As any writer knows, TV finales are always a gamble with fans. Finding the perfect balance between leaving fans with a sense of closure while also perfectly tying up loose ends for a show that is loved is no easy task. It can be easy to get a finale wrong and have fans riled up (helloGame of Thrones) but it’s also possible to write an ending that is almost close to perfect that fans can watch back and not have the whole series ruined by one bad last episode.
Of course some fans will always nitpick and think they could have done a better job, but series finales for shows likeBreaking Bad,Lost,Six Feet UnderandThe Big Bang Theoryhave proven that it’s possible for fans to walk away from their favorite show feeling somewhat happy with its ending.
Fringehas been a must-watch and bingeworthy series for science fiction fans and anyone looking for a compelling and entertaining television series. Fringe offered an innovative take on the genre for all its five seasons that fans loved. So it was pretty obvious that fans of the show expected the ending to be as good as the beginning. The series finale ofFringegets some points for how it ensured that each of the characters got their story told and how fans of the show were given a chance to say a proper goodbye to their favorite characters. Another great thing about the ending was its many references to the past seasons that made nostalgic fans happy.
However, the finale did have some plots that felt like they were there to add to the time instead of adding anything to the show’s story. There are so many questions the series left unanswered. For instance, fans are left to guess which timeline remained, no one knows how the Observers became who they are, or how Samantha (played by Trini Alvarado) was different from the other Observers. These and so many other questions left too many loose ends that the creators ofFringeshould have at least tried to answer.
19Community
Forover six seasons,Communitywas hilarious and inventive, making it a bingeworthy TV show even to this day. The finale had some great things going for it that left fans happy. Annie (played by Alison Brie) and Abed (played by Danny Pudi) at least got what they wanted. Annie joined the FBI, and Abed finally went to film school in LA. Shirley (played by Yvette Nicole Brown) appeared in the last season, and fans got to see what season seven of the show could have been had it continued.
Unfortunately, the season finale wasn’t great for every character. Annie and Jeff never got together,Troy (played by Donald Glover) did not return in the finale, and Chang (played by Ken Jeong) had zero character growth. But it was great that Jeff played by Joel McHale) finally grew up in the end and started hanging out with people his age even though he did not end up with Britta (played by Gillian Jacobs) or Annie.
18Downton Abbey
It’s always sad to see a good show come to an end, but it’s also essential when a series ends at the right time, so it doesn’t begin to tire its fans out.Downton Abbeyhad a good run, and a show like that needs an ending that will satisfy its viewers and ensure that all loose ends are tied up perfectly. In the last episode, Anna (played by Joanne Froggatt) and Mr. Bates (played by Brendan Coyle) had a baby boy, Thomas became the head butler, Baxter, and Barrow became friends, Edith (played by Laura Carmichael) got married, and the New Year was brought in with happiness and optimism for the future.
The ending of the series was primarily upbeat, with only one negative thing; Carson (played by Jim Carter) getting ill. Fans were also not happy with what seemed like rushed romances from some of the characters but other than that, it was a great ending to a great show.
17The Middle
For over nine seasons ofThe Middle, fans have laughed and cried with the Heck family as they went through their life’s relatable ups and downs. The series finale had a fitting ending for each character, just as the showrunner promised. Fans at least got to see the characters' future and what became of them. When Axl (played by Charlie McDermott) moved out and went to Denver, he left his family heartbroken and incomplete, so it was gratifying to see that in the last season, he moved back home and married Lexie (played by Daniela Bobadilla).
Brick’s weirdness paid off in the end, as he married Cindy and became an author. Sue (played by Eden Sher) ended up marrying Sean (played by Beau Wirick), and Frankie (played by Patricia Heaton) and Mike (played by Neil Flynn) live a happy and quiet life together even though they didn’t win the lottery. With such a tear-jerker ending, there weren’t a lot of things fans were unhappy with it except that it seemed a bit rushed.
Lostis undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic shows that had fans in a grip from the moment it aired. When it comes to plot twists,Lostwas the gift that kept giving. From its very first episode,Lostgained a large fan following as its various plot twists kept viewers guessingright to the end. In the show’s final episode, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 gathered in a church, leaving viewers wondering if they had been dead the whole time and if the island was some sort of purgatory. Well, all good things must come to an end, and the ending ofLostdid so in a way that the show was famous for.
