There’s a school of thought that the only important parts of a story are the beginning and the end. The rationale is that if those two parts of the story wow the audience, the middle is forgiven for any of its sins. While the theory is an oversimplification of the need for strong opening and closing statements, it does speak to the importance of a perfect final episode for a TV show.
Series finales carry an immense weight on their shoulders. They need to wrap up plot threads still dangling in the wind, stay true to the premise the show was built on, and, most importantly, say goodbye to characters we love. Expectations for series finales are high, and when they’re fumbled, like in the case of shows likeHow I Met Your Mother, it candamage the legacy of the show itself; conversely, a great finale can cement its show as a TV icon. Carefully constructed and sometimes heartbreaking, these are thetelevision series finales that gave their shows a perfect send-off, leaving nothing to be desired.
10’Succession' (2018-2023)
“With Open Eyes” S.4 Ep. 10
All ofSuccessionled to this moment: the final battle to the financial death between the Roy siblings for the Waystar Royco empire. All the double-crosses and soured deals are rendered insignificant as Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) forge ahead with a shaky alliance in the face of the takeover threat from tech brat Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Going in, audiences had their favorites to win, but no one was sure who would end their day as the successor to power and fortune.
When a resolution to the main premise of the show appears so elusive, a series finale promises a reward for viewers' patience. There was always the chance thatSuccessioncould close with a non-ending where viewers are left to speculate who leads the boardroom in the future, but thankfully, no such easy out was used. Series creatorJesse Armstrongand crew had the Roys take off their gloves and fight dirty ina blistering hour and a half of tension and unexpected windfallsthat were as ruthless as the Roys themselves.
Succession
9’The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (1970-1977)
“The Last Show” S.7 Ep. 24
For seven seasons, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) pursued and lived her dream of career success while working at the fictional television station WJM onThe Mary Tyler Moore Show. When the station’s new management decided to evaluate their staff in light of poor ratings, Mary and her friends all sensed that bumbling anchor Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) would soon be standing on the unemployment line. To their surprise, Ted is the only employee left standing when Mary and the rest of her WJM team are given their termination papers.
Widely regarded as one of thebest series finales of all time,The Mary Tyler Moore Showallowed the characters to say goodbye to the audience by saying goodbye to one another. As the cast embrace, moving in tandem to grab a box of tissues, they find one more opportunity for a big laugh in a sentimental moment. Mary’s last act of turning off the station lights before leaving has become a trope for other finales that both mock and pay homage to the symbolism of a darkened stage.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
8’Freaks and Geeks' (1999-2000)
“Discos and Dragons” S.1 Ep.18
Not intended as a series finale but working beautifully as one, “Discos and Dragons” sees the ragtag group of teens inFreaks and Geeksfinding small victories that will influence their lives going forward. Notably, Daniel Desario (James Franco) finds acceptance and confidence playingDungeons & Dragonswith Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) and friends, while the always restless Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) finds solace in the songs of the Grateful Dead. As the school year ends, it’s clear dynamics are shifting between the friend groups, likely for the better.
It would have been nice to see more of the Weir family and their friends, but if only one season is what viewers were destined to receive – what a hell of a season. Every episode ofFreaks and Geeksachieved an emotional honesty that is rarefor a television show centered around teens, and the finale was no different.CreatorPaul Feighas hintedat what would happen in future seasons – Bill (Martin Starr) becomes a jock! – but the finale isa perfect farewell for these characters. Between lost loves and spoiled expectations, there’s unpredictable promise ahead for all the Freaks and Geeks – whether viewers are there to see it or not.
Freaks and Geeks
7’The Fugitive' (1963-1967)
“The Judgment II” S. 4 Ep. 30
There’s a television graveyard filled with shows that offered premises that never delivered a resolution, andThe Fugitivewas almost one. After five years of pursuing his man, Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) gives Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) 24 hours to catch the real killer before he finally turns himself in. As new revelations shed light on the night of Richard’s wife’s death, the real killer is finally brought to justice, and the fugitive can, for the first time in five years, stop running.
“The ending was a smash hit,drawing 78 million viewers and creating an example for other thrilling shows to follow.”
Seeing Dr. Kimble and Lt. Gerard work together after an exhaustive chase bringsan exciting energy toThe Fugitive’sfinal hour. Viewers could only hope Dr. Kimble would finally catch his elusive one-armed man, but with only one hour of television left, it seemed almost impossible to imagine a happy ending would sneak in before the final credits rolled. The ending was a smash hit,drawing 78 million viewersandcreating an example for other thrilling shows to follow.
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6’The Good Place' (2016-2020)
“Whenever You’re Ready” S.4 Ep.13-14
It will probably be a long time before there’s another sitcom likeThe Good Placethat can so easily cause existential tailspins in its viewers (that’s meant to be a compliment). The sitcom challenged concepts of what the afterlife was supposed to mean and what the purpose was for a soul. And inThe Good Place’sfinal episode, “Whenever You’re Ready,” the comedy questions what is there after eternity. Over time, each of the four souls finds contentment and voluntarily chooses to end their time in the universe so that they may repopulate their energy into the world.
