TV's Greatest Series Finale

[Lord of Denial]

What in your opinion is the greatest series finale in TV history?

For me it was Babylon 5's (Sleeping In Light)!

[Legato]

Angel

Angel: "Well personally I kinda want to slay the dragon. Lets go to work"

The Wonder Years

[LordEd1976]

Mash

Star Trek the Next Generation ("The sky's the limit")

Babylon 5

Wonder Years

Cowboy Bebop ("bang")

[Chiasm]

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars ending, not the season IV ending. Even though it was totally obvious what they were going to name the baby it still brings a tear to my eye to see it. And it was the perfect ending because on the one hand it wrapped up all the plots that needed wrapped up yet it left the door open for future stories.

[Matt]

There was a short lived series called The Others, about a group with psychic powers or something...

Anyhow, the series ended with each and every member of the group dying because of their own screw ups and personal failings. It made a nice change.

[Lord of Denial]

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars ending, not the season IV ending. Even though it was totally obvious what they were going to name the baby it still brings a tear to my eye to see it. And it was the perfect ending because on the one hand it wrapped up all the plots that needed wrapped up yet it left the door open for future stories.


I really liked the last line " And this is your playground"!

[Deathstroke]

I really liked the last line " And this is your playground"!

That was a great line.


I'm with you about Babylon 5.

I also like the Farscape ending.

Cheers
M*A*S*H*

[david r]

No, the greatest TV show finale was from "Newhart". Where at the very ending, Bob Newhart suddenly awakens from a dream in bed. And we see lying next to him Suzanne Pleshette (his wife from the FIRST Bob Newhart show.)

Bob wipes the sleep from his eyes and says "Honey, I had the strangest dream. I owned this bed-and-breakfast in New England and there were all these odd people who came around. And these two brothers who had the same first name. It was an odd dream."

Suzanne simply says, "Oh, Bob. You and your silly dreams." And that was it. The ENTIRE SERIES was supposedly a dream.

[Ontir]

Newhart

St. Elsewhere

Fraser

Six Feet Under

Mad About You

in no particular order.

Babylon 5's "Sleeping in Light" was the biggest disappointment, and is right up there with the end of Seinfeld and Friends in the bad-ending Hall of Fame!

[Lord of Denial]

Newhart

St. Elsewhere

Fraser

Six Feet Under

Mad About You

in no particular order.

Babylon 5's "Sleeping in Light" was the biggest disappointment, and is right up there with the end of Seinfeld and Friends in the bad-ending Hall of Fame!

What? I never have heard anyone not love Sleeping in Light!

Can I ask why?

[Dr. Banner]

No, the greatest TV show finale was from "Newhart". Where at the very ending, Bob Newhart suddenly awakens from a dream in bed. And we see lying next to him Suzanne Pleshette (his wife from the FIRST Bob Newhart show.)

Bob wipes the sleep from his eyes and says "Honey, I had the strangest dream. I owned this bed-and-breakfast in New England and there were all these odd people who came around. And these two brothers who had the same first name. It was an odd dream."

Suzanne simply says, "Oh, Bob. You and your silly dreams." And that was it. The ENTIRE SERIES was supposedly a dream.

Totally agreed. Nothing comes close to this ending, and nothing ever can.

[jwd]

Angel

Angel: "Well personally I kinda want to slay the dragon. Lets go to work"



Agreed. Over at Zap2it they actually named it one of the worst. I loved it ending on a cliffhanger. The entire character of Angel was based on someone trying to find redemption. There is no final goal line when searching for redemption. It's never ending.

[Corrina]

"Have you ever thought about wearing sweaters?"

Nothing beats Newhart. Though the finale of the "Mary Tyler Moore" show was pretty close and I have a real fondness for the last episode of "Buffy," especially the moment when all the possible slayers get their power.

[Donald M.]

Totally agreed. Nothing comes close to this ending, and nothing ever can.

Newhart's ending was amusing, but considering that Dallas and St. Elsewhere both pulled more or less the same trick, I don't know that I'd say nothing else comes close.

