# Best Series Finale of All Time?



## dylking (Jul 20, 2003)

With all the shows ending this season, it got me to wondering what people thought was the best series enders...

For me, it's a tossup between Babylon 5 and Newhart.

Others that at least get an honorable mention are Third Watch and St Elsewhere.

What about you? what was your favorite/most memorable?


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Well Seinfeld was a bit letdown 

Ooo good ones. hmmm can't think of any off hand.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Newhart. And I liked Mary Tyler Moore and St. Elsewhere.

Now, what do these shows have in common?

Will & Grace was pretty good.


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## MirclMax (Jul 12, 2000)

I think the classic answer to this should be M*A*S*H ... though, there is probably something out there that would be a better personal answer if I gave it more thought


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

_St. Elsewhere_ is the first thing that comes to mind. What a jaw-dropper that was.


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## dimented (May 21, 2003)

MirclMax said:


> I think the classic answer to this should be M*A*S*H ... though, there is probably something out there that would be a better personal answer if I gave it more thought


Have to agree. Nothing else is really sticking out at the moment.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

How did St. Elsewhere end? Never seen the show, but curious


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## mmilton80 (Jul 28, 2005)

Buffy went out with a bang


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## KRS (Jan 30, 2002)

Six Feet Under!


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## kcarl75 (Oct 23, 2002)

Six Feet Under... By far. I sat staring at the television in awe with goose-bumps.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

MikeMar said:


> How did St. Elsewhere end? Never seen the show, but curious


Things got wierder and wierder. Including a major snowstorm.

Turned out that the whole thing was the imagination of an autistic kid with a snow globe that had the hospital in its scene. He imagined his father and grandfather as heroic doctors. He, of course, was in the show all along.

Some hated it and called it a cop-out but it was original and surprising and accounted for some odd things that happened in the show (mostly inside jokes) over the years.


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## Doh (May 18, 2001)

I was going to say Newhart. Angel had a decent finale (much better than Buffy, IMO).


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## Bars & Tone (Aug 28, 2004)

Newhart
St. Elsewhere
Six Feet Under


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## timr_42 (Oct 14, 2001)

Blake's 7 - the best

Other good ones
M*A*S*H
Buffy


I didn't like the B5 one. It was filmed before the last season and was somewhat out of joint.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Newhart was the best. I thought NYPD Blue was decent.


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## WinBear (Aug 24, 2000)

Most of the Star Trek series seem to have pretty good endings.

M*A*S*H is an obvious choice since it was the end of an era.


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## jschuman (Feb 20, 2001)

I enjoyed the ST:TNG finale (no big trekkie here, but I thought it was well done, interesting and gave us a glimpse of the characters' futures.)


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## elrothir (Dec 12, 2004)

How about Cheers!


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## coolpenguin (Apr 26, 2004)

Definately Six Feet Under. FABULOUS in so many ways.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

The Fugitive, Newhart and the Buffy ending was okay as well.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I would vote SFU.

A good one that hasn't been mentioned in the thread yet is Frasier.


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## pallen4215 (Mar 4, 2005)

Teen Titans


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## rkester (Jan 10, 2005)

I also vote for SFU... and STTNG endings. Veddy good.


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## marcello696 (Jun 18, 2004)

Six Feet Under gets my vote. Only finale to ever bring me to tears


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## MirclMax (Jul 12, 2000)

MirclMax said:


> ... there is probably something out there that would be a better personal answer if I gave it more thought


Okay.. I gave it more thought.... Quantum Leap.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Most finales are so overwrought, trying to be special, that they just become a letdown. Seinfeld was the worst offender... even though on subsequent viewings I've come to appreciate it more, it still was a bad way to end it.

I second "Cheers", which had a nice "this is not the end" feeling to it.

I haven't seen the last season of "Six Feet Under"... now I really want to watch it!


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## WinBear (Aug 24, 2000)

pallen4215 said:


> Teen Titans


Eewww, I would probably put that in the "worst finales" as it felt very tacked on after all the closure in the previous episode.


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## DRobbins (Dec 23, 2001)

Star Trek: TNG's finale, "All Good Things..." tops my list. Newhart would also be right up there.

--Debbie


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## grecorj (Feb 6, 2002)

I'll throw out the series ender to Homicide (the 2 hour movie, not the last ep of the last season).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0226771/

One of my favorite shows of all time.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

Six Feet Under and Newhart


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

elrothir said:


> How about Cheers!


Agreed. I'm surprised it took 19 posts before it was mentioned.


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## jschuman (Feb 20, 2001)

cherry ghost said:


> Agreed. I'm surprised it took 19 posts before it was mentioned.


As I recall, the finale of Cheers was pretty good, however, the episodes leading up to it (say, the final 5-10 episodes) were pretty poor.

So my thoughts/remembrances on the "end" of Cheers are skewed a bit by this.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Newhart came to mind first. So let it be.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Two of the best ever were probably the reason why so few series get truly great finales.

