Series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or any final episode.
Origins in television
Most early television series consisted of stand-alone episodes rather than continuing story arcs, so there was little reason to provide closure at the end of their runs. Early comedy series that had special finale episodes include Howdy Doody in September 1960, Leave It to Beaver in June 1963, Hank in April 1966, and The Dick Van Dyke Show in June 1966. One of the few dramatic series to have a planned finale during this period was Route 66, which concluded in March 1964 with a two-part episode in which the pair of philosophical drifters ended their journey across America and then went their separate ways.Considered to be "the series finale that invented the modern-day series finale," the August 1967 final episode of ABC's The Fugitive, "The Judgment: Part 2", attracted a 72% audience share when broadcast. This remained the highest viewership percentage in American television history until the 1977 finale of the TV mini-series Roots and later the 1980 resolution episode of the internationally prominent "Who shot J.R.?" cliffhanger of CBS' Dallas.
Notable television series finales
Most-watched American series finales
The most watched series finale in American television history remains the 1983 finale of the CBS war/medical dramedy M*A*S*H, titled "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". Viewed by 105.9 million viewers and drawing 77% of those watching televisions at the time, the finale of M*A*S*H held the record for most watched telecast of all-time for decades until 2010's Super Bowl XLIV edged it out with 106 million viewers, which coincidentally also aired on CBS. However, M*A*S*H's final episode remains the all-time most-watched U.S. television episode.The second-most-watched series finale in American television history was the 1993 finale of the NBC comedy Cheers, titled "One for the Road". "One for the Road" was watched by between 80.4 million and 93.5 million viewers while drawing 64% of TVs turned on at the time. To date, "One for the Road" remains the most watched American TV series finale following the rise of cable television, and in terms of sheer viewership numbers for non-sports programming, sits second only to the aforementioned finale of M*A*S*H.
With only slightly fewer viewers than the series finale of Cheers was the finale of its one-time follow-up on NBC's "Must See TV" Thursday night line-up, the absurdist NBC comedy Seinfeld. The third most-watched American TV series finale in television history, Seinfelds controversial 1998 episode "The Finale" was watched by 76.3 million people, drawing 67% of all televisions turned on at the time – as the New York Times put it, "grazing Super Bowl country" in terms of viewership.
With the shift away from network television viewing toward cable television viewing that occurred during the decade between the finales of M*A*S*H and Cheers – and continued unabated until and beyond the finale of Seinfeld – it remains debatable which of these three "event" series finales accomplished the most impressive viewership numbers. Moreover, a large gap in viewership numbers exists between the Super Bowl-sized audiences of the M*A*S*H, Cheers and Seinfeld finales, and the fourth and fifth most watched series finales in television history – respectively, those of the comedy Friends and the detective procedural Magnum, P.I.. The Friends finale's viewership numbers dwarf those of all finales since the start of the new millennium and seem particularly impressive in light of the increased media options since the 1990s "event" finales of Cheers and Seinfeld.
In Britain, the most-acclaimed series finale of sitcoms was from Blackadder. In 1989, the Britcom, starring Rowan Atkinson as a Blackadder in 1917 WW1, goes "over the top" with his regiment, leaving their fate unknown as fade to a field of poppies. The finale was praised as a "perfect end-of-show finale".
Reception
No matter how critically lauded during their respective runs, relatively few popular television series end up pleasing critics and audiences universally or escaping controversy with their final episode. Prominent examples of controversial series finales include the comedies Roseanne, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, and Two and a Half Men, and the dramas The Prisoner, Lost, Dexter, True Blood, and Game of Thrones. In particular, the finales of Dexter, How I Met Your Mother, and Game of Thrones triggered massive backlash from both fans and critics upon airing, and are often regarded as the worst finales in recent memory.Some series endings have proved divisive among viewers immediately on airing, leading to extensive discussions online, but ended up being generally lauded by critics. Notable examples of this trend are the finales of The Sopranos and The Wire. For example, The Sopranos
Several television series have, however, managed to produce final episodes that lived up to both critics' and audiences' expectations. Examples include the twist endings that concluded both the Newhart and St. Elsewhere finales, the mixture of comedy and resonance that wrapped up The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the redemption arc that concluded The Fugitive.
Several more series finales have received unanimous critical and popular acclaim and are often considered as benchmarks for great TV endings. Recent examples include the finales of Breaking Bad, Community, The Good Place, Better Call Saul, and Succession.
Examples of universally acclaimed finales from earlier in the millennium include those of Britain's The Office, The Shield, and Six Feet Under, the last of which TV Guide ranked at No. 22 on their list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".
