The 20 best TV series finales of all time

Finale date: May 20, 1993

Cheers wasn’t just a TV show; it was an institution. It was a home. The three-part finale, “One For The Road,” made that emotional point as Sam’s ex, Diane, returned after a six-year absence from the show. Sam and Diane’s relationship was always tumultuous, but they just couldn’t quit each other until Diane moved 3,000 miles away. Now that she’s back, Sam’s ready to upend his life and move to Los Angeles with her, over the protests of the bar’s regulars. Cliff and Norm’s protests strike so deeply because they both know Sam so well; they’re not just Sam’s patrons, they’re his family. And when he finally realizes that, breaking things off with Diane and returning to the bar, it doesn’t feel like defeat. It feels like warmth and acceptance, a truly perfect ending for a show that offered those same things to its audience for 11 years. [Jen Lennon]

Finale date: December 4, 2009

Though ostensibly the same kind of breezy, wholly inoffensive mystery show viewers expected from the USA network, Monk—mostly through the strength of star Tony Shalhoub’s lovable performance as the eponymous obsessive-compulsive detective—had a knack for being quietly emotionally devastating. The two-part finale, “Mr. Monk And The End,” hangs entirely on that power, paying off a series-long mystery about a Christmas gift that Monk’s wife left behind when she was mysteriously murdered that (naturally) provides an Earth-shattering clue to her death. Monk finally solves the mystery that ruined his life, but in the process he discovers something that gives his life new meaning—and you leave the series knowing that even the detective who was miserable every second of every day is going to be better off than when we first met him. What more could you want from an ending? [Sam Barsanti]

Finale date: August 15, 2022

How do you end the black-and-white world of Better Call Saul? The series quite literally took on a grey color scheme for its final batch of episodes as we caught up with Gene Takovic’s shenanigans in the future, a life after Jimmy McGill and Saul Goodman ceased to exist. Ultimately, after being arrested in Omaha, his life crumbles slowly and in the one place he knows how to manipulate best: the court. Bob Odenkirk gets to show off Jimmy/Saul/Gene’s prowess one last time as he convinces the court he wasn’t Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) partner, but rather his victim, and that he’d even testify against Kim.

That last part is what it all comes back to. BCS was Jimmy’s origin story that morphed into a tale about his evolution and partnership with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn)—their relationship turned into the crux of this AMC drama. So, of course, it had to end with them acknowledging each other, even if it means Jimmy will spend the rest of his life behind bars when he could’ve easily gotten out in less than a decade. An easy prison sentence isn’t worth it if Kim doesn’t respect him. So they share a cigarette, do the finger gun thing, and it’s all good, man. [Saloni Gajjar]

Finale date: May 20, 2003

After seven uneven seasons, 144 episodes, and plenty of behind-the-scenes complications—including network shuffles, the launch of a spin-off, cast changes, and budget limitations—Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended with a bang. More specifically, with the collapse of the Hellmouth and all of Sunnydale with it. It’s a bittersweet victory for the Scooby Gang, and especially for Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). She loses valuable allies, but gains something more. With the awakening of all the potential slayers in the world, Buffy no longer has to bear the isolation of being the chosen one alone. It’s difficult to write about this show for many reasons, not the least of which is the tainted legacy of its creator, but its lasting influence on popular culture cannot be denied. [Cindy White]

Finale date: December 27, 2003

It’s worth noting the about-face that this British mockumentary phenom pulled off, essentially flipping the script and turning David Brent (Ricky Gervais), the delusional “boss from hell” in season one, into something nearing a pathetic underdog you’re actually—incredibly—kind of almost rooting for by the end of season two. About that end of season two: There is also a case to be made that it should have bowed out there, with Gervais giving a knockout performance, finally dropping the bit, and begging his bosses to keep his job, realizing it’s all he has. Just before this, we’re hit with another knockout, with Tim (Martin Freeman) taking off his mic and admitting his love to Dawn (Lucy Davis), the two captured behind impersonal workplace blinders with the sound off. (Tim’s delivery of “She said no, by the way,” when he returns to his desk and flips the mic back on, is gutting.)