Miami Vice and Magnum PI. Both of them came up with spectacular finales that really ended the shows for good (Magnum died, and Sonny Crockett turned evil, killed a cop, and rode off into the sunrise in his cigarette boat). In both cases, the series were unexpectedly renewed, and were seriously undercut by the very definitive endings.

I have to wonder if TV producers (and network execs) don't remember those fiascos, and put the damper on similar finales...


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## whitson77 (Nov 10, 2002)

Farscape
Frasier

were my two favs.


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

Since _Newhart_ came to my mind first, I'd have to say it was the "best". But the _Six Feet Under_ finale was awesome. _Newhart_ was pre-TiVo, but I doubt I'd have replayed it several times like I did _SFU_.

_MASH_: didn't like it all that much. Hawkeye's problems took up too much of it for my taste.
_Seinfeld_: Huge letdown. The clip show beforehand was a keeper though. 
_ST:TNG_: I had think for a while on that one, with the movies after it didn't seem so much like a finale.
_West Wing_: I had higher hopes. It was a good ending, but nothing really special.


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## Solver (Feb 17, 2005)

timr_42 said:


> Blake's 7 - the best


 Yea, still waiting to see how they all get out of that one.


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## hawkamer (Jun 5, 2002)

Another vote here for Six Feet Under. I've never been so moved by a TV show.


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## Neenahboy (Apr 8, 2004)

Yet another vote for Six Feet Under.


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## bqmeister (May 13, 2006)

I'm probably alone in this - but Roseanne.

:up:


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## jking (Mar 23, 2005)

bqmeister said:


> I'm probably alone in this - but Roseanne.
> 
> :up:


I didn't see the finale, but the fact that it ended should be enough to give it "greatest finale" status. 

I'd have to say that I can't remember ever seeing a finale that I thought was great. You have all this buildup of "the final episode" and then you get to expecting too much and end up disappointed.

Does 24 count? Cause it kind of "ends" every season.


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## dylking (Jul 20, 2003)

I forgot about MASH (I know, 40 lashes!). I'd put that up there too. STTNG, not so much tho. Tho the series ended, the stories didn't, as they continued on with the movies...so I didn't really get much of a sense of closure.

Seinfeld...I watched the series on and off, and watched the finaled. It wasn't all that. 

Buffy...although I LOVED the show, I thought the finale was a bit a of a cop-out.

What about "Mad About You"? The 'retrospective' had been used before (and since), but the idea of looking back through their daughter's eyes was pretty cool...and the story was actually pretty accurate from what I remember


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## IndyTom (Mar 9, 2004)

Letdown awards:

Seinfeld
Friends
X-Files


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## AJRitz (Mar 25, 2002)

Angel - awesome finale. Almost made up for the awful way they shuffled Cordy off this mortal coil. "I don't know about you, but I wanna slay the dragon."


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## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

Newhart, far and away, is the winner.

I really liked the last episodes of Mary Tyler Moore and Star Trek: The Next Generation.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

"Arrested Development"...if that was in fact the finale.
"Mystery Science Theater 3000".


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## pawchikapawpaw (Aug 17, 2004)

Count me in for Frasier too.


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## HomieG (Feb 17, 2003)

Six Feet Under by a mile...

Others I've enjoyed:
St. Elsewhere
Hill Street Blues
Cheers

Wonder what will happen on The Soprano's!


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## trainman (Jan 29, 2001)

TonyD79 said:


> Turned out that the whole thing was the imagination of an autistic kid with a snow globe that had the hospital in its scene. He imagined his father and grandfather as heroic doctors. He, of course, was in the show all along.
> 
> Some hated it and called it a cop-out but it was original and surprising and accounted for some odd things that happened in the show (mostly inside jokes) over the years.


Here is a web site that explores the fact that, because of various crossovers between TV shows, _pretty much everything on television_ takes place in that kid's imagination.


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## AstroDad (Jan 21, 2003)

dylking said:


> What about "Mad About You"? The 'retrospective' had been used before (and since), but the idea of looking back through their daughter's eyes was pretty cool...and the story was actually pretty accurate from what I remember


 :up:

I thought i would be the only one to bring up Mad About You.


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## MirclMax (Jul 12, 2000)

Thought of another one .. (sorta) ... [Though I'm surprised no one has jumped on the Quantum Leap bandwagon ..]

This one sorta bends the rules a bit .. it was *intended* as a Series Finale .. and that would be the Season 1 finale for "Sledge Hammer!".

To save people from researching it .. The episode ends with our hero "Sledge" attempting to defuse a nuclear bomb. And with his classic "Trust me! I know what I'm doing" line, the episode ends with the bomb going off and killing everyone. (As I recall, the mushroom cloud is the last thing you see). It was a "going out with a bang" type of episode.

