I am a TV marathoner. When my boyfriend and I choose a new series to Netflix, our entire social lives disappear until we finish the series. Recently, we finished Six Feet Under, a show that has stayed with me long past the series finale. Here’s a round-up of great series finales. Share your favorites in the comments and please, be forewarned, THIS POST OBVIOUSLY CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Six Feet Under
Possibly the best series finale in the history of television, the end of this HBO drama brings closure to all major characters with the future flashing before Claire’s eyes as she drives from California to New York.
The Sopranos
Set to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which blared through a jukebox at a local diner, the final scene in the beloved mob series surprised tons of fans. For months before the final season aired, rumors swirled that leading man Tony Soprano would not survive the season.
Cheers
With Sam moving to California to be with Diane, the gang reunites one last time in the bar.
Newhart
Five years after the entire town—with the exception of Dick and Joanna Loudon—has moved away, a surprise reunion brings everyone together again. As the ex-townfolk chaotically plan an extended visit, Dick is struck by a wayward golfball and collapses. In the next scene, viewers see Bob Newhart’s orginal character, Dr. Bob Hartley, in bed, telling his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette, Hartley’s wife from The Bob Newhart Show) about a crazy dream he’d just woken up from. The bedroom is a recreation from The Bob Newhart Show and it’s revealed that the entire Newhart series was simply a dream in the mind of Bob Newhart’s 1970s character.
Roseanne
The last 15 minutes of the episode are a monologue from Roseanne herself. She reveals that the series has been a product of her imagination as she wrote her memoir. Anything she didn’t like in her life, her daughters’ boyfriends, for example, she simply rearranged.
ER
With former cast members returning for the opening of John Carter’s new hospital, Dr. Greene’s daughter Rachel applies for a job at Country General.
M*A*S*H*
Still the most-watched episode of television, the series finale of M*A*S*H* is not available on YouTube. This promo aired beforehand, though.
