The television industry continues to grow more ambitious and challenging. Each year brings dozens of new prestige programs into the mix and it feels as if there’s a television series out there for everyone, no matter how niche. The lines between comedic and dramatic TV shows have become increasingly blurred over time and it’s not uncommon for sitcoms to deliver devastating dramatic sequences and vice versa.
The endings of long-running TV shows are never easy, but they’re frequently emotional experiences. Audiences hate to say goodbye to characters that they’ve grown to love for years, but there are also series where a somber finish feels like the perfect way to conclude these stories.
10 The Americans Understands The Unpredictable Paths Life Pulls People Down
The whole sixth season of The Americans is masterful in how it removes the Jennings family from their deceptive comfort zones to prepare for a return to Russia. “START,” the final episode, is full of satisfying surprises, but its final scene is one of the strongest from the entire series’ run. After escaping so many hardships, it seems as if the Jennings will finally be able to leave, in peace, as a family. The reveal that Paige has “gone rogue” to stay behind is seismic for Philip and Elizabeth, but also a decision that they understand, while they’re both left to reflect on their own lives.
9 BoJack Horseman Is A Somber Reflection On The Weight Of Living
BoJack Horseman is a brightly-colored animated series that’s full of silly anthropomorphic animals, which makes the show’s heavy, depressive tone come as a major shock. The titular BoJack is full of destructive impulses and weaknesses that slowly hurt those around him. BoJack does genuinely grow, but his relapses become increasingly devastating. BoJack Horseman’s final season is an exercise in dread since it truly seems as if BoJack’s life may prematurely end. The series flirts with this conclusion but allows BoJack to live, which in some ways is even harder for him. His final conversation with Diane is just heartbreaking.
8 The Shield Culminates With Vic Makey’s Sins Catching Up With Him
Unscrupulous anti-heroes have become a staple of prestige dramatic television, but The Shield and its problematic protagonist, Vic Mackey, helped set the standard. The Shield is visceral, exhausting storytelling that progressively digs corrupt cop Vic Mackey into a deeper hole over the course of seven seasons.
The series’ pilot kicks off Mackey’s dark descent, but by the end of the series, he’s been abandoned by everyone that he’s ever loved. The Shield’s ending still hits hard and even though Mackey avoids persecution for his deeds, his future doing deskwork is almost a worse fate for him.
7 The Leftovers Lets The Mystery Be With An Elegant Character Study
The Leftovers is truly special television, and it crafts a unique mystery that culminates in an emotional crescendo that’s incredibly powerful. Each season of The Leftovers is a radical departure from what’s come before it, but this is most evident in its third and final season, which consistently defies expectations. So much of this series comes down to faith and human connection, which is beautifully explored in its final episode, “The Book of Nora,” through Kevin and Nora’s relationship. Both engage in incredible leaps of faith, but in the end, what’s important is that they’re together.
6 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Looks To The Future To Correct The Past
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was frequently hilarious, but one of the reasons that the series made such a name for itself is its ability to occasionally shift into more mature and contemplative storytelling. These dramatic moments hit even harder when they’re spaced out between copious gags. The sixth season of Fresh Prince concludes with “I, Done,” which looks at the entire Banks family parting ways after they decide to sell their California home. Will’s goodbyes to his family are all emotionally draining in different ways, but his examination of himself and the state of arrested development that he’s occupied is just as powerful.
5 Breaking Bad Ends Its Gripping Crime Saga In A Fitting Fashion
A difficult decision that every popular television series must face is when it makes sense to wrap up the story. It’s not easy for a series to end on its own terms. Breaking Bad is a superlative series that never takes the easy way out, especially with its two-part fifth and final season.
“Felina,” the series finale, provides perfect closure for this tumultuous crime story. Walter White’s life reaches its end, which is technically tragic, but it’s the right move for the series to make after the wake of destruction that he leaves behind him and the person that he’s become as Heisenberg.
4 M*A*S*H* Goes Out With Pure Class In A Way That’s Been Hard To Top
M*A*S*H* ended its legendary 11-season run back in the 1980s, but “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” is still considered to be one of the strongest pieces of television. The M*A*S*H* series finale is a whopping two-and-a-half hours long as it depicts the end of the Korean War and the characters’ moving goodbyes. It doesn’t get any better than M*A*S*H*’s finish, which is cathartic, surprising, and deeply emotional. It’s almost impossible to view the series’ final image and not be moved to tears.
3 Friends Gets Lost In The Emotions Behind These Powerful Relationships
Friends’ impact on the landscape of television comedies cannot be underestimated. The series finale aired more than 15 years ago, but the sitcom remains one of the most popular series to watch on streaming services. Friends’ finale, “The Last One,” is a fairly predictable conclusion that leans into many rom-com tropes as Ross rushes to share his love with Rachel and keep her from moving to Paris. The plot points may be pedestrian, but it’s an episode that’s full of emotion, especially once Chandler and Monica clear out their apartment and the many memories that fill it. It’s melancholy in the most optimistic way possible.
2 The Office Celebrates Its Characters And The Journey They’ve all Been Done
It’s a testament to The Office’s writing and characters that the show’s series finale also functions as one of its best episodes. The events of “Finale” largely revolve around the wedding of Dwight and Angela, but it provides closure for every single character, including those that left several seasons earlier. Any series finale for The Office would be extremely bittersweet, but “Finale” taps into the right mix of sorrow and nostalgia. It’s hard to not be moved by Michael Scott’s return and the very fact that these characters need to say goodbye is why it’s such a sad farewell.
1 Futurama Never Struggles To End With A Contemplative, Cathartic Conclusion
The brilliant sci-fi animated comedy Futurama has only gained a greater appreciation over time. Futurama has consistently rolled with the punches as it’s migrated to several different homes following its original cancellation on FOX. Futurama is both intelligent and hilarious, but its character development and world-building are also tremendous assets. “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” and “Meanwhile” are both extremely satisfying Futurama series finales that properly balance melancholy with optimism. With new episodes of Futurama set to hit Hulu, the animated series’ biggest hurdle now becomes how to deliver another series finale that’s a fraction as satisfying as the previous four efforts.
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