Oddly enough they got picked up for a 2nd season (which obviously they weren't planning on) .. and it starts out with "The following season takes place 5 years before that nuclear explosion. Thank you."

Anyhow.. it was 20 years ago .. and has stuck with me .. so I figured it deserved a mention.


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## vikingguy (Aug 12, 2005)

MirclMax said:


> Thought of another one .. (sorta) ... [Though I'm surprised no one has jumped on the Quantum Leap bandwagon ..]
> 
> This one sorta bends the rules a bit .. it was *intended* as a Series Finale .. and that would be the Season 1 finale for "Sledge Hammer!".
> 
> ...


Could not agree more loved the quantum leap finale. The Sledge Hammer season 1 finale was an awesome episode. To bad the show only had 2 seasons because I really enjoyed it. I am thankfull it was released on DVD and the price was even reasonable.


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## IndyJones1023 (Apr 1, 2002)

Star Trek: The Next Generation was spectacular and movie-worthy.


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## DougF (Mar 18, 2003)

AstroDad said:


> :up:
> 
> I thought i would be the only one to bring up Mad About You.


That one was a pretty good finale. Frasier was pretty good, as well. I enjoyed the Cheers finale, though I still wish it had been just a regular episode.

My all time favorite finale is still TNG.


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## TivoGeezer (Dec 3, 2003)

First to my mind was M*A*S*H, but I also liked Star Trek:TNG. The Newhart series finale was by far the most surprising.


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## Vito the TiVo (Oct 27, 2003)

It's an odd choice, but what about "Little House on the Prarie" when this mild-mannered show had the townspeople rig dynamite to every structure in town (except the church) and blow it all up in a spectacular set of explosions. All real in fact, which is how they took down the whole town set they had built. 

You would think nothing of it from "Deadwood" but for this show, it was like Pa Camden on "7th Heaven" gunning down sinners in the name of the lord.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

Forever Knight.


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## TheRob (Nov 21, 2003)

bidger said:


> "Arrested Development"...if that was in fact the finale.


It was in fact the finale. and I thought it was a great one. it wrapped up the show perfectly.


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## Eliza (Nov 3, 2005)

Just had to jump in here and add my vote for Newhart! 
I still remember that so vividly and the reaction I had.


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## BriGuy20 (Aug 4, 2005)

Out of the ones I've seen firsthand, I'd say Cheers. I wasn't old enough to see some of the other ones listed (St. Elsewhere/M.A.S.H. especially, though I did see the ST:TNG finale)


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## Ntombi (Mar 17, 2004)

Newhart and M*A*S*H are my top two faves. 

I haven't seen the West Wing episode yet.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Farscape - as long as you can "bend" the rules a bit and allow "Peacekeeper Wars" as the series finale. 

(If you consider the last episode of the regular series the series finale, then it's one of the worst, right up there with Quantum Leap.)


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## kiljoy (Mar 24, 2001)

Ok, because of this thread I watched all of Six Feet Under. The finale was very good, but I'd still say Buffy was the best.

Tony


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## NoThru22 (May 6, 2005)

I figured I'd ruin TNG for everyone by saying: If the anamoly worked through time backwards and the future Enterprise is the one that "caused" it, then how was it big when they first got there and got bigger when they hit it with that radiation? Didn't the radiation make it grow as it went backward through time??? Shouldn't there have been _nothing_ there after they hit it with the radiation (therefore, it had been caused.)


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

NoThru22 said:


> I figured I'd ruin TNG for everyone by saying: If the anamoly worked through time backwards and the future Enterprise is the one that "caused" it, then how was it big when they first got there and got bigger when they hit it with that radiation? Didn't the radiation make it grow as it went backward through time??? Shouldn't there have been _nothing_ there after they hit it with the radiation (therefore, it had been caused.)


THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!!

Greg


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## scheckeNYK (Apr 28, 2004)

I don't remember the content of the series finale of "Family Ties," but I definitely remember the farewell the cast gave on stage after the final episode. And I was only 9, so if that made such an impression, I am betting it was good.

I also recall enjoying the "Growing Pains" finale. Mike goes back into the house and grabs the family photo. 

SFU is definitely tops though. Last night's "Conviction" also gets an honorable mention, if they do in fact fail to bring it back.


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

I had never seen it, but I remember everyone raved about "The Wonder Years" finale.


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## billboard_NE (May 18, 2005)

My vote goes to Magnum PI Finale, I have yet to see the Six Feet Under Finale.


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## Guindalf (Jun 13, 2001)

+1 for M*A*S*H.

I STILL stop and watch when I see it in the reruns. I think it's still the highest watched fictional show ever.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Finales can be good in different ways, but I'll have to say the topper (for me) was the finale of the second Bob Newhart show.

It was just an average episode until the very final scene, whereupon I just burst out laughing -- that scene was great because it was SO unexpected! 

