Every Show Must Die (Goodbye 30 Rock)

Sometimes shows are cut off way too soon (My So-Called Life, The Comeback).  Other great shows drag on so long they grow sour (The Office, The X-Files).  Then there are the shows that never impressed to begin with but seem to never end (Smallville, Two and a Half Men).  Such is the will of networks if a show makes money and a mass public stays eager for easily digestible filler.  How I Met Your Mother, I'm talking to you.

The discerning are often left to lament the loss of greatness, but not always before its time.  How long is long enough?  Comedies tend to lend themselves better to longer runs (Friends, Frasier), whereas dramas with their over-arching storylines feel more suited to ending shortly after their narrative peaks (Alias, The Sopranos).  In honour of 30 Rock's final episode airing January 31st, here's my list of shows that went on just long enough without being cancelled too soon.  Always leave them wanting more, as they say:

1. The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
2. The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
3. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
4. Six Feet Under - (2001-2005)
5. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
6. Lost - (2004-2010)
7. 30 Rock (2006-2013)