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View Full Version : Best and worst season finales/series finales.



LunarWeaver
06-06-2010, 08:51 PM
I'm bored as fuck and that means a stupid topic must be made by me. Welcome to post-Lost thought.

I was fairly disappointed by Battlestar Galactica's (the re-imagining) series finale. Many of the season finales were awesome, though.

Angel's series finale... I can handle cliffhanger endings when a new season starts in a handful of months, but when it's over? Well, the comic book thing started, I guess...

Roseanne. Terrible finale.

I liked Arrested Development's.

Never watched The Sopranos past season 2, but I heard its ending was one of the worst ever :zombert:

Rye
06-06-2010, 09:10 PM
I think the season finale of True Blood Season 2 was probably one of the worst ones of a good, relatively new show. It left me with very little excitement and desire to watch season 3. Let down. :(

The Season 1 finale was good though.

Things like season finales in the last seasons of Charmed and other shows of that sort are a given when it comes to bad finales.

Six Feet Under tended to do amazing season finales. The series finale was, hands down, the best one I've ever watched. I cried a lot. I felt like I was watching a friend die, it was very painful at some parts.

Breine
06-06-2010, 09:25 PM
Buffy had a really good series finale - and a whole lot of great season finales too!

Bunny
06-06-2010, 09:27 PM
Angel's series finale... I can handle cliffhanger endings when a new season starts in a handful of months, but when it's over? Well, the comic book thing started, I guess...

I don't think they intended that to be the season finale. From what I remember, the cancellation order came after they had already filmed it or something along those lines so they intended to use it as an introduction into the comic book "series", which starts almost exactly where the finale left off. I actually enjoyed it.

The Wire's series finale was perhaps one of the best I have ever seen. It wrapped up everything appropriately for each character and continued the trend that the rest of the series carried on throughout the five seasons it aired. Overall, The Wire was an amazing show.

As much as I enjoyed the last season of Veronica Mars, it was fairly lackluster compared to the first two seasons. The series finale was a letdown in that it ended the show but also because it was not as strong as the other episodes.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a decent series finale, far better than Angel's, which is neat because Angel was the stronger show in my opinion.

Breine
06-06-2010, 09:36 PM
Angel's series finale... I can handle cliffhanger endings when a new season starts in a handful of months, but when it's over? Well, the comic book thing started, I guess...

I don't think they intended that to be the season finale. From what I remember, the cancellation order came after they had already filmed it or something along those lines so they intended to use it as an introduction into the comic book "series", which starts almost exactly where the finale left off. I actually enjoyed it.

They'd known about the cancellation of the show since "Smile Time", which was the 14th episode of the season.
- but yeah, I also enjoyed the series finale of Angel.

Madame Adequate
06-06-2010, 09:45 PM
Battlestar Galactica was fairly atrocious.

Rye
06-06-2010, 09:49 PM
Oh, that reminds me. Babylon 5's last season was fantastic, but I don't think I loved the series finale. It summed things up well, but I felt it was a little lack-lustre compared to the previous few episodes.

LunarWeaver
06-06-2010, 09:50 PM
I didn't hate it, didn't love it, when it came to Angel. I didn't mean to imply I flat-out hated it. But yeah, Buffy and Angel both had some wicked season finales, that for sure. Man, sometimes I was ripping my hair out for them to start again.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention the finale of the latest Dexter season was pretty good ;O It left me craving more.

And I liked the season 2 finale of True Blood :aimblush: Anything that indicates Sookie and Bill will be apart for any amount of time is good for me. Hopefully this is heading for the storyline where he's taken away for almost an entire book and we see much more of Eric than him.

Jessweeee♪
06-06-2010, 09:57 PM
I liked the ending of MASH :3

Rye
06-06-2010, 10:24 PM
I didn't hate it, didn't love it, when it came to Angel. I didn't mean to imply I flat-out hated it. But yeah, Buffy and Angel both had some wicked season finales, that for sure. Man, sometimes I was ripping my hair out for them to start again.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention the finale of the latest Dexter season was pretty good ;O It left me craving more.