[Forefinger]

I'm going with Cheers. "We're closed"

[LordEd1976]

One of the things I remember most about the ending to Newhart was that we finally heard one of the Daryl's speak. The two brothers had married beautiful women and they just couldn't stop talking. Finally Daryl screams "SHUT UP!"

Bob: Larry, your brother just spoke. I never seen him do that.

Larry: Guess he never had anything important to say until now.

After the credits, we usually saw teh mascot for the production company. a cat which then meow. For the final episode the cat imitated Daryl's "SHUT UP!"

[Athena Bast]

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars ending, not the season IV ending. Even though it was totally obvious what they were going to name the baby it still brings a tear to my eye to see it. And it was the perfect ending because on the one hand it wrapped up all the plots that needed wrapped up yet it left the door open for future stories.

Yeah.. when they did that I cried..

[Buzz Dixon]

THE PRISONER

"Dem bones, dem bones, gonna rise again...

"Dem bones, dem bones, gonna rise again...

"Dem bones, dem bones, gonna rise again..."

[berk]

I agree with The Prisoner. Maybe the best single tv series of all time, and the finale was an integral part of it.

The last episode of Twin Peaks was one of the best hours of tv I've ever seen, but might not qualify as a true finale, since I don't think Lynch intended it as the final installment of that story.

The Seinfeld finale was interesting and kind of disturbing in that it made you look at the entire series and its popularity in a whole new light, one not very flattering to the characters or the viewer. I thought it was a pretty gutsy move, creatively.

[Corrina]

Newhart's ending was amusing, but considering that Dallas and St. Elsewhere both pulled more or less the same trick, I don't know that I'd say nothing else comes close.

But they did it badly.

Newhart was a comedy and that was probably the funniest scene on the entire run of the show. Talk about going out on a high note.

Whereas the end of St. Elsewhere wasn't the most dramatic or touching on the show, not by a long shot. As for Dallas, their version was stupid.

[spideyrules99]

I thought Mash was really good. Star Trek TNG was a great one as well.

Seinfeld Lame tv show with a Lame ending.

[DennyK]

Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Newhart

[Deathstroke]

Seinfeld Lame tv show with a Lame ending.


I completely agree.

[Ontir]

What? I never have heard anyone not love Sleeping in Light!

Can I ask why?

It was extensively boring. That alone made me, and everyone I watched it with, just despise it. Beyond that, it was held in America to be the final ep of the series, instead of running at the end of season 4, as it did in Europe. Because of that, we saw Ivanova, who was written out when contractual stuff with the actress went straight to hell (she was the third actress on the show to experience this, the others being the two teeps), and so it was just odd to see the character return from nowhere, with no build-up. The variation of the White Star that Sheridan flew was butt-ugly, and always bothered me, and I hated that they blew up the station. It made no sense. For a brand new entity like the Interstellar Alliance, it should be a museum. They also ended the show doing absolutely nothing with the planet below, after using it rather extensively for awhile, and telling us that the Great Machine of Epsilon Three lay waiting for the hour of greatest need. When the hell was that?!? It's all just so horribly disappointing!

[Buddahbelly]

Quantum Leap

[david r]

Newhart's ending was amusing, but considering that Dallas and St. Elsewhere both pulled more or less the same trick, I don't know that I'd say nothing else comes close.

What happened in the final episode of "St. Elsewhere"? I've never heard of this.

[black_flash]

that 70's show was the best finale:)

[Lord of Denial]

that 70's show was the best finale:)


I missed that. I thought it was next week.

Have watched the show for years and like it but these last couple years have been painful and without Topher this year it was agony.

Can you give me a recap of the ep?

[Cyke]

I really, really liked Frasier's ending. Everything that was a staple of that show was magnified at least twice for the finale, including the screw-ups and the running gags.

I do remember one thing that bothered me immensely. The finales for Friends and Frasier had essentially the same plot points: marriage, birth, people leaving, people getting new jobs, confirmed romances, etc. etc. The events even happen at the same times during each show. Which finale was hyped up the most? Friends. But which finale was actually *good?* Frasier, by leaps and bounds.