Fans were left scratching their heads with a sackful of unanswered questions that needed answers. The ending might have been disappointing to some fans, but the finale is exactly what fans loved about the show. And so even though there was a bit of ambiguity in the end, it was still heartwarming to see that the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 were connected by something bigger than them.
15The Sopranos
Over the years, HBO has producedsome truly spectacular TV showsandThe Sopranosis proof of that.The Sopranosis an exploration of an Italian American mobster called Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) and his struggle with trying to run an illegal business, take care of his family and also deal with his panic attacks. Over six seasons, the series won fans with its great storytelling, engaging dialogue, and its portrayal of how in the end, even drug lords are humans and can also be gripped by fear.
In the last episode, “Made In America,” Tony, Carmela (played by Edie Falco), and AJ played by Robert Iler) are in a diner when a mysterious man walks in. Meadow (played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler) walks right after him and when Tony looks up, it’s anyone’s guess if that’s the day he went to meet his maker. In a way, the finale did not give fans the closure they needed as it ended on a cliffhanger, and fans did not know if Tony lived or died. But some fans could argue that some mystery at the end of a show is not the worst thing.
14The Wire
Making a show that isgood throughout all its seasonsis a tough act to pull off, butThe Wiremanaged to stay true to itself right to the end.The Wireoffers its viewers a nuanced portrayal of Baltimore’s war on drugs and shows how the police try to fight corruption and how the drug lords want to stay on top of the drug trade. One thingThe Wiredid right in its final season is stick to what made the show so beloved in the first place.
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The final episode, “30,” shows Dukie (played by Jermaine Crawford) sadly going back to doing drugs. It’s also an honest portrayal on how the war on drugs is still an ongoing fight because there are various factors such as the people in office that influence the drug trade. But the finale wasn’t all doom and gloom as some characters, like Bubbles and McNulty, had a happy ending. However, characters like Marlo (played by Jamie Hector) were left hanging, and it was frustrating that Senator Davis (played by Isiah Whitlock, Jr) went unpunished despite his crimes.
The early 1960swere a great time to work in the advertising business. Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm) is a famously brilliant advertising agent who is known for some of the most successful ads in the ’60s. The show follows Don and his struggle of balancing his career and personal life.Mad Menis an award-winning and critically acclaimed show that gained a huge fan following and so a lot of its fans were sad to see it go. But the final episode, “Person to Person,” did an incredible job of giving fans closure by showing each character as they embark on their journeys and start a new life.
In the finale, Don is seen at a yoga retreat in the full lotus position, apparently meditating on his life choices as an idea of his next ad pops into his head. The main issue with the series finale ofMad Menis that it was left to interpretation, but despite all that, the final episode was a love letter to its fans, just as it was intended to be.
Another beloved show that had a satisfying ending wasFriends, which celebrated the titular group’s tight-knit bond one last time before they all moved on from their shared life together. Through its years,Friendstook its viewers through an emotional rollercoasteras they watched the charactersgo through various relatable issues, including personal and professional ups and downs, successful and unsuccessful romantic relationships, career changes, and everything 20-somethings go through when living in New York City.
What better way to end a beloved show than to know that all the characters ended up all right after all? Everyone seemed to get what they wanted, Rachel (played by Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (played by David Schwimmer) got back together, Phoebe (played by Lisa Kudrow) became a surrogate, and Chandler (played by Matthew Perry) and Monica (played by Courtney Cox) became parents to twins. Unfortunately, Joey (played by Matt LeBlanc) is the only one that got a raw deal. It didn’t seem like he was as happy and fulfilled as the other members of his friend group. Some fans felt that Joey was more of an afterthought than an essential member of theFriends.
11Six Feet Under
It’s true that in the end, death comes for us all. No show has captured grief, mortality, and the philosophical search for the meaning of life in the way thatSix Feet Underdid. In the last episode of the show titled “Everyone’s Waiting,” viewers are taken through the years of each of the family members of the Fisher family until the day they ultimately die. As sad as the last episode was, it was satisfying to see that the characters got to live to a ripe old age.
For a show that started with death, it’s pretty fitting that the ending featured death too. Everyone’s Waiting has beenlauded as one o the best season finales in TV history, and for good reason. Yes, it was sad that Nate (played by Peter Krause) died, but instead, fans were not left with grief but a feeling of contentment as they got to see all loose ends tied. Still, it did not help that, in the end, some storylines were unnecessary, and some characters that seemed like they might have been important to the show were left forgotten.