Plot devices
Television series finales frequently feature fundamental deviations from the central plot line, such as the resolution of a central mystery or problem, the separation or return of a major character or an event signifying the end of an era, such as a change to primary setting for the seriesSeries finales will sometimes include clips or characters from the series' past, and the ending moments of the episode often take place in the show's primary setting.
Premature series finales
In some cases, a TV series finale proves premature, as was the case with Here's Lucy, 7th Heaven, Charmed, Babylon 5, and Arrested Development to name but a few. Some shows that have constantly been in danger of cancellation wrote every season finale with the idea that the episode would serve as a quality series finale if the network decided not to bring it back; in recent years from NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup, Parks and Recreation used this formula for the season finales for Seasons 3–6, before getting a renewal for a seventh and final season where the series finale was planned in advance, and Community wrote its fifth-season finale with the notion that whether the show found new life elsewhere or not, it would definitely not be returning to the network. The series finale of Dr. Ken, a fictionalized sitcom based on the life of doctor-turned-actor Ken Jeong, features the title character trying out for a fictional version of Community.The medical comedy Scrubs aired its two-part finale episode billed simply as a "My Finale" in May 2009 as the show's renewal or cancellation had not been decided as of its airing, and so it was not known whether the episode would conclude just the season or the entire series; Scrubs would eventually be renewed for one additional season, which became a de facto spin-off series titled Scrubs: Med School.
The cartoon Futurama has had four designated series finales, due to the recurringly uncertain future of the series. "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", "Into the Wild Green Yonder ", "Overclockwise", and "Meanwhile" have all been written to serve as a final episode for the show.
The series American Dad! had two possible finales: the season premiere of the eighth season, "Hot Water" was written due to the uncertainty from the staff of the show getting picked up. The penultimate episode of Season 19 was also intended as a series finale, as revealed by showrunner and executive producer Matt Weitzman.
Before the original run of Power Rangers ended in 2023, the show featured four episodes that were written as series finales. In the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the two-part episode "Doomsday" was originally written as the show's final episode, but the show had its first season order extended and later received two additional seasons due to its increasing popularity. "Countdown to Destruction", the two-part finale of Power Rangers in Space, was also intended as a series finale as it concluded the story arc that began when the series premiered. The final episode of Power Rangers Wild Force was written as a series finale due to The Walt Disney Company's 2001 acquisition of Saban Entertainment, while the final episode of Power Rangers RPM was the last episode to be produced by Disney before ownership of the franchise was transferred to Saban Brands in 2010. The franchise's original run would end with Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, which was the final season of the series to be filmed in New Zealand.
The series finale of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was unintentionally fitting: stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were about to divorce and end the show, a fact that the show's guest star for what would be the final program, Edie Adams, did not know when she chose the song she would sing on the program. Prophetically, the song was named "That's All." The series also ended with Lucy and Ricky making up and kissing, while in reality Ball and Arnaz would not. The last produced half-hour episode was titled "The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue" which included real-life kids Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. in the final scene where Ricky unveils what he thinks is a Revolutionary War statue only to find out that it is Lucy.
The aforementioned Magnum, P.I. had a premature series finale, as well. At the end of the seventh season, protagonist Thomas Magnum was to be killed off, which was intended to end the series. The final episode of the season, "Limbo", after seeing Magnum wander around as a ghost for nearly the entire run-time, closes with him appearing to walk off into heaven. However, following outcry from fans, who demanded a more satisfactory conclusion, an eighth, final season was produced, to bring Magnum "back to life", and to round the series off. The mystery of whether Higgins was Robin Masters, or not, was a highly anticipated series finale reveal. The mystery still has yet to be revealed. A number of other episodes also make reference to supernatural occurrences and the seeming existence of ghosts.
The Showtime series Californication was designed from start to make any season finale work as a series finale, in case of early cancelling the show. It is seen most primarily at the end of the first and fourth season.
After its fifth season, the sitcom Reba was in danger of being cancelled as a result of its original home, The WB, being replaced by The CW in September 2006, and the resulting uncertainty over which WB series would be carried over to the new network. The sixth season's finale episode was written to serve as a series finale, in which Brock and Barbara-Jean come to a reconciliation and Van and Cheyenne move back in with Reba, bringing the show to a full wrap.
A series finale may not be the last aired episode of a show, such as King of the Hill, which produced "To Sirloin with Love" as its series finale, though four more episodes produced before it were aired after in syndication.
Another instance of premature endings was with the Rural Purge of 1971 where networks axed still-popular TV series in an effort to move to more sophisticated programming. Shows were The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.