‘The Waltons’ Finale Was Never Supposed to Be the End and Fans Still Debate It

More than four decades after The Waltons ended, the show’s final episode still prompts debates among fans. Part of the reason may be that what viewers watched as the series finale was never supposed to serve that role at all.

As Kami Cotler (Elizabeth) noted in a Facebook post, that final episode had already been taped with the cast on hiatus, hoping for another renewal.

“When the network decided to pull the plug, there was no formal communication to the cast,” she explained.

Cotler continued, “Someone saw it in the news and then called around to let others know. It was disorienting to think it was over.”

The episode, “The Revel,” aired in June 1981. At the time it was filmed, the showrunners were hoping another season might follow.

For longtime viewers of The Waltons, the finale debate is really a broader conversation about when the show began to change.

Some believe the series lost part of its magic after John-Boy (Richard Thomas) left and Grandpa (Will Geer) died. Others appreciate the way the show continued evolving through its final years.

Many fans of The Waltons admit they found the series finale rather disorienting in general, while plenty of others thought it hit all the right notes..

“My mom and I watch that last episode of the series often. We always thought it was a strange ending,” one fan commented.

“Watching that last show, it sure seems like somebody knew it was the end…Very poignant,” suggested a fan on Facebook.

An additional Facebook user declared, “The ironic thing is the ‘worst’ seasons/episodes of classic shows like the Waltons or Little House are still better than almost anything on right now.”

On Reddit, a viewer admitted they were quite surprised that the finale was “really average…I would have thought after so many years of syndication, they would have had a strong close to the series.”

“The Season 7 finale (‘Founders’ Day’) feels more like one than the actual one,” someone suggested, and several others agreed.

“Once John Boy went off to NYC, followed by Grandpa dying, it was time to wrap it up,” another Redditor wrote regarding when the series ended.

“It should have ended after Season 6. The death of Grandpa could have been acknowledged in a TV Movie after that,” agreed someone else.

“Great episode, but sad that it was finished,” wrote an additional fan on Facebook.

Someone else added, “As the saying goes, ‘All good things must come to an end. But I was not ready for the end of The Waltons. I’m just happy that the show ran as long as it did.”

More than four decades later, many viewers still describe The Waltons as a television show they return to again and again. Whether they loved the finale or wished for a different ending, the series continues to remind fans of family and simpler times.