So when news came Stateside that the show would be back for a two-part Christmas Special, that the finale wasn’t actually the finale, you could be forgiven for being excited but skeptical. But, as I wrote in our AVQ&A on Christmas TV episodes, the series ending on an ultimately sweet note—David has a good date and tells Finchy (Ralph Ineson) to fuck off; Dawn, after the cab fadeout and dramatic fakeout, surprises Tim by making a move—feels, even two decades later, like the right choice. [Tim Lowery]

Finale date: January 31, 2013

30 Rock called its shot way back in season one, episode three, when Jack said about Kenneth, “In five years, we’ll all either be working for him or be dead by his hand.” It’s a testament to the show’s commitment to subverting expectations that, by the time the dual finales “Hogcock!” and “Last Lunch” rolled around, either one of those things could’ve been true. It turned out to be Kenneth running NBC, which was probably for the best. 30 Rock played it safe, giving Liz Lemon and the rest of the TGS gang their happy endings—well, except for Pete—but that was cool, too. And the show went out with a commitment to one of its longest-running bits, as the immortal Kenneth is still running NBC, completely unaged, as Liz’s great-granddaughter pitches him a show. [Jen Lennon]

Finale date: February 9, 2011

Friday Night Lights was never really about football or getting that W. And the final minutes of the final episode of the show, “Always,” remind us of this, as East Dillon’s quarterback Vince (Michael B. Jordan) makes a hail-Mary pass at State. The last-ditch play is caught in slo-mo, set to Explosions In The Sky’s gentle feedback, and as the crowd of Lions fans wait with baited breath, the ball flies through the night. Only, instead of witnessing that last inspiring, against-all-odds, amazing feat, the kind a sports movie would spend most of its runtime building to, the show cuts to another football mid-air in the daytime, coming back to Earth to show that we’re in decidedly un-Dillion environs. And then we’re hit with the title card: Philadelphia. Eight months later. Coach (Kyle Chandler), at last, chose Tami’s (Connie Britton) career over his—she’s now the dean of admissions for a prestigious-looking college—to drive home that it was the everyday drama and relationships that, more than anything that happened on the field, always kept us hooked on this show. Now, do any of you have a tissue? [Tim Lowery]

Finale date: May 18, 2022

Derry Girls’ charming series finale hits hard because the comedy stayed true to its roots of being hilarious and immersive. Based on her life growing up in Ireland during The Troubles, series creator Lisa McGee enforces a sense of belonging amongst the core group of Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle, and James. The technical season three finale centers on the sudden death of Clare’s dad, but the series ender is a special episode set a year after those events. “The Agreement” does a phenomenal job of doing what Derry Girls does best—the girls and James abandon their own party because no one attended, go to frenemy Jenny Joyce’s house party and cause an accidental blackout, after which everyone returns to their original bash. Amongst this sitcom-y structure, Derry Girls gives the characters a chance to truly connect. And then, in a moment that feels larger-than-life, McGee depicts the elation and freedom when everyone votes to end the violence and further the peace process in Northern Ireland. Despite its singular vision and a sense of place, Derry Girls has never felt more universal than in this episode. [Saloni Gajjar]

Finale date: June 18, 1998

It’s The Sopranos, but nine years earlier. Or maybe it’s John Wick: Chapter 4—Space Cowboy Edition. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. Maybe that’s what made Cowboy Bebop so special to begin with: its ability to be so familiar, yet so wholly unique. In “The Real Folk Blues” Parts I and II, Spike Spiegel almost walks away from the bounty-hunting life. He almost gets his happy ending, too—almost escapes with his long-lost love, Julia. But then the Red Dragon Syndicate kills her, and there’s really only one way this was going to end after that. By the time the screen fades to black, Spike’s enemy Vicious is dead, along with a good chunk of the Syndicate. Spike’s probably a goner, too, though the ending, as he points a finger gun at the camera and says “Bang” before collapsing, is ambiguous. But does it really matter what happens to him when he’s got nothing left to live for, anyway? When the final sign-off message appears on the screen—“You’re gonna carry that weight” instead of the usual “See you space cowboy...”—it feels like both a benediction and a eulogy. [Jen Lennon]

Finale date: May 17, 2015

The final scene of Mad Men is one of the best finale fake-outs of all time. We see Don/Dick (Jon Hamm) at a spiritual retreat, meditating with a group on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This can’t be where advertising savant and once miserable bastard Don Draper really ends up, can it? Ah, but that’s when inspiration strikes. As we hear the opening notes of one of the most famous Coke commercials of all time we realize that Don took the message of peace and love, packaged it, and sold it as an ad campaign. Because of course he did. [Cindy White]

