Best Series Finales

We have talked about series with the most disappointing endings, and to be honest most series go off the rails long before they crash and burn in the finale. But I don’t think we’ve ever talked about series with great finales. Probably because they are few and far between, that said that is exactly what we are doing today. What series not only ended well but had great series finales? What finales are still memorable? And what finales did their characters and series justice?

Let’s start with one that is undeniable, Boy Meets World. Boy Meets World was one of the best coming of age shows. It taught real life lessons about growing up and the hardships that come with it. If you grow up with the show, you quite literally grew up with the cast as the show started when the central characters were in middle school, all the way up through their college graduation. The finale has Cory, Topanga and Shawn all making the decision to leave Philadelphia and move to New York together. Topanga takes a job at a law firm and fulfills her potential and the best friends stay together. It is an emotional and fitting end to an incredible show.

We spent a lot of time watching Psych wondering when Juliette and Shawn would get together. The series finale gave us a proposal, and some great best friend moments. My brother, who routinely makes fun of me for getting emotional during tv shows, cried when we watched the series finale. From episode 1 to the season finale Psych was consistently one of the best procedural shows in existence.

We know that I couldn’t get through this list without mentioning Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love that the series ended how it started; with our little trio. Though more characters became important throughout the series, like Spike and Anya, they died (solidifying the stakes of the final season) and left us with the 3 characters that drove the show. I thought it was a very sweet, grounded ending to a very emotional show.

Next up we have The Good Place. The Good Place is one of the most perfect shows of all time. Each season has it's own contained arc as well as contributing to the overall theme of the show. And the finale was really emotional but it did a great job of giving everyone (the characters and the audience) closer.

I have to mention the ending of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the entire last season focuses on Rebecca being caught between 3 men that love her and want to be with her. It really builds and it seems like the series finale is going to end with her choosing, but instead she chooses herself and does something that would make her happy outside the context of a relationship. I thought it was a really fulfilling ending that was exactly what the character needed.

In that same vein we have BoJack Horseman, honestly the whole last season was really rough. They really ramped up the drama and made the show a lot heavier in its final season but in a good way. It was a natural progression for the show and the characters and the series finale really highlighted the consequences and realities of mental illness. The show was consistent all the way through.

Often a show I call perfect, Avatar the Last Airbender. There is no denying that this show was incredibly written. But the final episode really did a great job of wrapping up what the entire show built up. The final pieces of character development were tied up nicely and we got to see a little of what the effects of these last 3 seasons did to our main characters.

Last but not least we have, Friends. Now whether or not you are a fan of the show isn’t really relevant. The final episode was a great way to wrap up such a long running series. Rachel got off the plane and continued the toxic relationship cycle between her and Ross and Monica and Chandler are moving to the suburbs to start their new family. It’s just a very sweet ending.

So many shows have a great run and then totally fuck it in the finale season or the series finale (we are talking about you How I Met Your Mother) or they simply run too long and the quality of the actual seasons steadily decline (Heroes, Lost) but few shows manage to keep their quality from the beginning all the way through the end of the show. These are the shows I believe manage to do that.