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- Either option can make for great TV, but at the end of the day, most viewers want a sense of closure for the characters they've come to love over the years. In the days before DVR and streaming, it was impossible to know how a TV show would end unless you were sitting in front of your screen as the finale aired.
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- Kayla Turner
- Writer
- Six Feet Under. “Everyone’s Waiting” (Season 5, Episode 12) Drama. Release Date. June 3, 2001. Cast. Peter Krause , Lauren Ambrose. Seasons. 5.
- The Sopranos. “Made in America” (Season 6, Episode 21) Crime. Drama. Release Date. January 10, 1999. Cast. James Gandolfini , Lorraine Bracco , Edie Falco , Michael Imperioli , Dominic Chianese , Steven Van Zandt , Tony Sirico , Robert Iler , Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
- Game Of Thrones. “The Iron Throne” (Season 8, Episode 6) Drama. Action. Adventure. Release Date. April 11, 2011. Cast. Emilia Clarke , Lena Headey , Richard Madden , Michelle Fairley , Kit Harington , Maisie Williams , Alfie Allen , Peter Dinklage.
- M*A*S*H. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (Season 11, Episode 16) M*A*S*H was a pioneering dark comedy set during the Korean War that tackled heavy themes like war's psychological toll.
- Parks and Recreation - “One Last Ride”
- Mad Men - “Person to Person”
- Seinfeld - “The Finale”
- The Larry Sanders Show - “Flip”
- Angel - “Not Fade Away”
- Friends - “The Last One”
- Battlestar Galactica - “Daybreak”
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show - “The Last Show”
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - “All Good Things…”
- Friday Night Lights - “Always”
The final season of Parks and Recreation pulled a gutsy move leading into the last days of Pawnee. Following a three year flash-forward at the end of season six, the show found Leslie balancing her life as a mother with her job as the Midwest Regional Parks Director. It was a bittersweet moment as audiences were finally rewarded in seeing Leslie ac...
After seven smoke-filled seasons, Don Draper’s journey atop the world of advertising came to a close with a smile and a cut to McCann Erickson’s 1971 “Hilltop” Coca-Cola ad. It was a finale as fitting as viewers could have hoped for a series that had racked up so much acclaim. While Matthew Weiner ultimately left Mad Men's series-ending episode ope...
Depending on your stance, the final episode of Seinfeld is either another stroke of genius from Larry David or an absolute travesty that doesn’t deserve any recognition on this list. While we understand that “The Finale” still manages to fall miraculously short of the series’ many highlights, we’re also inclined to agree that it’s among the best co...
Arriving before HBO became a household name in original content, The Larry Sanders Show provided the first satirical critique of Hollywood. Headed by creator and star Garry Shandling, the series focused on talk show host Larry Sanders as he ran his production from behind the scenes. Alongside his producer and mentor Artie and his announcer sidekick...
Although Angel occasionally gets a bad rap as the spin-off series to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it was every bit as creative and had its fair share of defining moments to separate it from its predecessor. Unlike its sister show, however, Angel went out with an intentionally ambiguous ending that left fans itching for more. Following the events of th...
The heartache of saying goodbye to the cast of Friends can only be measured by the numerous moments of laughter the series gave its fans over the year. From Ross and Rachel’s breakups (They were on a break!) to Monica in a fat suit, each moment invited viewers to become part of the group. That’s why this last sit down at the Central Perk cafe felt ...
Before the three hour conclusion of Battlestar Galacticaaired, creator Ron Moore knew there would be a fair share of disappointment. His assumption was spot on as many viewers felt the politically charged sci-fi series ended on a baffling note, but Moore was never shy about infusing his series with rich symbolism. That’s why “Daybreak,” no matter w...
With enough spunk, charisma and endurance to go around, Mary Richards did something uncommon for '70s sitcoms: she made it in a world full of men. The Mary Tyler Moore Show was more than a source of constant laughs, it was an indelible fighting spirit for strong-willed women in the workplace and it couldn’t have happened without its leading lady. A...
It took seven seasons, a number of accolades and an admirable performance from Patrick Stewart as the mature Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but the crew of the starship USS Enterprise finally gained enough recognition among television audiences to go toe-to-toe with Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the original series for the best Star Trek show to date. Whi...
“Clear eyes, full hearts” may have been the words Coach Taylor spoke before each game, but there wasn’t a dry eye watching the finale. Going into the episode, Taylor had once again coached a winning team to the state championship, but this time the outcome wasn’t important. Friday Night Lights had always been more about the charactersand it was nev...
- Turner Minton
- M*A*S*H. 105.9 Million. M*A*S*H was an unusual television show. It was a comedy-drama about the Korean War that ran significantly longer than the war itself.
- Cheers. 80.4 Million. Cheers spent eleven seasons on the lives of the titular bar's regulars. Audiences grew to know them very well and felt every bit as welcome at Cheers as the cast did.
- The Fugitive. 78 Million Viewers. The Fugitive gripped 1960s television viewers with its epic crime drama and evolving mystery. Richard Kimble's attempts to escape the law and prove that the one-armed man was the real culprit lasted for four seasons, consisting of 120 episodes.
- Seinfeld. 76.3 Million Viewers. Seinfeld set the template for many modern-day sitcoms with its low-key, mundane storylines and signature meandering conversations.
- Liam Gaughan
- Senior Writer
- "Part 18," Twin Peaks: The Return. “What year is this?” If you love the challenging ambiguity, weirdness, and debates that come with David Lynch, then Twin Peaks: The Return was a weekly gift that deepened the mythology of the highly influential original series.
- "Person to Person," Mad Men. If Breaking Bad felt like Shakespeare, then Mad Men unfolded like a great American novel that reflected on the passing of time.
- "Felina," Breaking Bad. It was clear by the final run of Breaking Bad that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) had completed his five season transition from hero to villain.
- "Made in America," The Sopranos. Don’t stop believing! Many longtime The Sopranos fans may have double-checked their television sets to see if they cut out during the show’s shocking fade to black.
May 22, 2023 · From ‘Deadwood’ to ‘Succession’ to ‘The Sopranos,’ these are the best from the past few decades. By The Ringer Staff Updated May 29, 2023, 1:02pm EDT. Ringer illustration. Last week ...
- The Ringer Staff
Nov 10, 2022 · The series finales listed include the air dates along with the number of viewers who tuned in (viewership); the rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population; and the percent of households using television tuned to a specific program, station, or network in a specific area at a particular time (share).
May 29, 2023 · 26 Best TV Finales Of All Time. By Marcelo Leite. Published May 29, 2023. Link copied to clipboard. The best TV finales of all time prove that ending a series on a high note is what usually determines how well that show will be remembered.
