Series Finales (possible Spoilers)

[TheDoctor]

We all hate it when our favorite series ends, but, if they do it right, the final episode, or even final moments, are almost worth it.

Here's my list:

#1 Mystery Science Theater 3000
I can't think of a more perfect and fitting ending to a series in the history of television. They finally return to Earth and we leave with a shot of Mike and the Bots watching bad movies on a Saturday afternoon in Mike's apartment, making cracks.

#2 Quantum Leap
The series itself was hit-and-miss for me, but the finale was pure gold. The moments of philosophy mixed with humor and just craziness and, most importantly, they never defined exactly what was going on. For all the hoping for Sam to get back home, he ends up convinced that he needs to keep leaping.

#3 Star Trek TNG
It was wacky, crazy adventures with Q and it wrapped the series up into a package pretty well. Q's line about the trial never ending and the craziness that Picard could really only trust and rely on the crew he was currently with, about how much they've become a family. The best part is that they ended the series without ending their adventures together (they didn't split up, nobody died, etc.).


Honorable Mention #1 - Futurama ("Devil's Hands are an Idle Plaything")
As much as I love Futurama, this was a perfect ending to the series. I can only hope that, when the time comes, Futurama goes out on just as high a note.

Honorable Mention #2 - Newhart
I've never seen either series the finale is based off of, but I loved the unique idea.

So, what are yours? (Note, it's not necessarily BEST, just which ones did you enjoy most?)

 

[Apollo]

Come to think of it my favorites are 2 of yours

Leap and Next Gen

On Leap I loved how Sam sacrificed himself and kept "leaping" so Al could go home.

 

[JD]

I know a lot of folks will disagree, but I think the Ron Moore Battlestar Galactica ended on a perfect note.

 

[Kerr Avon]

I know a lot of folks will disagree, but I think the Ron Moore Battlestar Galactica ended on a perfect note.

Yup. Disagree.

I think "Babylon 5" had the best finale with "Sleeping in Light."

 

[JediG60racer]

I know a lot of folks will disagree, but I think the Ron Moore Battlestar Galactica ended on a perfect note.

AGREED.



Also liked the finale of Life on Mars.

 

[Lost in Trek]

I though the DS9 finale was just about perfect.

 

[SSgt Burton]

TNG's finale is particularly memorable for me as I watched it with 40 000 other Trekkies live at the SkyDome in Toronto. What a feeling it was to see the Future Enterprise shoot the Klingons with the superdestructo beam- 40 000 people all gasping "Whoa!", follow by a tremendous "YEAAAAAAHH!!!"

While I didn't care for Kara Thrace's exit, I too enjoyed BSG's finale.

To be honest there aren't very many finales I disliked. However "Enterprise"... wow that stunk.


Kevin

 

[DavidS]

Ill see you those and raise you that i actually LIKED Enterprise's finale.
It sucked as a Finale to the show, but served more as a Finale to Star Trek.
i mean they pretty much rebooted after that.

DS9 had an incredible finale.... i think the finale was the best episode of trek EVER.
TNG had a sweet, heartfelt finale. Its sad that Nemesis sorta ruined that

 

[BIKERFETT]

The finale of Angel is the best ever period

 

[Wes R]

The worst was for the 80s Transformers and GI joe. Transformers was just horrid with the super happy ending while in Japan it went on for 3 more series before ending. GI joe just kinda fizzled out, I would have loved to have seen an ending to the show like that of the Joe comic marvel did. Oddly enough the GI Joe: Resolute miniseries proved that the 80s cartoon didn't really end.
Dark Skies was a bad one as they just stopped making the series without a real final episode. The last one they did make was kind of thrown together in my opinion.

 

[TheDoctor]

There are actually a LOT of finales I didn't like.

Some examples:
- Lost - I could stand everything except the church thing at the end... it would have been better to leave it ambiguous.
- X-Files - For a show I loved sooooo much, the finale was SUCH a disappointment (seriously... a clips show for the finale????).
- MST3K - The Comedy Central finale - This was before they knew they were going to be picked up by SciFi - It's clever in it's own way, but it would have been an unsatisfactory ending to the series.
- seaQuest - This was a series I considered dead after the first season, though I still watched and even occasionally enjoyed in series 2 & 3. I guess they didn't know they were ending when they did in Series 3, but it could have been a better finale.
- La Femme Nikita - The original finale was great, but then they brought it back.
- Deadwood, Carnivale, and Dead Like Me - Three premium station series that they killed without an appropriate ending.
- Enterprise - I wasn't very fond of the show, so the ending of the series wasn't hugely disappointing for me, but seeing a older/fatter Riker wedged into the TNG uniform was terrible.
- Early Edition - I did like the last episode, but it wasn't really a proper 'finale'. On the one hand, they didn't do a 'pass the torch' episode or something even lamer, but on the other hand it wasn't really a 'good bye'.

Personally, I think it should be built into TV Show contracts that, no matter how bad the ratings are, each show is guaranteed a proper ending.

 

[Shade88]

My favorite Series finales are:

MASH: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.
Scrubs
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: TNG
24

 

[TheDoctor]

Voyager was a hard one for me to say if I liked it or not. On the one hand, I liked the episode, and really there was only one proper way the series could have ended so the fans wouldn't revolt: Getting the ship home.

However... there were rumors of a "twist" ending. My favorite of which was Voyager uses an alien Technology to get home, and everybody re-unites with their loved ones, etc. After a couple days, an anomaly starts to form and they find that it was caused by Voyager and the alien tech. The only way to close it is for Voyager to fly into it. Janeway decides to take Voyager into the anomaly herself. Sparks fly and she's knocked unconscious. She awakes to a darkened bridge with distant voices. She looks up to the view screen and sees the static fade to... the Caretaker array. It ends with scenes from Caretaker and Janeway's personal log saying she's the only one who retains the memory of the last seven years and she now has to decide again.

 

[Zombie_61]

The best final episode I've seen so far was for Six Feet Under. For anyone who might not know the series was primarily about a family owned and operated funeral home, and every episode began with someone dying or being killed in some way. The end of the final episode moved forward in time to show how each of the main characters died, and it was truly a fitting ending considering the premise.

 

[azheat01]

Six Feet Under, the best, Cheers, runner up.

Worst, The Sopranos, second worst, Lost.

 

[Birdie]

The Blake's 7 finale kicks the ass and takes no prisoners of all finales before or since!

 

[Jodo Kast 3]

The Blake's 7 finale kicks the ass and takes no prisoners of all finales before or since!

Amen to that!!!!!!

 

[0neiros]

Monk, He gets the ******* that killed his wife, AND finds out she had a child, whom he's now forming a relationship with.

Law and Order, They stop a madman from shooting up a school, and the Lieutenant Announces she's engaged (to Ernie Hudson), finds out she's in Remission at a party to help pay her Medical bills, and finds out that people way above her, and below her, appreciate what a great Cop she is.

Law and Order Criminal Intent, after a HORRIBLE final Season for Vincent D'Onofrio's character, He Brother gets killed, His Arch Nemesis is Casually taken out by a former mentor of his, so no Homles/Moriarity showdown. His Captain is Killed, and in solving the crime he's basically labelled a "Loony" outsider and his partner Eames is offered promotion to Captain if she fires him. She does, then says FU and quits. So they bring in a Tepid Jeff Goldblum to try and replace him.

FINALLY they Hire D'Onofrio and Erbe for 8 Episodes, wrapping it up neatly, he's getting much needed therapy, has a friend in charge, and will keep his job, and he and Eames ride off to take on the next case.