Misplaced priorities there, NBC. And the network wonders why they're in 4th place.

[LordEd1976]

What happened in the final episode of "St. Elsewhere"? I've never heard of this.

The entire show ended up being a dream in the mind of this autistic kid.

[brian2322]

that 70's show was the best finale:)

it hasnt even aired yet

[stevelabny]

MASH was the best finale for a long time.

And Angel's was great.

But I might actually have to give the nod to the Dawson's Creek finale for wrapping everything up, touching on all the things that made people watch the show over the years, and giving us an ending that made sense even though it was sure to split the opinions of the audience.

::puts on flame-retardent clothing::

[Cephus]

Agreed. Over at Zap2it they actually named it one of the worst. I loved it ending on a cliffhanger. The entire character of Angel was based on someone trying to find redemption. There is no final goal line when searching for redemption. It's never ending.

That's the problem, it wasn't an ending, it was a "we want to do a movie". Unless the ending actually, definitively, completely and forever *ENDS* a show, then it's not a good ending.

[Valmore]

"Sorry, we're closed."

Yeah, Cheers did it best. Simple. To the point. Conveyed the message.

[Jared]

Newhart's ending was amusing, but considering that Dallas and St. Elsewhere both pulled more or less the same trick, I don't know that I'd say nothing else comes close.


I thought Dallas ended with J.R. commiting suicide. The "it was all a dream" trick was done during the show's run to bring back Patrick Duffy.

[Athena Bast]

That's the problem, it wasn't an ending, it was a "we want to do a movie". Unless the ending actually, definitively, completely and forever *ENDS* a show, then it's not a good ending.

It was we have to end this series fast cuz the network has cancelled us with 5 eps left without warning even though we are one of the best performing shows on the network. David Boreanaz is never going to put the jacket on again. He's said that. Not because the series ended but because he's tired of Angel. Stranger things have happened tho but I doubt in this case.

[Antonio B.]

Angel
Angel: "Well personally I kinda want to slay the dragon. Lets go to work"

Angel was a good one.

[Antonio B.]

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars ending, not the season IV ending. Even though it was totally obvious what they were going to name the baby it still brings a tear to my eye to see it. And it was the perfect ending because on the one hand it wrapped up all the plots that needed wrapped up yet it left the door open for future stories.

Yeah. That was a good one. I definately teared up.

[Gilda Dent]

That's the problem, it wasn't an ending, it was a "we want to do a movie". Unless the ending actually, definitively, completely and forever *ENDS* a show, then it's not a good ending.

I disagree. There should be some kind of resolution to the main plot threads, but "life goes on" types of endings do work well for me. Hill Street Blues and Quantum Leap have this kind of ending, and both really work well for me.

Newhart, and St. Elsewhere both work well for me.

Gilda

[Buzz Dixon]

I thought Dallas ended with J.R. commiting suicide. The "it was all a dream" trick was done during the show's run to bring back Patrick Duffy.
Ahhhh, but did J.R. shoot himself...or the mirror?

[ghostrider666]

What in your opinion is the greatest series finale in TV history?

For me it was Babylon 5's (Sleeping In Light)!

I agree. B5.

[Forefinger]

I thought Mash was really good. Star Trek TNG was a great one as well.

Seinfeld Lame tv show with a Lame ending.
MASH and ST TNG, I agree with.

Seinfeld was a great TV show with a lame ending.

[malephoenix]

Quantum Leap.

Incredible premise for it's time and pulled it off SO well. The ending was a respectful way for the show to go out. I actually still think every couple of years about how Sam would be doing. Only show that makes me think about the main character like he's a real person and wonder what he's up to. That means the series was either really well done, or I'm really well screwed up.

[Buzz Dixon]

This means absolutely nothing to 99.99% of the people on this board, but Clarabelle the Clown saying, "Good-bye, kids" on the last episode of HOWDY DOODY.

