The Incredible Dr. Pol - General Discussion

[Rammchick]

Series Finale July 6th.  

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/entertainment/the-incredible-dr-pol-grand-finale/

ETA -- I haven't been able to find out anything regarding why the show is ending now after 24 seasons.  

Edited June 24 by Rammchick

[Becks]

Just wanted to say thanks for posting this. I had wondered where the new season was and knew if there was any info to be had, it would be found here. It seems my dvr didn't record the series finale because it was listed as a special and not part of the main series.

I'd like to know the reason for the abrupt cancellation as well. I think it's been obvious Dr Pol has been slowing down for the last few seasons but I hope it's not something health-related.

Edited August 4 by Becks

[Rammchick]

On 8/4/2024 at 7:31 AM, Becks said:

I'd like to know the reason for the abrupt cancellation as well. I think it's been obvious Dr Pol has been slowing down for the last few seasons but I hope it's not something health-related.

Mine didn't record it either so I still haven't seen it.

I haven't been able to find out any intel since I first posted that.  Some articles I've seen make it seem like Pol didn't retire from his profession, just gave up the show.  If that's the case, clearly something had to have been behind that decision, whether it was on Disney's part (e.g., poor ratings) or his (e.g., too much disruption to his business).  However, neither seems plausible -- I don't think the show had poor ratings and I doubt that after all this time, the potential disruption to the day to day operations wasn't a well known quantity to work around.  I do think the show's ending was very abrupt, at least from a TV viewer's perspective.

So does anyone out there know if Pol Veterinary Services is still helmed by Dr Pol, or did he retire and put someone else in charge?

Edited August 5 by Rammchick

[nitrofishblue]

Spectrum dropped NatGeoWild from their line-up. They kept NatGeo. That means I can't see Dr. Pol and the other vet shows that NGW aired. The same goes for Animal Planet. That network was sold (sorry right now I can't remember the purchaser). The new owner completely demolished the lineup. They dropped all the vet shows along with Pit Bulls & Parolees. The shows they kept are just crappy and I no longer even watch AP. I learned so much about animals from the shows that are no longer available.

[Becks]

I know that in addition to a rerun airing today, Aug. 10th (which I'll be recording), there are at least two more re-airings of the finale scheduled this month - do a search for The Incredible Dr Pol: The Grand Finale.

I did some searching of my own about the cancellation but didn't turn up any new info. It does sound like ending the show wasn't Dr. Pol's choice, and that they'll still be doing the Pol farm show.  I think the series has been NGW's #1 program for years, but that might also spell trouble in terms of renewing contracts, pay raises, etc in this era of Disney chopping and budget-tightening all over the place in favor of their streaming interests.

I looked at the reviews for Pol Veterinary Clinic on Google and Yelp for any indication that Dr Pol had retired, but didn't see anything like that. A review from about a month ago did mention an unnamed vet had left the practice, though (maybe Dr. Nicole?).  Nothing about last season felt like they wouldn't be coming back. Very sad.

[Becks]

Finally got to watch the series finale...I honestly felt it could have been twice the length but it's still a nice retrospective. Although they used clips of Dr. Emily and Dr. Nicole, the only docs who actually filmed segments especially for the finale were Dr. Brenda and Dr. Lisa - no Dr. Olivia or Dr. Nicole. (And Brenda was surprisingly magnanimous about her experience on the show, considering her dislike for being followed around by a camera crew was well-documented. 😄)  I didn't get any sense from the finale that Dr. Pol intends to retire or anything like that. It was definitely emotional to see that final shot of the clinic, and I'll miss watching the seasons change in lovely rural Michigan.🥹 I hope everyone gets a chance to see it.

I also wanted to share a discussion I came across on, of all places, the official QVC forums. According to people there, Dr. Nicole has indeed left the Pol clinic and joined another practice. There's also something there about how the Pol Farm show is going to resume on Disney+, not on NGW, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

Edited August 15 by Becks

[DonnaMae]

3 hours ago, Becks said:

Finally got to watch the series finale

On what channel did you see it?

[Becks]

On 8/15/2024 at 7:52 AM, DonnaMae said:

On what channel did you see it?

I DVRed a repeat on NatGeoWild.

[nitrofishblue]

Spectrum dropped NatGeoWild several months ago. That means I have had np way to watch any of the last Doc Pol episodes. Can't even access any ondemand, what a croc of BS!!!!

 

[Rammchick]

I was just reading about layoffs at Disney and cost cutting measures that hit NatGeo particularly hard.  I'm thinking this is the culprit for the show ending so abruptly.

ETA: Dr Michelle Sharkey has passed away

Edited August 19 by Rammchick

[Minivanessa]

On 8/15/2024 at 5:39 AM, Becks said:

I also wanted to share a discussion I came across on, of all places, the official QVC forums. According to people there, Dr. Nicole has indeed left the Pol clinic and joined another practice. 

I found it - it's information on the vet clinic's public website. She's now at a vet practice in Clare, Michigan. Her staff bio page on their website says she's a hobby farmer and proud mother to her son Noah. IIRC in the episode of the show where she announced her pregnancy, she said that she and her husband were looking forward to the birth. Without naming him, and the show otherwise never mentioned her marital status. Which is fine with me; some people want to retain privacy even if a spouse is on a TV show. It could also be a matter of her husband being in a line of work that makes keeping personal information private something more than just personal preference, but truly important (law enforcement, military, etc.).