Great Series worth the effort

[gorfias]

Trying to avoid spoilers, though using the

Spoiler

thing can help...

I told a buddy I thought Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 was a huge disappointment. It took an 8 season subplot and arguably gave it short shrift.

Spoiler

Best analysis of what I think happened. Someone posited, suppose you started a series about UFOs and Aliens. The bulk of the show became about the cold war and its intrigues and is great! As the series comes to a close, you have to get back to the UFOs. They're going to get short shrift. I thought the Night King would have a deep motivation, relation to Bran, etc. Then he just turned into the spaceship from Phantom Menace. I just saw another video reminding me of how much this show turned into other things. Example: the intrigues of the Iron Bank. A creditor has all sorts of counter intuitive motivations. So interesting but dang. Night King just a simple evil guy with no motivation. Course, 3 more episodes to go

My buddy says that's why he cannot give too much attention to long running shows that should have some kind of satisfying conclusion. I think that short sighted. Off hand, I can think of a number of shows that did satisfy:

The Great:
Star Trek Next Generation: "All Good Things"
Sopranos: "Made in America"
Breaking Bad: "Felina"
Mad Men: "Person to Person"

Your favorite series with very satisfying conclusions?

 

[tippy2k2]

I shout this to the rooftops anytime a topic like this comes up but no one ever listens to me :,(

The Shield

It is not a short series (episodes are a hour long each and there were 7 seasons) but this show is absolutely brilliant. Not only is the show excellent, I feel like it has one of the best endings that has ever been made for TV. It is a show I adore and you should too damn it!

Edit: I should probably include what it is. Basically a group of cops are dirty. Like....SUPER dirty. They do some incredibly shitty things throughout the series. I don't even know if you can call them antiheroes as doing good is secondary to their dirty deeds (and usually they only "do good" like plant evidence on a guy who probably should be in jail if it benefits them). The show is not for the faint of heart but it is excellent.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm still not sure whether I consider Twin Peaks "satisfying" by the end of its third season/revival.

 

[gorfias]

I shout this to the rooftops anytime a topic like this comes up but no one ever listens to me :,(

The Shield

It is not a short series (episodes are a hour long each and there were 7 seasons) but this show is absolutely brilliant. Not only is the show excellent, I feel like it has one of the best endings that has ever been made for TV. It is a show I adore and you should too damn it!

I will have to give this a shot! Thanks for the tip

 

[Squilookle]

Colditz was alright.

Most British shows qualify as this, actually. So many fewer episodes, but consequently all the fat thrown out too, so what's left is pretty tight.

 

[Kyrian007]

I guess I have to be the one to bring up the M*A*S*H finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." The most watched television episode ever. CBS charged more for a commercial during this episode than NBC did for a superbowl spot that year. Ending a show after over 200 episodes has probably never been done so well.

 

[Hawki]

Your favorite series with very satisfying conclusions?

This is going to be stretching the definition of "favourite series," but if I think of series that fully concluded in a very satisfactory manner, I can nominate:

-Avatar: The Last Airbender
-Farscape
-Firefly
-Lost

 

[Majestic Manatee_v1legacy]

The Night Manager, if an arms dealing Hugh Laurie playing a philanthropist, an out of his depth Tom Hiddleston (Loki), an Olivia Colman doing what she does best and a Tom Hollander begging to be confused with Hiddleston by the uninitiated contains appeal. It is short and effective. It's not the size, it's how you use it.

 

[Kyrian007]

Your favorite series with very satisfying conclusions?

This is going to be stretching the definition of "favourite series," but if I think of series that fully concluded in a very satisfactory manner, I can nominate:

-Avatar: The Last Airbender
-Farscape
-Firefly
-Lost

I've only seen one of those shows... and even I see what you've done there. Don't forget the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.

 

[Agema]

I'm still not sure whether I consider Twin Peaks "satisfying" by the end of its third season/revival.

I don't think David Lynch is the sort of writer / director where the satisfaction lies in strength of conventional narrative structure. Or even any narrative structure at all.

But he's got a great oeuvre sice Eraserhead; Mulholland Drive is one of the best movies made this century, even if it will leave a lot of the audience thinking "WTF?" as it drifts further and further into swirling confusion and unreality.

* * *

I generally like plenty of British TV series; often the better ones are a little different in style to US ones, as single-season productions with 3-6 episodes of up to an hour. The aforementioned "The Night Manager" (#8) is a typical example.

I think the attraction of these can be that the creator just goes and makes it. As they're produced in entirety before airing, they can be a purer than ongoing series, which end up with re-writes and modifications to meet audience likes and cancellation threats. Things like Battlestar Galactica (reboot) and Babylon 5 were seriously messed when they were threatened with the axe, in both cases leading to a rushed penultimate season with half-arsed semi-conclusion, before ending with a garbled final season to squeeze past the botch job that they were left to overcome.

 

[Hawki]

I've only seen one of those shows... and even I see what you've done there. Don't forget the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.

Um, sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. I just chose some shows that I thought ended really solidly.

I actually didn't mind the ending of BSG, but I can appreciate why people don't like it, so it didn't make the list.

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

Sopranos: "Made in America"

From what I remember a lot of people woukd disagree.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

If we're talking about shows that had great endings, I'd suggest:

-Avatar: the Last Airbender
-Gravity Falls
-Regular Show
-Codename: Kids Next Door
-Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated



...yes, these are all cartoons, what of it?


(If Tv movies counts I'd also add:
-Hey Arnold
-Ed, Edd n' Eddy)

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm still not sure whether I consider Twin Peaks "satisfying" by the end of its third season/revival.