So many of Eleanor’s (Kristen Bell) actions duringThe Good Placewere in the name of self-preservation, so it’s fitting that the last episode is about her letting go.It’s an uplifting finalethat seeseach character find what makes them completely and utterly at peace, but also a tear-jerker to watch them leave. If the idea is that the energy of a previous existence inspires and connects to new creations in the world, thenThe Good Placeredistributed a wholly unique and special energy when the last episode aired.
The Good Place
5’Better Call Saul' (2015-2022)
“Saul Gone” S.6 Ep.13”
When the police finally catch up to Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) in the series finale ofBetter Call Saul, the morally flexible lawyer is characteristically unfazed. There’s no talk of repentance for his part in Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) crimes or accountability for his actions, only well-polished lies that elicit eye rolls from the State Department. It takes his last piece of humanity, his love for Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), to put away Saul and face his earned punishment as Jimmy McGill.
Better Call Saulturned the drab into beautifully composed shots, and that skill is on full display in the final episode of the crime drama. The sheen from Saul’s suit is still aggressively flashy in the black-and-white courtroom, and the final shot of Jimmy and Kim separated by barbed wire-laced fencesspeaks volumes that dialogue wouldn’t do justice.Better Call Saulis a perfect modern tragedy and one ofthe best TV dramas of the 2010s, and Jimmy’s look at Kim as she walks away is the only punctuation the series could truthfully have.
Better Call Saul
4’Scrubs' (2001-2010)
“My Finale” S.8 Ep. 18-19
The medical sitcom followed J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison), and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) from frightened interns to confident doctors over eight seasons, but J.D.’s time at Sacred Heart was coming to a close. Another season ofScrubswill follow, introducing a new group of interns preparing for their trial by fire, but for J.D., this is the end of his journey.
“My Last Day” isaware of other series finales and the expectations that come with them: the need for a last day packed with heartfelt goodbyes and special moments that encompass all the feelings characters shared for multiple seasons. By showing that the last day at Sacred Heart for J.D. is still another day of work for everyone else, the series subverts J.D.’s and the audience’s expectations. As J.D. makes his last walk down the hospital’s hallway, he’s gifted the memories of the people who impacted his life.J.D. then has one final fantasy, a beautiful montage of marriage to Elliot and a life filled with the friends who have become his family. J.D. smiles at the thought of a wonderful future, and so do audiences everywhere.
“Felina” S.5 Ep.16
Walter White’s health is failing rapidly, but he has unfinished business to attend to before he can rest. “Felina,” the masterfully written finale toBreaking Bad, sees The One Who Knocks cross off a short checklist of tasks to ensure his estranged family’s future is secure and rescue one of the only survivors of his cursed empire, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).There was never meant to be a happy ending to Walter’s story, but that won’t stop him from saving those around him from his fate.
There isn’t a second of wasted time inthe final installment ofBreaking Bad, resolving plotlines and punishing antagonists neatly in a piece of rewarding fan service that stays true to the characters. CreatorVince Gilligangives Jessie and Walter closure without attaching a false sense of sentimentalitythat would cheapen their partnership or undermine the complicated nature of their relationship. The entire series ofBreaking Badshould be studied by future writers, but the finale deserves special attention for just how much it gets right.
Breaking Bad
2’The Wire' (2002-2008)
“-30-” S.5 Ep.10
The events ofThe Wire’s fifth season and the creation of a serial killer that never was cause shockwaves through Baltimore, claiming multiple careers before the dust settles. Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) was no stranger to causing trouble, but there would be no punishment short of his badge for the manipulation of state funds. Although Jimmy won’t be part of the police anymore, the crimes that exist on both sides of the law will carry on, business as usual.
While the fifth season is considered inferior to the years before it, the same can’t be said forThe Wire’s final episode. A deserving ending to one of the greatest shows ever made,The Wire’sfinale takesone last look at the many corners of Baltimoreand the people that live in it. “-30-” is a reminder that even though the streets have long memories, the time on them for all the players in the game is short. And that even though the names and faces will change, the pursuit of the hardest-made easy dollar will continue to grind anyone brave enough to try.
1’Six Feet Under'
“Everyone’s Waiting” S.5 Ep.12
The end ofSix Feet Under’s run on HBO saw tragedy once again descend on the Fisher family, but soon after, a new Fisher is born to balance the scales. It’s a time of mourning and rejoicing but also fresh starts with Claire (Lauren Ambrose) leaving for New York to work as a photographer’s assistant. As Claire drives off into the unknown, journeying to find her place in the world,a montage of the key moments in the Fisher’s life plays. Marriages, firsts, and as coupled with any beginning – deaths, create a timeline for the joys and final breaths of the characters viewers grew close to over five seasons.
Six Feet Underexplored death – sometimes with horror, sometimes by way of morbid humor, but never without the appreciation of the life that preceded it. The goal ofSix Feet Underwas not to be saddened by death but rather to celebrate the gift of existence. And never has a thesis statement of a series been so perfectly encapsulated than in the visual imagery, the writing, the music, and the acting of “Everyone’s Waiting.”There’s a pain in the ending, but asSix Feet Underreminds us,the path to get there was incredible.
