, Nardole, and both Masters]], ''and'' fatally injuring the Twelfth Doctor, was intended as his Finale, but there was need for a ChristmasEpisode to keep that yearly slot. Thus, the finale was slightly re-written and "[[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime Twice Upon A Time]]" was created, doing a bit of extra wrapping up, providing some BookEnds to the Capaldi and Moffat eras, and [[TheNthDoctor showing the Doctor's regeneration]], passing the torch at last over to Creator/ChrisChibnall as showrunner and Creator/JodieWhittaker [[GenderBender as the Doctor.]]

** The sixth season built up to wrapping up the various plot-lines: Elliott was getting married to Keith, who brought out the best in her; Turk and Carla had a lovely family set up with their baby daughter, Izzy, and the same was true of Dr Cox and Jordan with their kids, Jack and Jennifer Dylan; JD was as neurotic as ever, but mostly unchanged and dealing with the alienation that his unlikeable habits led to; Laverne had been KilledOffForReal ... and at the last minute, they got renewed for season seven. Suddenly, JD finds out that Kim lied to him about her miscarriage, Elliott's dysfunctions with Keith got turned UpToEleven, and instead of the (admittedly kind of depressing) ending that things had been shaping up for, we got a cliffhanger season ending and a season premiere that really only served to once again point out that JD and Elliott were the endgame couple.

* Music/{{Eminem}} finished off a trilogy of albums dedicated to his personas and a sequel to the final album in that cycle, documenting his CreatorBreakdown, his chaotic personal life, [[TheNewRockAndRoll baiting and shutting down a moral panic]], [[InsultComic insulting]] every TeenPop sensation of the era, ending and launching several careers, and becoming enough of a threat to the Bush administration that the FBI investigated him as a potential revolutionary. Afterwards, he claimed that he felt that he had achieved everything he wanted to with rap, dropped a GreatestHits album and announced his retirement. He was reinvigorated after [[CreatorRecovery recovering from a serious pill addiction that was destroying his ability]], made a couple of {{Concept Album}}s about his addiction and rejuvenation, then followed that with ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', an OlderAndWiser take on his original persona. On that album's [[AlbumClosure final track]], "Evil Twin", he reflects on having [[AntagonistInMourning no more]] {{Boy Band}}s to insult and compares his situation to Ma$e quitting rapping to become a priest. His follow-up label compilation contains a song in which he [[TrueArtIsAngsty worries about how there's nowhere else for him to go now that he's so far from the trailer park]]. Albums that followed have largely been about the negative reaction to him still making music despite having nothing left to do, or give the impression of just jamming with words.

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