The only problem was that the last scene probably left the younger viewers going "Why's that supposed to be funny?"

And if you have to explain it, it loses all it's humor.


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## nedthelab (Oct 4, 2002)

They did a very elequent jon on just shwing a character that we knew for ~20 years go on with his life, no odd twists etc. MASH, I'lll give it an ok as I grew up watching that show,but the whole I lost my mind bit with Hawkeye was conveluted.


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

Third Watch. They blew the whole damn place to bits!


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## nancyg (May 17, 2006)

I totally agree. That is one season ending that I will always remember.


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## danielhart (Apr 27, 2004)

For a comedy - The Larry Sanders Show

For a drama - Six Feet Under

For a non-scripted show - The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson


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## coolpenguin (Apr 26, 2004)

Jesda said:


> Third Watch. They blew the whole damn place to bits!


I was so let down by that finale. I really really liked Third Watch and I thought the finale was a mega letdown.


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## Z-Todd (Jun 11, 2005)

It hasn't aired yet, but the best will be the series finale of '24'.

For stuff that has already aired, yeah, I will vote for Family Ties also.


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## TiVoDan (Jun 2, 2002)

I'm amzed how many votes there were for Six Feet Under, considering that it is RETURNING June 11

My vote ST:THG has to be the best of all time, it should have been the first TNG movie.


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

TiVoDan said:


> I'm amzed how many votes there were for Six Feet Under, considering that it is RETURNING June 11


What? 

phox


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## mqpickles (Nov 11, 2004)

I agree that the Seinfeld finale was terrible overall, but 2 things that were good:
1. The clip show part was really well done.
2. At the very end, they start talking about the placement of the second button on George's shirt. (This had been a discussion in the pilot episode.) Someone says, "Haven't we already talked about this?" Then dead silence. What they were saying was that they had discussed every possible topic, and there was nothing left. That would have been a great ending if the rest of the episode leading up to that hadn't been so horrible.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

TiVoDan said:


> I'm amzed how many votes there were for Six Feet Under, considering that it is RETURNING June 11


No it's not.


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## RayChuang88 (Sep 5, 2002)

MikeMar said:


> Well Seinfeld was a bit letdown


_Seinfeld_--the entire series that was in many ways the best comedy sitcom of the 1990's--was totally ruined by that weird and unusual final episode and the way the entire main cast ended up in jail. :down:


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

RayChuang88 said:


> _Seinfeld_--the entire series that was in many ways the best comedy sitcom of the 1990's--was totally ruined by that weird and unusual final episode and the way the entire main cast ended up in jail. :down:


It's a prime candidate for a 1hr reunion special. Just to go out on a better note than they did. Then 20 years from now we can all conveniently "forget" the first finale.


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## mick66 (Oct 15, 2004)

When it comes to series finales, Newhart is always the first that comes to mind, then M*A*S*H and St. Elsewhere. I also liked the final ep. of Star Trek: Voyager.


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## spikedavis (Nov 23, 2003)

Six Feet Under-hands down. The only reason more people don't have it on their list is because they haven't seen it. The best example of a show going out early and at the top of it's game. I have never been more moved by a work of fiction in my life. Seeing Nate jogging in the Claire's rear view mirror gets me every time.


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## dmdeane (Apr 17, 2000)

> Originally Posted by timr_42
> Blake's 7 - the best
> 
> 
> ...


Well obviously they didn't! B7 is one of my favorite series endings too, albeit a bit disappointing in that all secrets were not revealed....which in retrospect was probably the right way to end things.


Spoiler



Have to respect a series that kills off all of its main characters in the final episode.


 Ooops.....well, hopefully no one minds that spoiler....B7 has been out there for over twenty years after all.....or is that almost thirty years.....

Have to agree with Newhart, funny surprise ending....and I liked the Seinfeld last episode, it seemed to be the logical way to end a "show about nothing".....and maybe I missed this but AFAIK no one has mentioned the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, gotta love that final "group hug"......

I liked the last episode of Angel better than Buffy's last episode.....if you count Serenity as the final episode of Firefly, then that's a perfect "series ending" too......


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## yostmatt (Apr 6, 2005)

After 86 posts, this hasnt been mentioned.... well at least I liked it. haha

Everybody Loves Raymond


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## Sparty99 (Dec 4, 2001)

I liked Cheers, I liked Seinfeld, and I liked Roseanne, which generally makes me a moron because those (with the exception of Cheers) are generally thought of as terrible. I also liked Growing Pains and Friends. I wouldn't say they're the best ever, but I liked them myself.


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## Chibbie (Jan 16, 2006)

The UK version of The Office. Not so much the last episode, but the "Christmas Special".

Brilliant.


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

lots of people said:


> M*A*S*H


Are you kidding? I couldn't stand that crappy, over-blown sentimental schmaltz  Worst. Ending. Ever.

I liked Newhart's last episode. And Cheers had a pretty decent last show.