[StoneGold]

Honestly, it was too recent to really say it was one of the best, only history can tell that, but Arrested Development's was genius.

[Choreoanimation]

Quantum Leap.

Incredible premise for it's time and pulled it off SO well. The ending was a respectful way for the show to go out. I actually still think every couple of years about how Sam would be doing. Only show that makes me think about the main character like he's a real person and wonder what he's up to. That means the series was either really well done, or I'm really well screwed up.

I agree...QL was not only one of the best shows of the 80's, but the last episode was awesome. It cleaned everything up, but still left it completely wide open, if that makes any sense. I kinda wish they'd do a mini-series or movie or something...there were a lot of things (and styles) during the 90's that I'd love to see how Sam dealt with.

[Loren]

I agree...QL was not only one of the best shows of the 80's, but the last episode was awesome. It cleaned everything up, but still left it completely wide open, if that makes any sense.

My biggest gripe with the QL finale was what it didn't leave open. It stated, flat-out, that Sam never made it home. I liked that it left the door open for more stories, but hated the fact that they went ahead and assigned declared that Sam never got his happy ending.

And the bit with Al's photo leaping just confused me.

[Cephus]

I disagree. There should be some kind of resolution to the main plot threads, but "life goes on" types of endings do work well for me. Hill Street Blues and Quantum Leap have this kind of ending, and both really work well for me.

I don't mind the "life goes on" ending, I just want to feel like I've seen the complete story and that's the end of it. It's like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No matter what you thought of S7, the finale ended the story and everyone could go back to their lives. It left a possibility for a movie or telling a different story (lots of slayers around, lots of other evils to fight), but the Buffy saga was indisputably over.

Same goes for Babylon 5. Story done.

I guess you could arguably make the case for Quantum Leap, Sam goes back to save Al and is lost forever. Sure, you could go watch Sam leap over and over again, but since there's no chance that he'll ever make it home, what's the point? Story done.

It's just the shows that never conclusively end the story, like Angel, that bug me. I spent 5 years of my life watching that show and they never really tell you what happens in the end, you have to guess.

I don't want to guess, that's why I'm watching the show!

[LtMarvel]

No, the greatest TV show finale was from "Newhart". Where at the very ending, Bob Newhart suddenly awakens from a dream in bed. And we see lying next to him Suzanne Pleshette (his wife from the FIRST Bob Newhart show.)

Bob wipes the sleep from his eyes and says "Honey, I had the strangest dream. I owned this bed-and-breakfast in New England and there were all these odd people who came around. And these two brothers who had the same first name. It was an odd dream."

Suzanne simply says, "Oh, Bob. You and your silly dreams." And that was it. The ENTIRE SERIES was supposedly a dream.
Agreed. Nothing else is close.

[Jared]

Same goes for Babylon 5. Story done.


My problem with "Sleeping in the Light" was in essence, the story was already down by the time the fifth season started. Everything else, including that episode, just felt like an epilouge, not a climax.

[Erebus]

Justice League Unlimited. No comparison.

[phoenixrising]

I remember the Cheers and Quantum Leap finales being huge milestones in pop culture for me. This year has had a few really good ones. The finale for "Arrested Development" was great and "the West Wing" finale last night was just a perfect, understated summation of how the torch gets passed.

[Jared]

Ahhhh, but did J.R. shoot himself...or the mirror?

I may be misremembering, but I thought the last we saw of him, he was pointing the gun towards his head, then we heard the shot and Duffy ran into the room, looked down and said something like "Oh no!"

[Buzz Dixon]

I may be misremembering, but I thought the last we saw of him, he was pointing the gun towards his head, then we heard the shot and Duffy ran into the room, looked down and said something like "Oh no!"
Did we see a body? :p

[Scorpion13]

We saw JR's body a few years later in that Dallas reunion special.

So I guess he shot the mirror.

