5. "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," M*A*S*H
There's a reason that "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" remains the highest-rated television program in U.S. history after 26 years: It is one of the most satisfying, gut-wrenching finales ever made. The Korean War finally comes to a close (M*A*S*H famously ran eight years longer than the actual war), and the occupants of the 4077 have to decide what's next. Hawkeye winds up in a mental hospital for a short time, Klinger marries a Korean woman and decides to stay behind, and, well...everyone has to say goodbye, farewell, and amen. The best part of the episode, though, is that B.J. refuses to say goodbye to Hawkeye. He just can't. So when Hawkeye's chopper lifts off and he sees a giant "GOODBYE" message B.J. has spelled out for him on the ground, it's the ultimate lump-in-the-throat moment. In fact, I just watched it again, and it still makes me tear up.
4. "Development Arrested," Arrested Development
One of the things that made Arrested Development so brilliant was that it was one of the only sitcoms that demanded you watch every single episode without fail in order to process all of its obscure references and surprisingly complex storylines. As the show was forced into a close, Mitchell Hurwitz and the gang took one last shot at the network and the situation it had put them in, crafting a final episode that was three things at once: A resolution as zany and surreal as the show had ever been, an intricately structured parallel to the first episode, and a scathing attack on FOX and its head idiots. Arrested Development asked a lot of its viewers, and that's one of the reasons it never found a large audience, but it was their loss: this was the smartest, funniest, and most relevant show on the air from 2003 to 2006, and the finale was an utter masterpiece. And, of course, FOX dumped all four final episodes onto one night, opposite the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
3. "Chosen," Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy was always about female empowerment. So what better way to end the series than with Willow using the Slayer Scythe to activate every single potential Slayer on the planet? With "Chosen," Buffy had reached her goal of breaking free of the shackles of the patriarchal system which had so many centuries ago tied down the First Slayer, and with it, some sense of freedom. Of course, with Joss Whedon at the helm, the journey to the end of this final hour was filled with action, twists, angst, and plenty of clever dialogue. The final battle on top of the Hellmouth is one of the most rousing in the series' (and television's) history, perhaps rivaled only by the Scoobies' masterful take-down of Glory in "The Gift." My favorite moment? Buffy: "I love you." Spike: "No, you don't. But thanks for sayin' it." And then he who had originated as one of the series' most thoroughly evil characters sacrifices himself to save the world. Redemption, tragedy, triumph: All in a day's work for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Will Penley
My favorite series finale would definitely be the long-slaved-over culmination of Clerks: The Animated Series, graciously provided to the series' creators by the wonderful network that is ABC.
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2 - El Bicho
You've left off quite a few classic endings that are legendary moments in television. Where's Newhart, St Elsewhere, The Fugitive, Howdy Doody, Mary Tyler Moore?
Nice to see OZ get a mention, but the majority of these fall into such a narrow timeframe and nerd mindset that who knows if some of your choices will be able to stand the test of time. Surely, that terrible BSG mess will long be forgotten for some bad writing that too many fans are sadly willing to overlook.
3 - Arlo J. Wiley
Well, these are totally subjective choices, and they're definitely the ones that mean the most to me.
I wouldn't really count a show like Howdy Doody on a list like this, by which I mean a show that didn't tell a story. If I did, the last episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson would've made the cut. I can't say that I'm too partial to the other shows you mentioned (I keep meaning to watch The Fugitive, though).
And as for BSG, do you mean the series as a whole or just the finale? If it's the finale, I can certainly understand where you're coming from, and I've had discussions about its arguable shortcomings, but it worked for me.
4 - Wesley Mead
Stellar choices, AJ! "Six Feet Under" is certainly a worthy number one. What a stunning 75 minutes of television.
Good to see the likes of "Arrested Development" and "Buffy", too. Personally, I'd have found room for "Frasier" and "Cheers", but I can't disagree with any of your picks here -- well, of the seven I've seen. Great stuff.
5 - Rebecca
Whenever this topic comes up, I always think of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Even if you didn't watch the series, the final episode is so brilliantly written and acted, an undeniably amazing cap to a great show. Arlo, if you've never seen that one episode, grab a box of Kleenex and give it a whirl. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll see what all the fuss is about (and probably replace something on your list, I'd replace BSG).