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## Frank_M (Sep 9, 2001)

Worst ending ever? You mean BJ's "Good bye"? I thought, and still think, that was fantastic.

Anyway, my top five (in no particular order)

1. M*A*S*H*
2. Mary Tyler Moore
3. Larry Sanders
4. Arrested Development (taking the whole two hours as the finale)
5. (your ad here)


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

Frank_M said:


> Worst ending ever? You mean BJ's "Good bye"? I thought, and still think, that was fantastic.


I meant the entire last episode. One overacted departure after another...


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## BSUGrad (Jan 11, 2004)

serumgard said:


> I liked Cheers, I liked Seinfeld, and I liked Roseanne, which generally makes me a moron because those (with the exception of Cheers) are generally thought of as terrible. I also liked Growing Pains and Friends. I wouldn't say they're the best ever, but I liked them myself.


Well, you're not alone on Seinfeld. I am always amazed at how much this finale is disliked. I thought the finale fit the tone of the show and captured what the show was about very well. The show was about a group of self-absorbed characters that saw life through their own filters only, and the finale pointed that out perfectly. The ending in the jail cell brought the dialogue full-circle from the pilot and showed that they had run out of things to talk about.


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## KRS (Jan 30, 2002)

I watched Newhart as a kid, but I can't remember what happened during the finale. Anyone care to jog my memory?


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## IndyJones1023 (Apr 1, 2002)

KRS said:


> I watched Newhart as a kid, but I can't remember what happened during the finale. Anyone care to jog my memory?





Spoiler



He woke up next to his wife from The Bob Newhart Show. The entire Newhart series was a dream the old psychiatrist Bob dreamt one night.


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## rkester (Jan 10, 2005)

Kinda makes me think of the lame Rosanne ending.

Bleh.


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## Sparty99 (Dec 4, 2001)

BSUGrad said:


> Well, you're not alone on Seinfeld. I am always amazed at how much this finale is disliked. I thought the finale fit the tone of the show and captured what the show was about very well. The show was about a group of self-absorbed characters that saw life through their own filters only, and the finale pointed that out perfectly. The ending in the jail cell brought the dialogue full-circle from the pilot and showed that they had run out of things to talk about.


There was also a scene in there where Geraldo was talking about the trial and the interaction between Elaine and Jerry. He said something to the effect of, "There's a lot of tension there. I sense some chemistry. Who knows? When this is over, they just might get married." I loved the fact that they had thrown one of the rumors about how the show would end into the actual show.


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## jasong2001 (Sep 3, 2005)

I vote for SFU.


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

spikedavis said:


> Six Feet Under-hands down. The only reason more people don't have it on their list is because they haven't seen it. The best example of a show going out early and at the top of it's game.


Well, I saw it and I still wouldn't rank it as one of the best series finales.

I think SFU is getting a lot of votes only because it happened so recently and is fresh on a lot of people's minds. I certainly don't think it will stand the test of time to be as memorable as _Newhart_ or _St. Elsewhere_.

I thought the SFU series finale was very well done and very moving, but the finale stood out mostly because it was much better than the mountain of suckage that had preceded it. I definitely can't agree that SFU went out "at the top of its game" because that last season (and much of the one before) was not very good imho. The characters had all become increasingly insufferable and annoying and I thought the last season and a half began to border on the unwatchable.


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## appletj (Sep 8, 2004)

dylking said:


> With all the shows ending this season, it got me to wondering what people thought was the best series enders...
> 
> For me, it's a tossup between Babylon 5 and Newhart.
> 
> ...


Has to be Newhart when he wakes up and it is all a dream.


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## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

trainman said:


> Here is a web site that explores the fact that, because of various crossovers between TV shows, _pretty much everything on television_ takes place in that kid's imagination.


Thanks for this post - I took a look at the web site, and specifically at the key PDF referenced therein - http://home.vicnet.net.au/~kwgow/crossovers.html

It made for some fun reminiscing over lunch, and left me wondering if everything really IS in Tommy's head, after all


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## classicX (May 10, 2006)

"Star Trek: TNG" tops my list also.

Q's line always sticks out in my head.... "I'll be seeing you... from TIME to TIME..."

I also never knew until about two months ago that the whole series STARTED with Q in similar fashion. I saw the first episode and it immediately brought me back to the end. Very well done.

Both Serenity and Farscape would be next up, if you can count the movie as the Series Finale...

I think I'm starting to sound like a big sci-fi nut (which I am NOT), so I'll stop here.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

BSUGrad said:


> Well, you're not alone on Seinfeld. I am always amazed at how much this finale is disliked. I thought the finale fit the tone of the show and captured what the show was about very well. The show was about a group of self-absorbed characters that saw life through their own filters only, and the finale pointed that out perfectly. The ending in the jail cell brought the dialogue full-circle from the pilot and showed that they had run out of things to talk about.


