'The Waltons' was one of the most popular series ever, and it came to an end after nine seasons in 1981. But why exactly was it canceled? Here, now are the real reasons.
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00:00 It's been 42 years since the curtain officially fell on The Waltons.
00:06 Actress Judy Norton who played Mary Ellen Walton explains why the series had to end.
00:11 After 9 seasons, The Waltons ended in 1981 and the fans had to say goodbye to the most
00:15 famous TV family around.
00:18 According to MeTV, the ending shocked fans greatly, but the popularity of the series
00:22 had long since fallen.
00:24 In American Series Ratings, the second season took second place.
00:27 Seven seasons later, it slipped to 42nd place according to MeTV.
00:32 For actress Judy Norton however, the series ending came as no surprise.
00:35 The actress said this in a YouTube video.
00:38 "I think a lot of us sort of felt like the show was coming to an end.
00:41 There was that sort of feel about it, but expecting something and actually hearing about
00:44 it are two different things," she said.
00:49 According to Norton, the producers did not personally tell the actors about the ending.
00:53 "I think someone called and told me they heard it on the news," she said.
00:59 Saying goodbye to the series was hard for many of the actors, according to Judy.
01:02 "As long as the show ran, it had a predictability.
01:05 But I also knew the show was going to end and I had to determine what my next steps
01:10 were," she confessed.
01:14 Shortly after the end of the show was announced, according to MeTV, the series climbed into
01:18 the top 14 of the series ratings for the last time.
01:22 Screenwriter Earl Hamner was not surprised by this turn of events.
01:25 He told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper this, "We have very loyal viewers and they have
01:30 always come back to us."
01:33 Despite the efforts of the viewers and after considerations to keep the series alive, it
01:37 was over after 221 episodes and 9 seasons.
01:45 EW is live from Comic-Con 2018!
01:46 Feature footage is available in the show's official website.
01:47 Thank you for watching!
01:47 (music fades)
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