[Spastic Minnow]

re: Newhart

The thing about the final episode of Newhart that could either be an argument for it being THE BEST ending or for it coming short, is that other than the final joke being so great the episode up to that point was pretty annoying. The entire last season had upped the idoicy/annoying factor of the townspeople and even Joanna, the final episode brought their behavior up to infuriatingly cartoony levels. On the one hand, it really was annoying, I wonder if people even tuned out before the end, but on the other hand it shows how Bob's "dream" had really degenerated into nightmare.

I'll vote for MASH as being the best

honorable mention to Futurama's final episode too. It was an excellent open-ended final episode/ season finale.

[Buzz Dixon]

One cool thing about the end of NEWHART was that they kept the ending a surprise until the very last second -- even from the sudio audience!

3-camera sit-coms that are taped live before a studio audience usually have all their sets laid out in front of the audience; with the exception of occasional cut-aways, etc., what you see when you walk into the studio is what you get on the show.

For the last episode of NEWHART, they constructed a Pearly Gates set and had it off to one side as if it was going to be the last scene of the show. They even hired and costumed an actor as St. Peter; he was standing on the sidelines as if awaiting his turn to perform.

When they got to the end of the show, the director said, "Y'know, I don't like this ending, let's do something different!" And with that they turned the Pearly gates around to reveal the old BOB NEWHART SHOW bedroom.

People who were there said the response was explosive and it took them a long time to quiet the audience down -- and then Suzanne Pleshette came out and the place exploded even louder.

So hats off to the NEWHART guys for really knowing how to keep a secret and play a scene!

[Gilda Dent]

My biggest gripe with the QL finale was what it didn't leave open. It stated, flat-out, that Sam never made it home. I liked that it left the door open for more stories, but hated the fact that they went ahead and assigned declared that Sam never got his happy ending.

And the bit with Al's photo leaping just confused me.

I think it was a happy ending. The way I read it, Sam knows at this point that this is what he's meant to do with his life, and choosing to go back and save Al's marriage is symbolic of that.

The photo, again if I'm reading it right, is meant to indicate that Same was successful in saving Al's marriage.

Gilda

[Leslie Lee III]

Angel, easy. Excellent episode that happened to be the last in the series.


That's the problem, it wasn't an ending, it was a "we want to do a movie". Unless the ending actually, definitively, completely and forever *ENDS* a show, then it's not a good ending.

That seems to be a pretty arbitrary standard.

[zilch]

Love series endings.

Malcom in the Middle was right up there...

One overlooked one is Becker, with a lot of funny little bits in it...

One part is Mary Steembergen (Ted Dansen's real life wife) storming out of an exam room and leaving the doctor's office yelling and complaining. Becker comes out shaking his head saying "Boy, i don't know how ANYONE can stay married to her!"

Another bit is Margaret handing Becker a chart saying "Mr. Neilson is in exam room one." Becker looks at the chart saying "I dont know what the problem is, these numbers aren't so bad..."

The show ends on the balcony with Becker, the poster child for crumudgeons, looking out over the city saying that this strange feeling coming over him... that he guesses that this is what it feels like to be happy.

[Adaptoid]

The best finale has yet to be mentioned. The two-part finale of "The Fugitive" was the all-time best tv series finale. The episode got the largest rating of any televison program ever broadcast up to that time (1967).

Well-written and acted -- completely resolving the long-running story of Dr. Richard Kimble's flight from police after wrongfully being convicted of murdering his wife.

I don't know how anything modern can top the quality of that finale.

[The Batman]

the series finale for Star Trek TNG was simply a great story, IMO better than any of the TNG era movies and certainly would've made for a better way to unite the two captains than the plot used in Generations.

the recent series finale for the West Wing was also good in that it left the view wanting more.

[The Punished]

Angel Left you wanting more...

[Super Macho Man]

For a little change of pace, the worst series finale was that of "Family Matters". Urkel and Laura never got married; in fact, there was no closure at all. The story just ended with Carl accepting Urkel as a son-in-law...which, when you think about it, is pretty good, but Urkel and Laura were going to get married and they should've ended it that way.

