Time goes by, and a lot of movie franchises, as well as TV shows, eventually reach a turning point: either they wrap things up for good, or they risk becoming pure saturation and fatigue. A lot of studios and streaming services are willing to end some stories because they see there’s no real point in continuing them, while others just seem to ignore that and keep stretching things until the universe turns into a brand made up of countless spin-offs or installments. And 2026 is bringing several productions to an end, but at the same time, it’s also giving some IPs even more sequels purely for commercial reasons.
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So, in this list, you’ll find some examples that are officially saying goodbye this year, and some that should’ve done it a long time ago, but are still going with one more chapter or expansion.
6) The Bear
The Bear just ended after five seasons, and its finale basically confirms what the show had been building toward from the very beginning: Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) trying to turn a completely chaotic, emotionally dysfunctional environment into something sustainable, even if that comes at the cost of his own presence in the kitchen. And, in a satisfying way, the show shifts its focus to Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) takeover, directly tying into its core idea of building yourself through trauma. Widely considered one of the best-written shows on TV, with multiple Emmys to its name, it absolutely delivered on that reputation.
And of course, like any series, The Bear did stumble at certain points due to its increasingly stylized direction and more scattered subplots, but it never really lost relevance. With its ending, TV adds another entry to the small group of truly great shows worth your time. It started by immediately grabbing audience attention and wrapped in the most coherent way possible for its identity, knowing exactly when to stop. And on top of that, it even leaves the door open for a potential Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) spin-off.
5) Jackass
This is one of the most iconic comedy franchises, having started in the 2000s and gained worldwide attention for the shocking and hilarious way human beings are willing to push themselves in search of humor. With several comedians performing stunts and pranks on each other and on the public, Jackass originally began as a reality TV show, but later expanded into movies. Still, even if it was funny, it also left a legacy of controversy around the encouragement of dangerous behavior. And after achieving massive status, Jackass: Best and Last recently premiered to officially wrap up the franchise.
And what’s most interesting about this new film is that, beyond being well received by fans, it’s being seen as a more emotional farewell than expected. It essentially works as a “greatest hits” with new material, almost like a reminder of classic stunts, blending in behind-the-scenes moments and the cast reflecting on the entire journey that began over twenty years ago. Best and Last is not another installment pushed to the extreme, but rather a very balanced look at that chaos combined with the fact that this marks the end of an era.
4) Jumanji
When Jumanji came out in 1995, no one really expected it to eventually become a full franchise — and one of the most entertaining ones at that. The original film later spawned an animated series, a follow-up with Zathura: A Space Adventure, and then expanded again with two modern blockbuster entries, followed by a third one, Jumanji: Open World, set to release in December this year. It hasn’t been officially confirmed as the final installment, but everything suggests it was designed as a conclusion. And based on the post-credits scene from Jumanji: The Next Level, the new premise is clearly aiming to raise expectations.
In Open World, instead of the characters being transported into the game, the game itself now invades the real world (almost like the original setup), forcing the group to deal with the chaos outside the virtual environment in a sort of demo version of their avatars. Considering the previous movies were a massive commercial success, grossing over $1.5 billion combined, expectations remain high for this one as well. And with the story finally shifting its setting in a meaningful way, it feels like a natural evolution (rather than just another round of the same video game scenario), making this the franchise’s most fitting ending.
3) Toy Story
This is a controversial case, since Toy Story 5 recently hit theaters and the franchise is one of the most beloved of all time. The thing is that it’s been over thirty years since the first film, and at this point, there doesn’t really seem to be a limit to how much more this universe can be explored. Over time, what’s clear is that continuity is starting to feel more like a burden than something actually justified (even if there are still some interesting story ideas along the way). The third film delivered a perfect ending, and the fourth felt more like an optional follow-up, even if many people still watched it out of attachment to the franchise. But realistically, it’s been enough.
The ideal scenario now is that, if anything, Toy Story should at least wrap up its story in one final movie — so that, just like Andy had his trilogy with his toys, Bonnie could have the same kind of structured ending. Woody and Buzz have already gone through complete arcs of identity, purpose, and farewell, and continuing to push them (and others) into new journeys starts to dilute the emotional weight those stories originally had when those themes were fresh. At this point, the franchise is very close to hitting its saturation limit.
2) Scream
If Toy Story is already starting to show issues due to the number of installments, Scream is in an even more obvious situation. Even though it’s a horror classic, the franchise now totals seven films, with the latest one released this year and another already confirmed for probably 2027 or 2028. Yes, it has a very strong legacy, but that alone isn’t a reason to keep it going indefinitely — especially when every movie is essentially the same formula, just with a different Ghostface. It’s a meta-commentary on horror rules where everyone plays within those same rules, but over time that’s become harder to sustain without feeling repetitive.
And the audience numbers and increasingly lukewarm reception basically prove that point, with the 2026 entry being widely considered the weakest of the bunch. Even if it still worked commercially (likely driven a lot by curiosity), it feels more generic and less inspired as a Scream movie specifically. It’s not a disaster, and fans will probably keep watching regardless, but the franchise has started to lose its edge because at this point everyone already knows exactly how it’s going to play out.
1) Stranger Things
When Stranger Things started showing signs of becoming a massive TV hit, it was clear that it could very well turn into a franchise. Besides, the universe is rich and mysterious enough that expansion actually made sense (even allowing room to potentially address some of the plot holes left after the final season). But then Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 came along, and it’s basically like a rehash of the original show in animated form. Is it entertaining? Yes. But it’s hard to ignore that it comes with a pretty uninspired premise. Could they still do something different with it? Sure. But is it even worth it? That’s the question.
After everything the shows accomplished over nearly a decade, the situation from here is pretty clear: either you scale things up even further, which risks diluting the impact, or you start repeating variations of the same conflict. Plus, the Stranger Things brand itself has become somewhat fatigued in cultural terms, since it was talked about so heavily for so long. Even though there are more projects confirmed within the universe, it’s already obvious they’re unlikely to hit the same level of impact as the original series. At this point, it would make more sense to leave it alone and recognize when to stop before it starts to lose more than it gains.
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