5 Terrible Season 2 Spin-Off Ideas for HBO’s ‘The Night Of’

The HBO limited series 'The Night Of' may have finished the story it set out to tell, but I decided to pitch some spin-off ideas to keep the water cooler show alive -- these were the worst ones we could come up with.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THE ARTICLE

HBO's 'The Night Of' was a well-acted thrill ride that dragged you through the annuls of the American criminal justice system in what occasionally seemed like real time. Its pacing never became a glaring issue until you get through episode seven and have a realization in the neighborhood of, "There's only one episode left? How the hell will they end this show in just one episode? There's still so many questions!"

I enjoyed the show a lot, but it did feel like they intentionally left us hanging. The lack of closure with some of the plot threads -- most notably "whodunit?" -- was a real kick to the gonads, even if they did wrap up the story of the characters with whom we spent the most time. Shows like 'The Killing' have pulled this maneuver before, where they let the viewer believe they're getting closure only to call a last-minute audible and throw a hail mary to a second season that nobody expected, nor wanted. However, I don't believe that's the case with 'The Night Of.' If they do have a second season -- it likely won't be about these characters.

I don't see them being able to expand this story in a satisfying way with what's left. Nas' story is over, and who gives a crap about the other suspect? I believe the story we got is all we'll get. It was a good one, and when you try for too much of a good thing -- you end up with 'Dumb and Dumber To,' 'The Hangover' sequels (yes, both of them), and the final season of 'LOST.' That being said -- this is the real world. Quality control never seems to deter networks from pressing their luck. It is with that in mind that I decided to pitch some spin-off ideas for 'The Night Of.'

Don't worry -- all of these ideas suck. Hard.

H/T to Dan Dillon for the Dio joke.

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