And I liked the season 2 finale of True Blood :aimblush: Anything that indicates Sookie and Bill will be apart for any amount of time is good for me. Hopefully this is heading for the storyline where he's taken away for almost an entire book and we see much more of Eric than him.

Oh! Well I liked THAT part of the finale, I feel the same about both pairings. XDD Just nothing much else about it.

Iceglow
06-06-2010, 11:22 PM
Battlestar Galactica as previously pointed out ended on such a low note after such a hot series. Made me kinda feel like I had been cheated, better that Galatica had taken on the cylons and lost in a blaze of glory than win in a hushed silence.

The Unit has had some awesome season finales. Though I haven't seen all of them.

24 Doesn't really fail to disappoint for sheer awesome stuff going on throughout and ending well. The last hour is always the most tense.

Stargate Atlantis ended crapily what is with sci-fi's ending so awfully? Add to this list Stargate SG-1, Star Trek Voyager and so on and so on.

Buffy was good though I missed the ending of Angel.

Red Dwarf was amazing (no not the crap revisited series they done. The proper original ending)

Slothy
06-07-2010, 03:10 AM
Stargate Atlantis ended crapily what is with sci-fi's ending so awfully? Add to this list Stargate SG-1, Star Trek Voyager and so on and so on.

Voyager was crap the whole way through so no big surprises the ending sucked. As for SG-1 and Atlantis, they were both canceled after their season finales had been filmed I believe. At least SG-1 got the films to cap things off, and supposedly so will Atlantis.

And I don't care what anyone says about Galactica, not only was pretty much every season finale amazing, but I felt the series finale was the perfect ending for the show. I don't think there was any other way it could have had a satisfactory ending, and I don't have many problems with it.

I think I'll also throw Supernatural out there. The first season finale was probably the weakest but they all got consistently better after that, though the season three finale is probably my favourite.

fire_of_avalon
06-07-2010, 03:12 AM
I liked the ending of MASH :3
I didn't expect anyone to say this, but "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is not only my favorite finale of all time, it's probably my favorite episode of any TV show, ever.

NorthernChaosGod
06-07-2010, 03:41 AM
Man, I really liked the ending to BSG, I don't give a fuck what you guys think. I couldn't see it ending any other way.

House usually has pretty damn good season finales. If I had to pick my favorite, it'd probably be the season 4 finale.

Madame Adequate
06-07-2010, 04:34 AM
Man, I really liked the ending to BSG, I don't give a smurf what you guys think. I couldn't see it ending any other way.

Well, it might have been an improvement if all the survivors of the fleet didn't develop severe brain damage.

Del Murder
06-07-2010, 04:39 AM
I can't think of many good ones. Usually when a series ends it's way past its prime. Friends had a pretty decent one. Arrested Development was a good finale in the sense that the episode was still very funny and stayed true to the show, it just sucks that it ended so soon.

As for bad, there are many. Seinfeld & BSG were some of the worst for being such good shows. Well, the first half of the BSG finale rocked but the second half was all wtf and not in the good way. Seinfeld was probably the worst finale ever though.

Breine
06-07-2010, 10:34 PM
I just remembered that the series finale of Xena was pretty good. As far as I remember anyway.

Crop
06-07-2010, 11:58 PM
Ashes to Ashes was really good. What a great way to cap off two great shows.
Ended at the perfect time as well.

Worst was Tour of Duty. I loved that show so much, but it was cancelled at the end of the third series and no story arcs were closed or anything. They should at least give a show the chance to round things off for the fans.

Madame Adequate
06-08-2010, 12:59 AM
I can't think of many good ones. Usually when a series ends it's way past its prime. Friends had a pretty decent one. Arrested Development was a good finale in the sense that the episode was still very funny and stayed true to the show, it just sucks that it ended so soon.