And kudo's for choosing "Oz" at all - totally underrated show - and "Six Feet Under" as number one. What an amazing ending.
6 - Baron
The Shield is absent. Really? It was far better than the majority, if not all, of these listed.
7 - Chris
was hoping six feet under was number 1... "wonder years" is right there though!!
8 - Rev
The Shield was by far the best series finale I have ever seen...just as their series blew the Sopranos out of the water, so did their finale...hands down.
9 - Rev
wonder years was a really good one, too.
10 - Jen
The finale of the West Wing is one of my favorites. The behind the scenes of inauguration day was cool.
11 - alastor
I'm a really emotional guy but I DO NOT cry easily. But Six Feet Under just blew me away, I cried all throughout the final montage of the deaths of all the characters. Though others say that that sequence was a bit over the top, I have to agree with you that it was fitting to end the series that way. As to its being number 1, I don't think I've watched enough shows to agree with you. :)
12 - Mike
Seriously, where was The Shield? Did the writer just not watch the show or was it just a mistake? I haven't seen a lot of these, but for as much as I enjoyed AD, The Shield's finale blows it out of the water.
13 - Mike
Newhart, Mash, Six feet Under, but what makes me mad are when networks like ABC terminate shows like Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and only LOM's will get a proper ending
14 - Terry
The Twin Peaks finale is superior to most of these. In fact, all of these are from very recent shows. Is the writer sixteen-years-old?
15 - El Bicho
Everything is subjective, but if you are going to title something the ten best, you should have some sense of history. Throw out M*A*S*H and this would be better titled "...of the Past 10 Years."
The Shield was a very good one as well. I can't remember Twin Peaks.
In regards to BSG, the final season was an absolute mess.
16 - Bonkerz
If you really want to see compelling television, check out the finale of Wonder Showzen
17 - Sara
Um, no. We're forgetting "Friends"... the way they all walked out of the apartment one last time, leaving the keys, and onto a separate and more grown-up existence... plus Ross and Rachel finally reunited. It was exactly what the fans wanted (including great comedy), and there wasn't a dry eye when that finale aired.
18 - MissLobyt
Will & Grace : The Finale. To me, it was the best finale ever. Jack & Karen are the funniest couple in the tv history and that duet was really "Unforgettable"!!!
19 - John W
I think you already mentioned my two favorite season finales: Buffy and Angel.
20 - yinzer b
I can't believe no one has mentioned "The Wire" Amazing finale for an amazing show.
21 - Dr Dreadful
My favorite TV finale was Everybody Loves Raymond, because it meant that show wouldn't be on any more.
22 - Arlo J. Wiley
Well, sorry that almost all of these are fairly recent, guys. I considered adding the finale of All in the Family, but apart from that, I can't think of very many older finales that have meant as much to me as these do.
Also, I've only seen the first season of The Wire (which I loved to pieces), and as soon as I finish that, it's on to The Shield.
23 - Johnnycakes
Good piece but this nonsense about the Sopranos finale needs to stop. Please watch the scene again, Tony is as happy as he can be. He isnt paranoid at all. Chase has all but said Tony died. It's the greatest finale in TV history.
Below is an astonishing piece on the ending. Just read Part 2 of the essay linked below to fully understand the depth and beauty of 'the Sopranos'. Actually you should read the whole the thing but Part 2 is really a moving elegy to the show.
What is most impressive is that the writer has crafted a rather exhaustive critique of the conclusion of the final episode, while also providing a larger contextual view, of which the ending is a piece.
The writer also offers an analysis of the final scene and the sequence of shots that I havent read elsewhere. The essay also contains a fascinating look at the Kevin Finnerty coma dreams, the connection between Phil and Tony in the final season and of course, the meaning of those ducks and how they relate to the final scene.
What it expresses more than anything else is that David Chase created one of the great works of art of the last century. Reading this I want to watch the whole series again.
24 - alirai
good choices in general...Six feet under was definately AMAZING.im not ashamed to admit that i wept like a baby the last three episodes of that show.
another show i'd like to mention is 'the wire' which is arguably the best hsow of all time and the finale was definately up there and extremely fitting, quite possibly the best piece of television i have ever seen.
25 - alirai
its also great to see 'freaks and geeks' get the credit it deserves, probably the most underrated and overlooked show in tv history.