Finale date: August 21, 2005

Written and directed by creator and showrunner Alan Ball, the finale of Six Feet Under is the only episode of the series that opens with a birth instead of a death. (In case you weren’t already painfully aware of the passage of time, that baby, Nate and Brenda’s daughter, would be in high school now.) The Fisher family settle their affairs and resolve their character arcs with some satisfaction, but what’s remembered most about this finale—and the reason why it’s consistently listed among the best of all time—is how it ends. What better send-off could there be for a show centered around a family owned funeral home than a sequence showing us how each of those family members and their loved ones eventually die (underscored by Sia’s “Breathe Me”)? Dodgy hair and makeup effects aside, no one who truly loved this show and these characters could possibly walk away from it with dry eyes. [Cindy White]

Finale date: October 17, 2000

The finale for the one-season wonder to end all one-season wonders was actually planned to be episode 13, the original number of episodes ordered by NBC, as creator Paul Feig, who wrote and directed “Discos And Dragons,” had an inkling the show would get canceled. He was mostly right: The show was canned, but it lasted five more episodes than he anticipated, meaning this sendoff was actually shot midish-season. But you wouldn’t know any of that behind-the-scenes, network-TV drama watching it now. The show’s final bow has so much going for it, with the lines between the title’s freaks and geeks being blurred, as Nick (Jason Segel) embraces disco and Daniel (James Franco) enjoys a night of soda, snacks, and D&D with his new A/V Club cohorts. Our protagonist, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini), meanwhile, discovers the Grateful Dead and, in a nice final twist set to “Ripple” off American Beauty, ditches the academic summit at the University of Michigan to follow the band on tour, making her goodbye boarding the bus with her mom a moment earlier just that much more emotionally potent. [Tim Lowery]

Finale date: February 24, 2015

Parks And Recreation was always a comfort show, an escape from the horrid realities of our real political situation. In the world of Parks, things will always turn out okay if you just try your best, no matter how strong an opposition you face. So it’s only fitting that “One Last Ride” went out on the show’s highest note ever. We learn about the future of everyone in the Parks Department, from Leslie Knope’s ascendance to governor of Indiana and potentially U.S. President (or maybe Vice President) to Jerry Garry’s inexplicable success as mayor of Pawnee. It’s absurd in its positivity, and that’s what makes it so great: rarely do you find any piece of media willing to be so completely, unashamedly earnest, but Parks And Recreation pulled it off. [Jen Lennon]

Finale date: June 10, 2007

Not to squash that (kinda dumb?) debate about what happens when this show suddenly cuts to black, but please keep in mind this line about death, delivered by a day-drinking Bobby (Steven R. Schirripa), in the episode that kicked off season six, part two, the fantastic “Soprano Home Movies”: “You probably don’t even hear it when it happens, right?” Right. The Sopranos finale opens with a shot of Tony (James Gandolfini) looking like a corpse, soundtracked by the churchy organ of Vanilla Fudge’s “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” and goes on to show Tony’s chillingly depressing last talk with Junior (Dominic Chianese), Phil’s (Frank Vincent) darkly humorous worst-case-scenario hit, and Paulie (Tony Sirico) being Paulie (“Walden? The fuck kinda name is that for an Italian?”) before ending with an absolute masterclass in editing, building suspense, and sound design, all set against quotidian dialogue about onion rings and Meadow trying to park. There won’t be another final moment like it—or show, for that matter. [Tim Lowery]

Finale date: April 8, 2019

“It’ll pass.” With those two words, Fleabag ends on a note that’s somehow painful and hopeful at the same time. Phoebe Waller-Bridge masterfully weaved a romantic tale between Fleabag and Hot Priest (Andrew Scott) in season two. But the real love story was always between her and the audience. Fleabag’s vulnerability and dilemmas felt personal each time she looked at the camera for a wink and a smirk. So, yes, “Episode 6” features a wedding, a stellar Olivia Colman performance, and an invigorating confirmation of affection between Fleabag and Claire (Sian Clifford). Even so, “It’ll pass” is the biggest lesson the show’s last episode wants to leave us with, and it’s all the better for it. [Saloni Gajjar]

