TVSquad: "The 10 Best Series Finales Ever"

[JamesG]

10 Best. Series. Finales. Ever.
by Kim Potts
posted May 9th 2011


10. "The Wire" (2002-2008)


Carcetti became governor
Fabulist Templeton won a Pulitzer
Michael continued on his path of crime
Promising student Dukie spiraled into a life of drugs
Recovering addict Bubbles remained clean and was invited to dinner with his family




But the best moments of the finale came during the wake mock for soon-to-be former Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), one of the most complicated, hilarious, devoted and sometimes corrupt cop characters in TV history, from one of the most complicated, compelling and sadly underappreciated dramas in TV history.











9. "Seinfeld" (1989-1998)


Sure, we know, it's a polarizing episode, and some fans thought it was an ending unworthy of such a classic show.

But we say it was a perfectly appropriate way to go out, as the "show about nothing" saw the four famous friends head off to the hoosegow precisely because they did nothing.




Failure to do anything while they witnessed a man being robbed got Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer slapped with jail time after being convicted of criminal indifference, but it also provided the perfect opportunity to bring back a sea of the show's famous guest characters, from the Soup Nazi to nutty David Puddy and every Babu, Low Talker and Poppy in between.

Not to mention the judge: Arthur Vandelay.











8. "Arrested Development" (2003-2006)


"AD" devotees are still bummed the show lasted just three seasons, but at least we got a proper series finale and the show ended on a high note.



Bluth family martyr Michael (Jason Bateman) finally decided to put himself and his son, George Michael (Michael Cera) ahead of his greedy, self-obsessed relatives, so he scooted off to Cabo and left his fam to deal with their self-created messes.

In Cabo, Michael awoke to find his father had followed him. And, in one of the show's best meta moments, underage studio exec Maeby, Michael's niece, pitched a story about her family to a big Hollywood producer: Ron Howard, an "AD" producer and the man behind the show's voiceovers, who cheekily tells her the Bluths would inspire a better movie than TV show.

PS -- We're still waiting on that movie, Opie.











7. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-1977)


When new owners took over WJM and wanted to boost the station's ratings, they fired everyone competent -- including Mary (Mary Tyler Moore), Mr. Grant (Ed Asner), Murray (Gavin MacLeod) and Sue Ann (Betty White) -- and kept on Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), one of the main reasons the evening news was so low-rated.


Most of the staff took the news in stride -- Mr. Grant flew in Mary's old pals Rhoda (Valerie Harper) and Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) to cheer her up -- but in what has become one of the most memorable scenes in TV land, the pals all bid each other farewell in the newsroom with a teary group hug that included a group shuffle to the tissue box.











6. "Cheers" (1982-1993)


The "Cheers" finale showed us once and for all whether or not sitcom super-couple Sam and Diane belonged together; they did not.

Sam, as pal Norm pointed out, would only be at home with his one true love, the place where everybody knows your name.











5. "M*A*S*H" (1972-1983)


The only thing more shocking than Klinger's decision to remain in Korea after the war? The real reason behind Hawkeye's (Alan Alda) meltdown in the iconic show's series finale, one of the most-watched TV episodes ever.

Alda (who earned an Emmy nomination for directing the series finale) turned Hawkeye's usual flipness into a full-on breakdown as his psychiatrist forced him to remember the crushing death of an infant, a death he blamed on himself.

Fortunately, the episode ended on a lighter, yet still emotionally powerful, note, with Hawkeye discovering the special "Goodbye" his BFF Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) had left for him ... spelled out in rocks.










4. "The Shield" (2002-2008)


Oh, Shane. Mr. Vendrell and his family's demise is still so shocking and heartbreaking that it's made better only by the fact that Shane's portrayer, the incredible Walton Goggins, is now making his case for an Emmy on another great FX drama, "Justified".

The Vendrell family was but a sample of those whose lives were ruined by the wily, completely corrupt Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), who, in the end, was on the receiving end of the most satisfying bit of karma in TV history: a desk job.











3. "The Fugitive" (1963-1967)


For four seasons, Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) had been on the lam, trying to clear his own name in the murder of his wife by tracking down the real culprit, the One-Armed Man.

Every episode of the series was a gem, full of action and suspense, and it all paid off in the series ender, as Kimble finally cornered OAM at an amusement park, cleared his good name and reputation and even shook hands with Philip Gerard, the lawman who had been hot on Kimble's trail throughout the show.











2. "The Sopranos" (1999-2007)


Sure, everyone was yelling at their TV screens when it aired, and it was only with a bit of perspective that we came to appreciate the brilliance of this ending:

Even when half of his friends had been whacked and he was potentially facing some serious jail time, life went on for Tony Soprano. Or, maybe it was about how he never saw the end of his life coming.




Again, that's the brilliance of the hotly-debated, ambiguous ending, which series creator David Chase has only commented on vaguely in the years since the finale aired.

We're choosing to believe Tony survived, though this incredibly comprehensive counter-argument could sway us to the other side.