The Cosby Show's ending caused a lot of controversy, but I liked it because Theo was originally supposed to be the failure; all of his sisters were supposed to be the big shots, but what happened? He was the only one that ended up graduating from college, and the only one to truly please Cliff and Claire. Plus, he was the only one that wasn't annoying.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had a terrible ending. Everyone just split up.

[Kirayoshi]

I would argue that Buffy the Vampire Slayer had one of the best series finales ever. But I'm talking about "The Gift", the fifth season finale. Buffy's final sacrifice was heartwrenching and a perfect way of fulfilling her destiny as the Slayer. It would have been the ideal send off.

The BtVS that aired on UPN may has well have been a different series. A vastly inferior one at that. The only good thing about its series finale was that it was the series finale. It wasn't so much an ending as pulling the plug on the life-support.

[jessecuster]

I never liked the St Elsewhere one, I thought it was a stupid idea... its all in the mind of some random kid ?!?!?

I really liked the end of Sports Night, the last few episodes when they were focused on whether they would be sold or not, mirroring their cancelled or not scenario was pretty smart.


I am actually really sad that West Wing is ending... I still think that is the best show ever on television.

I can only hope Lost doesn't end the way X-Files did, where there is so much mythology and histroy to wrap up in nowhere near enough time.

[Deathstroke]

I never liked the St Elsewhere one, I thought it was a stupid idea... its all in the mind of some random kid ?!?!?

I really liked the end of Sports Night, the last few episodes when they were focused on whether they would be sold or not, mirroring their cancelled or not scenario was pretty smart.


I am actually really sad that West Wing is ending... I still think that is the best show ever on television.


It wasn't a random kid, it was the son of one of the "doctors."

SportsNight just might be one of the greatest sitcoms ever. It is in my opinion. There's a site that did virtual seasons of the show. A third and fourth season were completed and a fifth one is taking forever to get done, but it's been a great read.

[Kamen Rider Might]

The original "Ultraman" series finale introdruced Zetton, so it's one of the best.

Roseanne's ending was really interesting, yet cool to see.

Tiga's was great from what I saw.

Actually, I thought the "Angel" finale was crap. Sorry, but I did.

[Thorlief]

I don't really remember if it was season four or five, but it has to be DS9; when the Dominion War has started, DS9 is captured and Sisko and his crew are flying away on a damaged Defiant to the rendez-vous with the entire Starfleet+ the Romulans ready to advance to the wormhole

the scene when the Defiant approaches the MASSIVE fleet with millions of starships (Vulcans, Romulans, Klingons, and so on), changes direction and they start moving to the heart of the storm


the best scene I've ever seen in a show, and it did great as a cliffhanger

[Beamish]

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Carol Burnett Show

[Fish Sauce]

Honestly, it was too recent to really say it was one of the best, only history can tell that, but Arrested Development's was genius.

I'm so glad to hear that. I've only seen the first two seasons and won't get the third season for a couple of weeks, and I was worried as to how the last episode would be handled.

[KenK]

For a little change of pace, the worst series finale was that of "Family Matters". Urkel and Laura never got married; in fact, there was no closure at all. The story just ended with Carl accepting Urkel as a son-in-law...which, when you think about it, is pretty good, but Urkel and Laura were going to get married and they should've ended it that way.

The Cosby Show's ending caused a lot of controversy, but I liked it because Theo was originally supposed to be the failure; all of his sisters were supposed to be the big shots, but what happened? He was the only one that ended up graduating from college, and the only one to truly please Cliff and Claire. Plus, he was the only one that wasn't annoying.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had a terrible ending. Everyone just split up.

The moral of this story, black shows have crappy endings? :D

I actually like the irony of The Cosby Show ending with Theo overcoming what turned out to be a legitimate learning disability. Given Bill Cosby's PhD in education, Theo made for a perfect character in exploring those issues and making him an example for people like Theo in real life.

[vazel]

Farscape - The Peacekeeper Wars ending, not the season IV ending. Even though it was totally obvious what they were going to name the baby it still brings a tear to my eye to see it. And it was the perfect ending because on the one hand it wrapped up all the plots that needed wrapped up yet it left the door open for future stories.I have to agree with this one. It's the most satisfying ending to a television series I've seen.