I just finished rewatching Arrested Development today, actually. Beautiful, beautiful piece of TV through and through.

Aerith's Knight
06-08-2010, 01:00 AM
Bad finales?

The sopranos.

/thread

The Man
06-08-2010, 01:04 AM
The last half-hour or so of Battlestar Galactica was virtually the only weak point of the show, apart from the episode "The Woman King". A special demerit to FlashForward's for not resolving anything, although that's the fault of the show getting (warning: tvtropes link) Screwed by the Network (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork) and not the writers' fault. I'm still bitter about that. It would've been an awesome season finale, too, because it was obvious they were setting up a bunch of teasers for the next season in the last few minutes with the second flashforward, but as a series finale it was just dire.

As for good series finales, Arrested Development and Lost are probably the most memorable. I remember liking The West Wing's a lot too. Oh, and Star Trek: TNG.

Slothy
06-08-2010, 03:18 AM
Oh, and <I>Star Trek: TNG</I>.</span>

Pretty much every TNG two-parter had a somewhat disappointing second half if you ask me, but I have to say I enjoyed the series finale completely. Just a classic piece of Trek if you ask me.

Miriel
06-08-2010, 05:32 AM
The series finale of Battlestar Galactica was an awful ending to a wonderful show. But the entire last season was lackluster imho. Kinda the same as the Lost series finale and final season. But some of Lost's earlier season finales were amaaaazing.

The season 5 finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has always been one of my favorites.

Buffy Summers
1981-2001

Beloved Sister
Devoted Friend

She saved the world
A lot


Dexter's last season finale was kinda amazing too. Alias Season 2 finale was epic. I nearly died from the craziness of it. It's one of those season finale that makes you ache for the summer to rush by so that the fall premieres can start up again.

PeneloRatsbane
06-08-2010, 01:03 PM
I must be in a minority here but I found the Arrested Development finale to be one of the weekest episodes. Granted its still funny and the show is amazing, one of my favourites, but I was disapointed with the Finale. I didn't like how Micheal and George Micheal just ditched the others, Didn't like how Lindsay/Nelly was adopted and then tried it on with Micheal and I didn't like George Micheal punching GOB in the face even though he deserved it.

spoilers just incase anyone has just recently started watching it on DVD as i missed it when it was on TV

Imperfectionist
06-08-2010, 01:23 PM
Blackadder Goes Forth :(

charliepanayi
06-08-2010, 01:50 PM
Best ones:

Blackadder Goes Forth
Cowboy Bebop
Six Feet Under (series finale)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The Gift - Season 5 finale)
Through the Looking Glass (Lost - Season 3 finale)

I don't have a worst one, but the final episode of Seinfeld has never sat well with me, it just feels so sour (even by the acerbic standards of the series in general). And I loved the show :(

Breine
06-08-2010, 07:09 PM
Alias Season 2 finale was epic. I nearly died from the craziness of it. It's one of those season finale that makes you ache for the summer to rush by so that the fall premieres can start up again.

Oh yeah, that was some amazing stuff. I miss watching Alias.

Iceglow
06-09-2010, 12:44 AM
The final episode of 24 was pretty damn intense. I like how that at the end it was Jack Bauer's suicide message what Convinced President Taylor not to go ahead. I like even more that in the end she did what little she could to repay him by asking him to leave the country. I felt so sorry for Jack that 8 days of hell, his entire life dedicated to protecting his country and in the end he was once again on the run from his own government.

Aerith's Knight
06-09-2010, 12:56 AM
Oh, let's not forget the Stargate Season 7 finale. that one was awesomesauce.

NorthernChaosGod
06-09-2010, 02:44 AM
Cowboy Bebop

Yes! God, Yes!

Shiny
06-09-2010, 04:01 AM
Cowboy Bebop's finale and Dexter Season Four's finale were some of the best I've seen. Then again, I don't really stick with many television series for long, but as long as they keep making Dexter awesome I will stay with it.