Series Finales

[Brad]

What are the best series finales you've seen? Here is my top five:

1. Newhart (1990)
I defy anybody to come up with anything more original than this. The last minute of the episode cracks me up everytime.

2. Cheers (1993)
A lot of people didn't like the finale, but I thought it suited the show. I still get goose bumps when Sam realizes what his one true love is and says, "I'm the luckiest son of a bitch on Earth."

3. The Wonder Years (1993)
They didn't know this would be their final episode when the filmed most of the show, save for the epilogue at the end. Still, it was very well-done and maybe even the best episode of the series.

4. Mad About You (1999)
Janeane Garofalo as Mabel, chronicling the next 30 or so years in the lives of the Buchmans in just one hour. It's cool how things didn't exactly wind up happily ever after; they didn't take the easy way out.

5. Family Ties (1989)
What I wouldn't give to see this episode as it originally aired again. Meredith Baxter's best Elyse and Michael J. Fox's best Alex shine through like a Mag-Lite in this episode.

[Ricardos4ever]

I will have to agree with the "Wonder Years" finale. It was one the best episodes of the series.

The last episode that featured the orginal "Saved by the Bell" cast was great. It was actually a 2 hour tv movie -- and in it Zack and Kelly got married. That's exactly how it should have ended.

The series finale of "Roseanne" wasn't that great, but it was a memorable one. It was shocking when we found out the the entire last season was part of Roseanne's fantasies and that Dan had really died from the heart attack that he had suffered at the end of the previous season.

[Brad]

Originally posted by Ricardos4ever
The series finale of "Roseanne" wasn't that great, but it was a memorable one. It was shocking when we found out the the entire last season was part of Roseanne's fantasies and that Dan had really died from the heart attack that he had suffered at the end of the previous season.

The entire last season of Roseanne was terrible! I remember watching a once great show go down the tube fast.

They really should have packed it in at the end of the eight season. Goodman's departure was too much for the show, and Roseanne took too many liberties. Having the Conners win the lottery was the dumbest decision she made for the show.

I think she realized that toward the end of the season and tried to make it a dream, but I think it was too late to reverse the damage she caused. Besides, that finale is horrid.

There is one good thing about the final season, though: Blues Traveler's opening theme.

[LucyFan]

My Top Five Series Finals:

#001. The Wonder Years (1993)
#002. Happy Days (1984)
#003. Three's Company (1984)
#004. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1977)
#005. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1960)

[TJL]

Actually, in the series finale of Roseanne, she revealed that THE ENTIRE SERIES was a work of fiction, because she also spoke about her sister Jackie being gay and her daughters being married to different spouses (Darlene married to Mark and Becky married to David). Apparently she did become an author, a plotline that was developed early in the series but was never followed up. The entire show was one of her books. That's a great plot twist!

My personal favorite finale has to be "M.A.S.H."
The final scenes with the lead characters saying goodbye and exiting the camp one by one always gets me.

[MtMguy]

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1977)

[Brad]

The Mary Tyler Moore's finale's pretty good, too. I don't know why I overlooked it. In my opinion, it pretty much set the bar for all future sitcom swan songs.