It's funny. When I first watched it, I really thought it was eh! But as I've watched it over during reruns, I like it more and more. Especially the courtroom scenes with all the recouring characters. I think part of the problem is that the clip show was done so phenominally, that the finale just did not live up to all the great scenes they showed from before. I'll never forget the end of the clip show done to the Green Day Song "Time of Your Life" Just so fitting.

I also thought M*A*S*H was over done, but I did like the ending. St Elsewhere, Frasier, AD, were all great endings. I'm I'm surprised nobody (at least as far as I've read in this thread) has mentioned The Fugitive (which I believe was the highest viewed finally up until M*A*S*H). Oh and I just LOVED the finale of The Wonder Years, where they tied up the lose ends of all the character's lives.

There's probably a bunch of older shows I'm just not thinking about which had great endings.


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## jayfest (Mar 25, 2003)

I realize this thread is kind of dead, but I just discovered it and I'd like to mention my favorite, one that nobody has mentioned. It's a show called "Dinosaurs", the one put out by Jim Henson's production company, starring the voices of Stuart Pankin, Jessica Walter and others as a family of dinosaurs. The last episode actually gives their version of why Dinosaurs became extinct! It's wickedly funny, as the show always was, and it's also kind of touching. They've just released seasons 1 & 2 of the show on DVD. When season 4 comes out, catch the last episode.


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## tivogurl (Dec 16, 2004)

Blake's 7


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## J4yDubs (Jul 3, 2002)

I'll go with some of the ones mentioned already.

M.A.S.H - I felt connected to those characters and that made it more powerful.
B5 - Just a great ending to a great series.
Newhart - Didn't see it coming...

I'll add China Beach. Nothing spetacular or shocking, just a nice wrap up. Just took them to long to show the finale.

John


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Jay - Oh, I loved Dinosaurs but I don't remember seeing the finale. I wish the show was still in syndication as I would love to see that episode!

I think my fav finales would have to be Newhart (truly a classic of all time!), Six Feet Under, and Friends (so sappy, but so good!).


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## dmdeane (Apr 17, 2000)

tivogurl said:


> Blake's 7


I agree. :up:


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## DougF (Mar 18, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> It's funny. When I first watched it, I really thought it was eh! But as I've watched it over during reruns, I like it more and more...


The reruns is where it falls apart, I think. I think it's been chopped down to air in two 30 minute episodes now. I think the finale originally aired as around a 90-minute show. It was much better then, IMO.


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## CTskigrrl (Jul 10, 2007)

By far the best series finale ever. Nothing comes close. I cried for days - it was like losing a member of the family. It will stand the test time. No question.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

DRobbins said:


> Star Trek: TNG's finale, "All Good Things..." tops my list. Newhart would also be right up there.
> 
> --Debbie


My thoughts exactly.......


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## ccooperev (Apr 24, 2001)

six feet under. I just watched again and just wow!


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## nedthelab (Oct 4, 2002)

Frasier - like the way he went out with his future ahead of him- -no gimicks


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## varybarry (May 30, 2007)

I'm gonna have to go with Seinfeld.


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## pendragn (Jan 21, 2001)

Magnolia88 said:



> I think SFU is getting a lot of votes only because it happened so recently and is fresh on a lot of people's minds. I certainly don't think it will stand the test of time to be as memorable as _Newhart_ or _St. Elsewhere_.


I think SFU's finale is so highly regarded because it provided what everyone wanted, closure. By showing us what happened to each character we got closure. It seems that the finales that are disliked like Sopranos and Seinfeld don't provide that.

tk


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## sshedlock (May 14, 2004)

Another vote for Six Feet Under.


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## waldingrl (Jan 19, 2005)

pendragn said:


> I think SFU's finale is so highly regarded because it provided what everyone wanted, closure. By showing us what happened to each character we got closure. It seems that the finales that are disliked like Sopranos and Seinfeld don't provide that.
> 
> tk


Great point. You got a condensed version of waht happened to everyone until death. Not many shows will go to that length. And it was to a kickass song. :up:


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## ADent (Jan 7, 2000)

Good:
- Newhart
- St. Elsewhere.
- ST:TNG (Story so-so, but overall a good ending episode)

OK
- Cheers
-Frasier
- Raymond

Bad
-Magnum PI (the official end, not the season before)
- MASH
-Seinfeld

Rotten
-STS9 (years of religious overtones comes down to a fit fight on a cliff?)

---

Here is a wiki on many of the shows talked about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_finale#Notable_series_finales .

---

Does anybody remember the Friends finale?


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## doom1701 (May 15, 2001)

Star Trek: TNG and B5 are high on my list for story. I haven't seen any SFU, but from what I've heard it would rate up there too.

My favorite, though, is still the Newhart finale. The story of the last episode was so-so, but the very end was one of the funniest things every televised, IMO.


