Ending a TV show is notoriously difficult, but there are some shows which earn top marks for their series finales. There are somegreat shows which have terrible series finalesthat almost spoil them entirely, so naturally there’s a lot of anxiety whenever a popular show decides to wrap things up. Fans fear a repeat of what happened to the likes ofGame of Thrones,SeinfeldandHow I Met Your Mother.
Fortunately, some brilliant TV shows save their best until last, delivering series finales which enhance the entire show. Despite the overwhelming expectations which are placed on series finales, a universally-acclaimed final episode is possible. It’s important to wrap up the story in a way that feels unexpected but organic. A good finale should also deliver one last dose of whatever it is that fans love about the show. If a finale can do all this and more, it can achieve perfection.
10 Ambiguous TV Show Endings Whose True Meaning We’re Still Arguing Over
While some TV show finales offer clear resolutions, others leave viewers with lingering questions, causing frustration well beyond the show’s ending.
The Good Placeseason 1 ends with a perfectly executed twist. What’s even more impressive is that the show finds a way to keep building in the aftermath of this twist. What starts as a show about four strangers becoming friends and enemies in the afterlife evolves into something far more ambitious. By the end fo the show’s fourth and final season, Eleanor and her friends hold the fate of the universe in their hands.The Good Placeachieves this transition naturally.
The series finale reinforces the uplifting message ofThe Good Place, even though it’s a bittersweet ending.
The series finale reinforces the upliftingmessage ofThe Good Place, even though it’s a bittersweet ending. One by one, the main characters each accept the chance to move on and cease their existence. They do so having saved their own souls and achieved more than they could have hoped for. However, the series finale doesn’t end with any of these teary goodbyes. It ends with Michael living on Earth as a human, finally reveling in the glorious mundanity of daily life.The Good Placesuggests that nothing in the universe is more beautiful and miraculous than the everyday.
Some ofVeep’s best seasonsfollow Selina Meyer and her entourage during election years. Armando Iannucci’s razor-sharp American political landscape seems to be more precise when it can lampoon the shallow pageantry of presidential election campaigns. Selina’s party is never explicitly revealed, but this doesn’t matter because political ideologies and policy decisions never seem to be as important as public image.It’s fitting thatVeep’s final season sees Selina desperately pursuing one more taste of power.
Armando Iannucci’s razor-sharp American political landscape seems to be more precise when it can lampoon the shallow pageantry of presidential election campaigns.
Ultimately, Selina sells out everything she believes in for another four years in the Oval Office. This includes her own daughter and her loyal servant Gary, the only person who sticks by her side through thick and thin.Veepdoesn’t end on election night, however. The final moments flash forward to show Selina’s funeral. She is remembered as an ineffectual president who stood for nothing and helped nobody. This downbeat ending reflects Iannucci’s dark view of the current political climate.
Walter White’s cancer diagnosis is revealed as an inciting incident in the first episode ofBreaking Bad,so it always seemed likely that the show would end with his death. However,Breaking Bad’s finale is surprisingly positive for Walt. He ensures that his family get the money from his work, he dispatches the last of his enemies, and he gets to die beside his “Baby Blue,” as the closing song so aptly puts it.
Breaking Badisn’t so much a show about a good man turning to the dark side as it is a show about a man acknowledging the darkness within him.
While the scene with the machine gun spraying out the back of Walt’s car is the most eye-catching in the series finale, the moment which best sums up the show’s appeal is the conversation which takes place between Walt and Skylar.Bryan Cranston radiates power and malevolence as Walt tells Skylar that he has enjoyed his life as a drug kingpin.Ultimately,Breaking Badisn’t so much a show about a good man turning to the dark side as it is a show about a man acknowledging and exploring the darkness that was within him all along.
Each season of British sitcomBlackaddertakes place in a different historical time period. Starting in the medieval period,Blackaddereventually works its way up to the First World War. Although the show doesn’t shy away from showing the depressing reality of the living conditions and social inequality in each era, it always does so with wit and lighthearted humor. This is what makes the more dramatic finale so powerful.
The poignant finale provides a surprising amount of pathos for such an irreverent and proudly silly comedy.
The earlier seasons ofBlackaddermight as well take place in fantasy realms, since their historical eras are so far removed from modern life that they feel whimsical and alien. The First World War setting ofBlackadder’s fourth season is different, andthe show bridges the gap between history and the presentwith a poignant finale that provides a surprising amount of pathos for such an irreverent and proudly silly comedy.
As soon as Larry David announced thatCurb Your Enthusiasmwas coming to an end, fans inevitably looked back to the notoriously divisiveSeinfeldseries finale.Curb’s final season makes plenty of early references to theSeinfeldfinale, leading people to believe that David was planning on doubling down on the idea, despite having to put up with years of criticism. Ultimately,Curbdid repeat theSeinfeldfinale in a way, but David put a fresh spin on it.
Simply having the audacity to repeat such a controversial idea is one reason whyCurbmanages to succeed.