Finale date: September 29, 2013

Breaking Bad never could’ve redeemed Walter White, but the neat trick that “Felina” pulls is that Walt finds a way to redeem himself in his own eyes—if no one else’s. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the selfishness that he finally admits here was the real driving force behind all of his horrible actions, and he makes it a point to go out completely on his own terms in one final display of just how much better he thinks he is than everyone else. He finds a way to leave his money to his family, he kills his enemies by being smarter than all of them, and he even does right by Jesse, but when Walt succumbs to his injuries and illness, the one thing that truly brings him joy is getting back in a meth lab one last time and basking in the lasting impact of his twisted ego. [Sam Barsanti]

Finale date: January 21, 2020

BoJack Horseman doesn’t exactly have a hopeful ending, but it’s a hell of a lot more positive than what seemed inevitable. As BoJack spiraled down, down, down, continuing to fuck up again and again even as he tried to turn his life around, his death felt like a foregone conclusion. It’s a pattern familiar to anyone who’s ever loved an addict, someone who just couldn’t break the self-destructive cycle they’d become trapped in. The grudging tolerance, the distance when you’ve had enough, the hope when they try to get better, the disappointment when they don’t, the anger and regret when the end finally comes, in whatever form. “Nice While It Lasted” gave us all of that, as BoJack ultimately survives his brush with death and finally seems to understand how his actions impact those around him. It’s not absolution, not even forgiveness; Diane certainly doesn’t seem like she wants to have anything to do with him in the future. But it is a turning point. Whether BoJack pulls a U-ey or heads off in a new direction—well, that’s up to him. [Jen Lennon]

Finale date: May 30, 2018

It’s hard (nay, impossible) not to wax poetic about the entirety of The Americans. One of the most pivotal, well-made shows in decades, this FX drama had a strong six-season run that never floundered. That’s an achievement in itself. Joe Wiseberg and Joel Fields’ drama delivered an impeccable final season culminating in “START.” The series finale brought to a head multiple storylines: the Jennings vs. Stan Beeman confrontation, a dialogue-free and heartbreaking scene on a train set to “With Or Without You,” and Philip and Elizabeth finding their way back home to Russia minus their kids. For a spy drama with teeth-pulling and lots of notable action, The Americans series finale hits hard because of the potent emotions it evokes. There’s only emotional violence, and it’s the kind that stays with you for a long time thanks to Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys’ unmatched performances. The show ends achingly, but in a way that perfectly fits The Americans, leaving behind quite a legacy in its wake. [Saloni Gajjar]

Finale date: January 30, 2020

One of the smartest things The Good Place did was end on a high note instead of running past its prime after four seasons. Mike Schur’s layered NBC comedy wraps with a deep sense of contentment—the same kind that Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Jason (Manny Jacinto), and Michael (Ted Danson) feel by the end of “Whenever You’re Ready.” TGP was never about finding utopia, but it hinged on how being a good person is usually enough to helm your own perfect world instead. So, after their plan to create an afterlife works, the four humans eventually realize they’re satisfied enough to move on. In hindsight, it’s the only way TGP could’ve ended: A sweet but not saccharine, heartfelt but not over-the-top, oddly relatable goodbye. (What are we if not flecks of light floating around the globe?) Michael learning to play the guitar from Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, is the cherry on top. [Saloni Gajjar]

Finale date: June 10, 1991 (original series), September 3, 2017 (The Return)

Twin Peaks delivered television’s best finale twice. 1991’s “Episode 29,” originally intended as a season finale, is one of the most disturbing and surreal pieces of film art ever aired on network television, ending with our hero Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) possessed by Bob (Frank Silva). It was the mother of all cliffhangers. Then: “It is happening again.” Season three’s “Part 18” revealed itself to be another funhouse version of Twin Peaks, a phantasmagoria into the inner workings of its star characters.

Like its predecessor, 2017’s “Part 18" is largely wordless, and once again, we watch Cooper flail. Trapped in a different Black Lodge, Cooper attempts to restart the mystery of Twin Peaks in hopes of undoing the past. Brushing off familiar Twin Peaks iconography (owl eyes, Diane, coffee cups, diners), he drives Laura Carrie (Sheryl Lee) to the place where her terror began: Her childhood home. Lynch’s pure, intangible magic is on display as the lights go dark and we hear Sheryl Lee’s blood-curdling scream—one of the greatest ever captured. Through a collection of nerve-piercing sounds and images, Lynch expresses everything we need to know about Twin Peaks without saying it: Laura’s murder can never be undone. [Matt Schimkowitz]