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## PJO1966 (Mar 5, 2002)

I liked the ST: Voyager ending, in addition to others already mentioned. I see ST: TNG mentioned a lot. I don't recall how it ended.


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## IndyJones1023 (Apr 1, 2002)

PJO1966 said:


> I liked the ST: Voyager ending, in addition to others already mentioned. I see ST: TNG mentioned a lot. I don't recall how it ended.


 Rent thee a disc, my good man! It was excellent. Movie-quality.


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## PJO1966 (Mar 5, 2002)

IndyJones1023 said:


> Rent thee a disc, my good man! It was excellent. Movie-quality.


I'm sure I saw it, I just don't remember. Care to recap?


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## PJO1966 (Mar 5, 2002)

never mind... got it on wikipedia


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## tivogurl (Dec 16, 2004)

Blake's 7.


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## jones07 (Jan 30, 2001)

tivogurl said:


> Blake's 7.


+1

All time Best :up:


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

ADent said:


> Rotten
> -ST: DS9 (years of religious overtones comes down to a fit fight on a cliff?)


Wow, I actually thought the DS9 finale held together better than the TNG one did... there were lots of good moments in the TNG finale, but the whole "anti-time fountain" thing that supposedly got bigger as it went BACK in time bugged me when they went back to the area (going FORWARD in normal time) and it was there.

The scene in the cave was just one, fairly minor, part of the whole episode... the stuff on Cardassia, the scene in Vic's lounge, the surrender scene, then the bits at the end where we see the characters moving on with their lives all worked for me.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

BSUGrad said:


> Well, you're not alone on Seinfeld. I am always amazed at how much this finale is disliked. I thought the finale fit the tone of the show and captured what the show was about very well. The show was about a group of self-absorbed characters that saw life through their own filters only, and the finale pointed that out perfectly.


I disagree. In most of the cases, the people Seinfeld and company deal with are just as self-absorbed as they are. The message I got out of the ending was, "Hey, you know those people who act as if they're better than you are? Guess what - they _are_ better than you are, because they're not in jail (and never mind that the crime for which you were convicted was, for all intents and purposes, not trying to stop an armed robbery), and now let's try and convict George for a 'murder' _he didn't commit_!"

Meanwhile, am I the only one who didn't like the way _St. Elsewhere_ ended? I would have preferred the original (previous season) ending, where they started to tear down the hospital. "It was all a dream" has been done to death. (Too bad Tom Poston died - otherwise, I was half-expecting a _Newhart_ reunion show where it turns out Dick Loudon dreamed that he had turned into "that character from _The Bob Newhart Show_.")

As for my choices for best season finales: I always hate making lists like this, as it's probably going to be different five minutes from now (even if I don't leave out an obvious one), but here's my "current" list (note I've never seen _Six Feet Under_ or _Star Trek: Voyager_):
1. The Cosby Show
2. M*A*S*H
3. Star Trek: TNG (not including the movies that followed it)
4. Dallas (not including the reunion movie)
5. Late Night with David Letterman (with the surprise finale - Bruce Springsteen playing "Glory Days" with Paul Shaffer and David Sanborne - even if it did go 10 minutes over the scheduled time).

I would include Blake's 7, but somebody (I don't remember if it was Terry Nation or not) said that it was intended as a cliffhanger, and had the show been renewed, it would have turned out that Vila and Tarrant were only acting as if they were hit.

-- Don


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## AllwaysJenn (Mar 26, 2008)

Great Question......
Seinfeld was the BEST Series Finale EVER!!
Totally summed-up the characters....putting them in jail was completely keeping with the show itself and having so many favorites return....genius!!!!
**on the flip side.....I think Will & Grace was the worst.....all those years that convienienced us their friendship was fated and the bond was so strong.....just to show us all the years they ended-up spending apart. Great show, but could have ended better!!!!!


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

AllwaysJenn said:


> Great Question......
> Seinfeld was the BEST Series Finale EVER!!
> Totally summed-up the characters....putting them in jail was completely keeping with the show itself and having so many favorites return....genius!!!!
> **on the flip side.....I think Will & Grace was the worst.....all those years that convienienced us their friendship was fated and the bond was so strong.....just to show us all the years they ended-up spending apart. Great show, but could have ended better!!!!!


Wow, talk about coming to the party late!!!

This is always a good topic and with some series like Jericho riding into the sunset, it's not a bad idea to readress it. If I recall, the Seinfeld finale has always been considered a dud by most folks, and was not well received by the public. But you know what? The more I watch it in reruns, the more I like it. It's not my favorite series summation, but I do like it now.

My favorite? It's tough, but I think I woud go with The Wonder Years. I loved how they resolved all the story lines at the end. Kevin's feelings for Winny and how they remained life long friends, but did not marry. How his Dad died and how Kevin's brother learned responsibility and took over the family business, come to mind. Seeing that finale always chokes me up a little.

