Why Do Great TV Shows Often End So Badly? How To Tell an Actor They’re Being Killed Off & Why Polymarket has Changed Reality TV Forever

Why Do Great TV Shows Often End So Badly? How To Tell an Actor They’re Being Killed Off & Why Polymarket has Changed Reality TV Forever

From Insiders: The TV Podcast by Expectation / Hat Trick

May 29, 2026 · 37 min · Season 3 · Episode 21

About this episode

Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham discuss the challenges of ending TV shows and the impact of prediction markets on reality TV.

TV Insiders Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham discuss whether Euphoria is on its final series, how to end a TV hit properly, why killing off characters can backfire, how prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are spoiling reality TV shows like Survivor, and what the BBC can learn from YouTube. They also talk about: The Bear and Emily in Paris announcing their final series The endings of Derry Girls and The Sopranos compared to Game of Thrones What it was like to cancel shows like the The Bill and Bodies The art of writing shocking character deaths in shows like Emmerdale Who tells the talent that they’ve been written out of a show The ‘Prediction Markets’ could change reality TV forever How outcomes of The Masked Singer , Next Level Chef and The Bachelorette were all correctly predicted months before they even aired Matt Brittin’s comments on the BBC, improving the iPlayer and YouTube Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube , find us on socials @InsidersTVPod , or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com . If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review 5-star review, share it with a friend and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! #TV…

People in this episode

Host: Jimmy Mulville

Guest: Peter Fincham

Topics covered

  • TV show endings
  • character deaths
  • reality TV prediction markets
  • impact of YouTube on traditional media
  • cancellation of TV shows

Keywords

  • Euphoria
  • The Bear
  • Game of Thrones
  • reality TV
  • character deaths
  • Polymarket
  • BBC
  • YouTube
  • TV show endings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC, YouTube, Kalshi, Polymarket

Books & works: Euphoria, The Bear, Emily in Paris, Derry Girls, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Bill, Bodies, Emmerdale, The Masked Singer

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