The series finale is one of thebestCurb Your Enthusiasmepisodesever, while many fans would rankSeinfeld’s finale among the show’s worst. One key difference, of course, is that Larry gets a happy ending after all, whether he deserves it or not. Simply having the audacity to repeat such a controversial idea is another reason whyCurbmanages to succeed. An underrated factor is that Larry continues some of his fights in the courtroom, yelling back at the witnesses on the stand. As the episode title suggests,Larry the character learns nothing. Larry the writer, however, pulls it off perfectly.
InSuccession’s 21st century reconstruction ofKing Lear,the pretenders to the throne were never going to have it all their way. A happy ending forSuccessionalways seemed impossible, not because the main characters couldn’t have achieved their goals, but because none of them are good enough people for that to feel like a victory. However, the last season ofSuccessionshowed one or two signs that the dysfunctional Roy siblings might be starting to get along, and even enjoying each other’s company.
It’s a poetic finale that aligns withSuccession’s themes.
In the end,Successionprovides a tragic, traumatic ending that sees the Roy family’s frail alliance being torn apart by their long-held mistrust of one another and their deep-seated insecurities. It’s a poetic finale that aligns withSuccession’s themes. It’s also one of the show’s best episodes in terms of fundamentals like dialogue, acting, and cinematography.The feel-bad ending seems inevitable in hindsight, but it still carries a devastating impact.
Every episode ofSix Feet Underbegins with a death. Every episode, that is, except the show’s critically-acclaimed series finale “Everyone’s Waiting”. The series finale begins with a birth instead. This subversive twist is more than just a gimmick, however. It’s symbolic of the nuanced and mature way thatSix Feet Underponders death, while always linking it to new beginnings.Six Feet Under’s series finalewraps up the show while touching on all its major themes.
Six Feet Undermanages to provide a satisfying story conclusion for every single one of its main characters.
Six Feet Undermanages to provide a satisfying story conclusion for every single one of its main characters. Some of these stories are tied together, while others are more isolated. This is just one way thatSix Feet Under’s ambitious finale meditates on the nature of life, death and change in a little over an hour.The closing montage is what truly makes the finale stand out, as the episode flashes forward to show each character’s death. Still,Six Feet Underretains its positive, life-affirming outlook.
Gravity Fallsgets darker than most cartoonsaimed toward children, and its three-part finale took things to a new level. The three-part “Weirdmageddon” finale sees Bill Cypher and his demons running rampant in the town of Gravity Falls, bringing about an apocalypse of surreal torture. Bill disfigures Pacifica’s father as soon as he arrives, before releasing a plague of flying eyeballs and creating a throne out of the townsfolk.
The best thing about “Weirdmageddon” is how much satisfying payoff the show crams into the finale.
“Weirdmageddon” raises the stakes like never before.Gravity Fallshas plenty of great episodes which amount to very little. They’re just entertaining and hilarious stories about the occult. The three-part finale breaks new ground for the show. It’s a risky time to do so, but it pays off. In fact, the best thing about “Weirdmageddon” is how much satisfying payoff the show crams into the finale. Seemingly insignificant details from earlier episodes become the keys to defeating Bill, andeach character’s arc coalesces into a harmonious finale.
With just two seasons,Fleabagis a miniature masterpiece, and it wraps things up perfectly. While season 2 has a different focus from season 1,Fleabag’s series finale provides a satisfying conclusion for the major stories of both. Fleabag’s flirtatious relationship with the Priest reaches its sad but inevitable ending, and she also gains some inner peace. By the time the series finale rolls around, Fleabag finally starts to admonish herself of the guilt she feels over her best friend’s death.
The brilliance of theFleabagfinale is that the season’s arc ties into the broader narrative of the show.
The brilliance of theFleabagfinale is that the season’s arc ties into the broader narrative of the show. Fleabag’s relationship with the Priest and her struggles with her family in season 2 are vital to finally resolving the leftover trauma from season 1. To put the icing on the cake,Fleabag’s final episode ends with a beautifully written and beautifully acted scene.It’s fiendishly simple, but the catharsis of seeing Fleabag and the Priest finally talk things out is immensely satisfying. The closing moments see Fleabag let go of her fourth-wall breaking crutch and living in her own reality at last.
The series finale ofSchitt’s Creekis called “Happy Ending” in reference to the surprise David gets during a massage on the morning of his wedding day, but it’s also an apt description of the way the show sends off its characters. In an era when so many of the most popular comedy shows are trending toward cynicism,Schitt’s Creekoffers up an unabashedly sentimental finale that blows a kiss to its cast of lovable characters.
Schitt’s Creekoffers up an unabashedly sentimental finale that blows a kiss to its cast of lovable characters.
In the tradition of many great comedies, Shakespearean and otherwise,Schitt’s Creekends with a wedding.David and Patrick’s wedding is a celebration of family, both old and new, and a rare happy ending for a queer couple on TV. However, the final episode is more than just a victory lap. There are still some hilarious moments, a helping of light jeopardy, and one last outrageous wig from Moira. It’s one ofSchitt’s Creek’s best episodes, and not just because it gives the fans what they want.