[Kirayoshi]

I actually like the irony of The Cosby Show ending with Theo overcoming what turned out to be a legitimate learning disability. Given Bill Cosby's PhD in education, Theo made for a perfect character in exploring those issues and making him an example for people like Theo in real life.Theo was actually based on Bill Cosby's son Ennis, who like Theo struggled through high school before being diagnosed with dyslexia, and excelled in college.

Sadly, Ennis was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997. When asked by the press for a comment right after the shooting, Bill said, "He was my hero."

[Nate Grey]

Angel. The part that gets me every time:
Illyria: Would you like for me to lie to you now?
Wes: Yes. Oh thank you yes.

Conan. Hey, he finally got Isazul. :D

Mortal Kombat: Conquest. Shao Khan killed EVERYONE and captured Raiden.

Sabrina (formerly Sabrina The Teenage Witch). Hey, it wasn't perfect, but at least she wound up with Harvey after all.

Jem and the Holograms. It was just...cute! What can I say.

NYPD Blue. I like how the series finale felt like a season premiere.

[DennyK]

I'm sure I've already replied in this thread, but just in case I haven't; Star Trek: The Next Generation had the best finale I've ever seen. Of course I'm a total fanboy for that show so I'm biased. It was a great story, and one last time (on TV anyhow) demonstrated just what a great actor Patrick Stewart really is. The chemistry between Stewart and John DeLancie was always a joy to watch, and never more so than in All Good Things...

[Tobias March]

Gonna go with the Arrested Development finale. It was so bittersweet.

[Chiasm]

Still think Farscape is the best I've seen (I typed that over a year ago in this thread and to be honest don't remember doing so :eek: ).

But had Supernatural ended after season II as was quite possible before it got a last minute renewal then it would have been a close 2nd. Having Sam and Dean finally slay the demon with a little help from ghost Dad was just awesome. And like Farscape it wrapped up what needed wrapped up while leaving the door open for more stories which we are going to get. :D

[KenK]

Angel. The part that gets me every time:
Illyria: Would you like for me to lie to you now?
Wes: Yes. Oh thank you yes.

Conan. Hey, he finally got Isazul. :D

Mortal Kombat: Conquest. Shao Khan killed EVERYONE and captured Raiden.

Sabrina (formerly Sabrina The Teenage Witch). Hey, it wasn't perfect, but at least she wound up with Harvey after all.

Jem and the Holograms. It was just...cute! What can I say.

NYPD Blue. I like how the series finale felt like a season premiere.

And what transpired during this television milestone?

[Nate Grey]

And what transpired during this television milestone?

LOL :D It wasn't a biggie, they just all (Holograms/Misfits/Stingers) called a truce, helped a girl get reunited with her father, and all sung some song together about goodbye not being the end. The last 10-15 minutes is on YouTube, I'd put up a link but I can't access YouTube at work.

It was just cute, wrapped up the show in a nice bow, basically.

[literally exaggerated]

I know it pissed a lot of people off, but the Sopranos finale was one of the most-discussed, theorized about and publicized finales in television history. Most finales to great, long-running shows get press simply because they're the end, but the Sopranos is the only one I've seen to make front page news after the fact because of the actual events of the episode. The next day everyone was talking about it, and go on any messageboard today and you'll see debates still running over what truly transpired. I'm not sure if that makes it the Greatest, but its certainly notable.

[MissKale]

I can't believe that with all these great options no one mentioned Blakes 7

[jesse_custer]

Blake's 7 has the best, most shocking, most thought-provoking ending I've ever watched, and I don't think it will ever be topped. The interplay between Blake and Avon was so true to the characters that the show had built over time. God, that was a brilliant show.

Close contenders would be Quantum Leap and Cowboy Bebop, both of which are just so goddamn depressing that you have to include them in any list because of sheer impact.

