3. DVD
When making TV shows the producers have to please two different audiences, the fans at home, and the TV network executives. Although the executives have the final say on what they broadcast, the popularity of DVDs (and now the internet) has meant that producers can make their shows just for the fans at home, and cut out the middle man of TV altogether. Although animation is perhaps the last bastion of modern episodic television, Futurama managed to end season 4 on a nice note for those who had stuck with the series. Although Fry's unrequited love for Leela never managed to hit the emotional depths of Jurassic Bark or The Luck Of The Fryish (even if Time Keeps On Slippin' came close), The Devil's Hands Are Idol Playthings ended with a touched Leela finally giving him the chance he deserves. Thanks partly to the DVD sales being where it made its money, Comedy Central decided that Futurama would be a wise investment, and produced four film length adventures that were released on directly to that market. Likewise the producers of the continuing narrative based Stargate SG-1 managed to neatly wrap up all their storylines and end the Goa'uld threat once and for all at the end of season 8, but the network decided they still wanted more. Cut to two years later, they change their mind, and cancel the series whilst new bad guys the Ori were still in the middle of their turn antagonising the galaxy. In order to bring peace to the Milky Way (again) two direct to DVD specials, The Ark of Truth and Continuum, were produced. In the cases of both Futurama and Stargate SG:1, the fans were made happy, and the network executives didn't really have to do much. Apart from when they later broadcast the DVD films on TV, thus almost making the whole process a little bit redundant.