P.S.: We've been to Holsten's and have sampled those onion rings ... killer.











1. "Newhart" (1982-1990)


It was all a dream! But not in that Bobby Ewing–in-the-shower kinda way (actually, a lot like that, except hilarious ... intentionally so), as Chicago psychiatrist Bob Hartley -- the character Bob Newhart played in his other classic sitcom, "The Bob Newhart Show" -- woke up in bed with his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette).

Meaning the entire series of "Newhart", in which the titular star played Vermont innkeeper/do-it-yourself book author Dick Loudon, was all a dream.

Yes, even Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother Darryl.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/05/09/10...-finales-ever/

[Marvo301]

I agree! The Newhart finale is the best ever!

[catlover79]

A list like this is NOT complete without the Newhart finale!!

[Retro4Life]

I hated, hated, hated the Seinfeld finale. Whether or not they deserved it, we grew to love those characters and to have the end up in jail was depressing as hell. I could have even forgiven that development, I guess, if the episode was at all funny. But it wasn't.

Otherwise, an OK list, filled with several shows I never watched. MASH's finale was great, I thought, and while I thought the Newhart finale was very clever, the MTM finale would have been my pick for number one. No gimmicks, no twists, just a character and history driven farewell, with just the right mixture of laughs and tears.

[MickeyMac]

What about the Dallas finale????

[principehomura]

The Wire and The Shield's finale were perfect.
Also, I loved Friends finale.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

What about the Dallas finale????

That belongs, IMO, on the Worst Series Finale list.

It was so bad that my friend, a huge Dallas fan who was sad the show was going off the air, said this after he'd seen the finale -- "I'm glad it's off the air."

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

That belongs, IMO, on the Worst Series Finale list.

It was so bad that my friend, a huge Dallas fan who was sad the show was going off the air, said this after he'd seen the finale -- "I'm glad it's off the air."

opinons vary

[Dr. Thong]

That's a given.

[Retro4Life]

As a long time fan of Dallas (though more at the beginning of the show) I had to say I was very disappointed by the finale. I loathe finales that provide no closure at all, and the whole "devil" conceit seemed totally out of place in the (more or less) realistic world of Dallas. Yes, they'd had a whole season that was just a dream, but within the context of the show, there was never any mention of the supernatural and to have it thrown in at the last moment was like a "deux ex machina" to me.

Plus, J.R....dead or alive? After 13 seasons, we had the right to know. And at that point no one knew that there'd be a follow up movie. And to be honest, I can't even remember what else happened in that finale.

[Dr. Thong]

Dallas was a show that in retrospect, should have ended two or three years sooner. Only three original characters were left and many of the plotlines devolved into silliness.

J.R.'s shotgun wedding and getting locked up in an institution were two of the prime culprits. In J.R.'s glory days, neither of those would have happened.

And I think the finale was the culmination of that silliness. A finale should be a finale, not a cliffhanger.

The reunion movies were better and at least redeemed the show's legacy a bit.

[treky]

I thought the "DALLAS" finale was GOOD!!

"MASH"-not so good. It had it's moments, but they were too few and far between. I liked Charles' comments at the farewell dinner, and Hawkeyes breakdown, and a couple other things, but that's it. And that fire scene was SO OBVIOUSLY tacked on!! (because a real fire burned down the set while they were filming) They could have done a MUCH better job in tacking it on, though.

[dav4463]

Little House on the Prairie blowing up the entire town of Walnut Hill was a great way to end it!

[Kristen]

Well, I don't think it's going to come as a surprise to ANYONE here that I agree that the MTM finale is one of the best ever. I've watched it countless times, and yet I still feel a lump during that final scene! And of course, you can't forget Newhart, that's just in a class by itself. MASH was awesome too, although I haven't seen it in awhile. I do remember being impressed by Alan's acting, though.

The one thing that kind of surprises me (although I will admit to being biased) is that Frasier didn't make the list. "Goodnight, Seattle" had a really good mix of laughs and real emotion. And I loved that everyone was starting a new chapter in their lives, too.

- Kristen

[Leigh Ann]

Originally Posted by Kristen

Well, I don't think it's going to come as a surprise to ANYONE here that I agree that the MTM finale is one of the best ever. I've watched it countless times, and yet I still feel a lump during that final scene! And of course, you can't forget Newhart, that's just in a class by itself. MASH was awesome too, although I haven't seen it in awhile. I do remember being impressed by Alan's acting, though.

The one thing that kind of surprises me (although I will admit to being biased) is that Frasier didn't make the list. "Goodnight, Seattle" had a really good mix of laughs and real emotion. And I loved that everyone was starting a new chapter in their lives, too.

- Kristen

You know I agree 100% with you about MTM and Frasier! "Goodnight, Seattle" is just one of the best. The only bad thing is that some stuff wasn't resolved, but that's what fanfiction is for, right?

And I have one to add. The Full House finale was good too. I liked that Kimmy got Steve to go with DJ to the prom. That's about all I remember from that episode I think, actually. Only seen it like once.