I also was blown away by the ending of St Elsewhere, so that would be my second choice.

I know the classic finales have always been MASH (which I thought was a bit drawn out..and most of the best characters had already left the show), Newhart (I have only ever seen that on clip shows, was never a big fan) and The Fugitive (was too young to see it). But to me The Wonder Years was the perfect ending.


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## orome (Dec 30, 2004)

bidger said:


> "Arrested Development"...if that was in fact the finale.


Ron Howard narrated so, at the end: "This was Arrested Development."


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

Steveknj said:


> My favorite? It's tough, but I think I woud go with The Wonder Years. I loved how they resolved all the story lines at the end.


one of my favorites as well, forgot about that one. though mine is still the end of Six Feet Under, for similar reasons as Wonder Years actually, but i think SFU did it as good as i've seen.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

This is the second thread today to be bumped by over a year on the bumpers first post. Is there something fishy about that?


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## whitson77 (Nov 10, 2002)

pjenkins said:


> one of my favorites as well, forgot about that one. though mine is still the end of Six Feet Under, for similar reasons as Wonder Years actually, but i think SFU did it as good as i've seen.


Kevin didn't end up with Winnie. That bummed me out.


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## OldFantom (Aug 24, 2004)

Can we just all agree that it was Charles in Charge and get back to the serious business of talking about the size of Leah Remini?



Sad fact, someone out there actually knows how CiC ended. I really don't.


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## jeff125va (Mar 15, 2001)

I'm not sure about the entire finale episodes, but SFU and Newhart's endings are are certainly the top two in my book.

I'm not sure what I'd say for the best finale in terms of the plot of the entire episode as a conclusion to the series.


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## MitchO (Nov 7, 2003)

I never understood why they want to do so many finales on a downer. In addition to the aforementioned _Will & Grace_ and _Wonder Years, Mad About You_ also had to say that it didn't work out after the show ends. Why do that to your fans? I'm not the biggest fan of everything coming together with a nice little bow (a la _Friends_), but that's a more satisfying response than Mabel telling us Paul and Jamie got divorced.

For endings in general, I'm a big fan of _Soap_.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

jeff125va said:


> I'm not sure about the entire finale episodes, but SFU and Newhart's endings are are certainly the top two in my book.


I have to agree with you Jeff - SFU's finale was extraordinary and Newhart's was pretty unexpected.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

How about Las Vegas ending with to be continued......

or does that belong in a list of the worst series finale's of all time?


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## USAFSSO (Aug 24, 2005)

"Everybody Love Raymond" It was just a normal episode. Why do we need to see clips from old shows. Do what ELR did, have a separate "special" show with all the actors talking about their character, how they changed, and their favorite scenes.

"The Bob Newhart Show" ended the same way, Bob &Emily moved away.


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## Cindy1230 (Oct 31, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> I have to agree with you Jeff - SFU's finale was extraordinary and Newhart's was pretty unexpected.


SFU :up: :up: :up: +1,000
Cry every time.


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

Newhart
M*A*S*H
ST:TNG
Babylon 5
Mary Tyler Moore
Barney Miller

These are the finales that I tend to remember


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## ToddNeedsTiVo (Sep 2, 2003)

Runaway first place: Six Feet Under

ST:TNG
Newhart

Seinfeld was a colossal disappointment.


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

MitchO said:


> I never understood why they want to do so many finales on a downer. In addition to the aforementioned _Will & Grace_ and _Wonder Years, Mad About You_ also had to say that it didn't work out after the show ends.


Huh? I don't remember anything on the finale of _Mad About You_ that suggested "it didn't work out."

Paul and Jamie lived "happily ever after," according to their daughter Mabel. Or did I dream that?


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## balboa dave (Jan 19, 2004)

I know this is going out on a limb, but I predict it will be _Lost_.


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## Manchot (Jan 23, 2005)

balboa dave said:


> I know this is going out on a limb, but I predict it will be _Lost_.


You know, a year ago, I would've said that you're crazy. After this stellar season, I'd tend to agree. Setting an end date for the show was the best thing to happen to it.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Six Feet Under. As said previously... a cry (but happy) every time.


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## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Not sure why I never answered this the first time around, but I'll agree with the _Buffy_ and _Angel_ finales (and yes, those are two of my favorite shows of all time - so shoot me). I like how Joss went opposite directions with each of them, staying true to the overall theme and mood of the show, and each provided a very satisfying conclusion in that regard. _Buffy_ was the lighter of the two in tone, but also the more apocalyptic one, and it managed to end on a (somewhat) light note, with actual closure for Buffy, and the chance at a normal life. _Angel_ was always much darker, and more about the grinding nature of the battle between good and evil, and how it will never end, and its finale captured that sentiment perfectly.


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## Martyp (Jan 6, 2004)

Heck worth a look 

http://tv.msn.com/tv/BestFinales-1


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