[Sean Walsh]

Six Feet Under's ending - the music video. That was the absolute perfect way to end the series: show us how they all die. TREMENDOUS.

[Gilda Dent]

Blake's 7 has the best, most shocking, most thought-provoking ending I've ever watched, and I don't think it will ever be topped. The interplay between Blake and Avon was so true to the characters that the show had built over time. God, that was a brilliant show.

Close contenders would be Quantum Leap and Cowboy Bebop, both of which are just so goddamn depressing that you have to include them in any list because of sheer impact.

I never saw the Quantum Leap finale as depressing. Sam finally realizes that leaping through time helping people is his life's work. I always read the ending, with his never returning home, as his accepting and embracing his destiny rather than fighting it as he had been much of the series.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Sabrina (formerly Sabrina The Teenage Witch). Hey, it wasn't perfect, but at least she wound up with Harvey after all.

Considering how much the last season lacked, it had a pretty good series finale. The only thing missing was Aunt Zelda.

[Deep_Sleeper]

I gotta go with Angel. I felt satisfied while wanting more with no other shows than Angel.

ST: TNG had such a great ending. "The sky's the limit". Beautiful.

[founder81]

Mortal Kombat: Conquest. Shao Khan killed EVERYONE and captured Raiden.

Was that the live action show? I used to watch that show religously as a kid, but never saw the ending. One week at the usual time, it just wasn't on and wasn't in the TV guide listings.:(

[Nate Grey]

Was that the live action show? I used to watch that show religously as a kid, but never saw the ending.

Yep. In the second Mortal Kombat game, there's a stage where there's a vortex in the sky, and two or four hooded figures are floating on either side of it. Those same hooded figures killed everyone per Shao Khan's orders in the show (for some reason no one's powers or fighting abilities had any effect on them), all while Shao Khan fought Raiden in some "blank" battlefield. Raiden technically won, but Shao Khan was really using his powers to transport the battlefield to Outworld where Raiden is powerless. He revealed this to him when Raiden tried to deal his final blow, a lightning bolt, and nothing happened. Shao Khan knocked him out, brought him before his court, presented him with "trophies" of everyone who had fallen one at a time (a personal belonging of each person as proof they were dead), then knocked him out one last time. Roll credits.

[SPAfreak]

Honestly, it was too recent to really say it was one of the best, only history can tell that, but Arrested Development's was genius.

It's been a year and the AD ending definitely holds up. The entire show comes full circle and shows just how intelligent the writing staff really was. You have all the plotlines (some dangling since the very first episode) wrapped up and some new possibilities are opened up. While I'm sad that it's gone, I'm glad that the show ended on the note that it did.

[rerun]

Cheers- the "we're closed" was very sad and it was such a great show.

[SAMAS]

Yep. In the second Mortal Kombat game, there's a stage where there's a vortex in the sky, and two or four hooded figures are floating on either side of it. Those same hooded figures killed everyone per Shao Khan's orders in the show (for some reason no one's powers or fighting abilities had any effect on them), all while Shao Khan fought Raiden in some "blank" battlefield. Raiden technically won, but Shao Khan was really using his powers to transport the battlefield to Outworld where Raiden is powerless. He revealed this to him when Raiden tried to deal his final blow, a lightning bolt, and nothing happened. Shao Khan knocked him out, brought him before his court, presented him with "trophies" of everyone who had fallen one at a time (a personal belonging of each person as proof they were dead), then knocked him out one last time. Roll credits.

Funny thing is, the next season was supposed to show that at least some of them weren't really dead, but, as it turned out, there was no next season. The show was cancelled, likely for the reason mentioned above.

[Fish Sauce]

It's been a year and the AD ending definitely holds up. The entire show comes full circle and shows just how intelligent the writing staff really was. You have all the plotlines (some dangling since the very first episode) wrapped up and some new possibilities are opened up. While I'm sad that it's gone, I'm glad that the show ended on the note that it did.

Dammit, now I really want Season 3. Should get it on Wednesday. But I need to study for exams. Ah, screw it!