Here’s a little reader’s poll for you.  Many successful TV shows like Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1, and Alias have fun for 5+ seasons.  Buffy ran for seven seasons, SG-1 ran for 10, and Alias – well, I never watched the show so I don’t really know exactly.  Now, Battlestar Galactica is scheduled to end after its fourth season, and a comment has been made that maybe the show should have and could have ended successfully after three. 

What do you think is the ideal lifespan for a successful TV series (any genre).  Is seven seasons too long?  Three seasons too short?  Five seasons just right?  I’m curious to see how people weigh in on this topic.