I don't think David Lynch is the sort of writer / director where the satisfaction lies in strength of conventional narrative structure. Or even any narrative structure at all.

But he's got a great oeuvre sice Eraserhead; Mulholland Drive is one of the best movies made this century, even if it will leave a lot of the audience thinking "WTF?" as it drifts further and further into swirling confusion and unreality.

Mulholland Dr. is, no exaggeration, my favorite movie. It used to tie with Aguirre the Wrath of God and maybe it still does (haven't seen it in a while), but Mulholland is the one I watch at least once every year.

I loved the new Twin Peaks. So I had some qualms with it, like not spending enough time with the original characters or even the title location and keeping Cooper in a fridge for 95% of the time (not that it wasn't funny and sometimes even sad), but I liked it as a new bizarro iteration, and how the show felt almost like it was changing channels in real time between characters/plots. My "problem" with the new Twin Peaks was that for a moment it fooled me into thinking the show would wrap things nicely and end on some kind of victory lap (especially after the "I am the FBI" scene). I'm mad at the finale the same way I used to be mad at the season 2 finale, which I guess was Lynch's point. But still.

 

[gorfias]

Sopranos: "Made in America"

From what I remember a lot of people woukd disagree.

I'd think because, talking to some of them, they did not get it. I'll never forget, I DVR'd it for the missus. I'm getting ready in the morning and she starts screaming for me, that apparently I'd messed up. The screen just turned black. Many seconds later, credits roll. People thought it just ended with no great changes happening. They were wrong.

Spoiler

Best explanation I've read: There is a bell on the door to the diner (for whom the bell tolls!). Every time someone enters, Tony looks up. We see his face. Then we see what Tony sees. This happens repeatedly: someone enters, doorbell rings, we see Tony's face full on, perspective changes repeatedly, showing what Tony sees. Finally, his daughter Meadow enters. The door bell rings. We see Tony's face full on. We see what Tony sees. Black. Nothing. He's dead. He's been assassinated. Possibly by the guy in the Member's Only jacket that went to the bathroom ala Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Maybe those young black men, reminiscent of the men Tony's own mother sent to kill him in Season one or two. Regardless, he's dead. I think it was David Chase that said a hint to what happens is at the start of the season. Tony's brother posits that when one gets "hit" they likely neither hear or see a thing. Tony did not see or hear a thing. Live by the sword... EDIT: Just watched another analysis: earlier, Tony's son reminds Tony that his favorite movie scene is when Michael Corleone comes out of the bathroom and kills his enemies... so, yeah, seems it was the guy in the member's only jacket

 

[Trunkage]

I shout this to the rooftops anytime a topic like this comes up but no one ever listens to me :,(

The Shield

It is not a short series (episodes are a hour long each and there were 7 seasons) but this show is absolutely brilliant. Not only is the show excellent, I feel like it has one of the best endings that has ever been made for TV. It is a show I adore and you should too damn it!

Edit: I should probably include what it is. Basically a group of cops are dirty. Like....SUPER dirty. They do some incredibly shitty things throughout the series. I don't even know if you can call them antiheroes as doing good is secondary to their dirty deeds (and usually they only "do good" like plant evidence on a guy who probably should be in jail if it benefits them). The show is not for the faint of heart but it is excellent.

Seconded. The Shield, especially the finale, was perfect. Oh Gordocki... kills me every time. It's better than Felins.
Seconded for Last Air Bender too. Since we're doing cartoons, Full Metal Alchemist, either version.
DS9 and the culmination of Gul Dukat and Dominion storylines.
Babylon 5 had a perfect send off, even with the creator turning the lights off as the station is shut down.
As long as you don't count the spin off season, Scrubs had a great finale
Also, as always, the Wire.
I liked Person of Interest finale too.

 

[gorfias]

I shout this to the rooftops anytime a topic like this comes up but no one ever listens to me :,(

The Shield

It is not a short series (episodes are a hour long each and there were 7 seasons) but this show is absolutely brilliant. Not only is the show excellent, I feel like it has one of the best endings that has ever been made for TV. It is a show I adore and you should too damn it!

Edit: I should probably include what it is. Basically a group of cops are dirty. Like....SUPER dirty. They do some incredibly shitty things throughout the series. I don't even know if you can call them antiheroes as doing good is secondary to their dirty deeds (and usually they only "do good" like plant evidence on a guy who probably should be in jail if it benefits them). The show is not for the faint of heart but it is excellent.

Seconded. The Shield, especially the finale, was perfect. Oh Gordocki... kills me every time. It's better than Felins.
Seconded for Last Air Bender too. Since we're doing cartoons, Full Metal Alchemist, either version.
DS9 and the culmination of Gul Dukat and Dominion storylines.
Babylon 5 had a perfect send off, even with the creator turning the lights off as the station is shut down.
As long as you don't count the spin off season, Scrubs had a great finale
Also, as always, the Wire.
I liked Person of Interest finale too.

Great post. Yes, without the spinoff, Scrubs was fricken incredible. Peter Gabial "Book of Love". Crap. I need a tissue.
Shield costs money to watch now but y'all got me wanting to see it now. Thanks for the tip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTVpoT82toY

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I shout this to the rooftops anytime a topic like this comes up but no one ever listens to me :,(

The Shield

It is not a short series (episodes are a hour long each and there were 7 seasons) but this show is absolutely brilliant. Not only is the show excellent, I feel like it has one of the best endings that has ever been made for TV. It is a show I adore and you should too damn it!

Edit: I should probably include what it is. Basically a group of cops are dirty. Like....SUPER dirty. They do some incredibly shitty things throughout the series. I don't even know if you can call them antiheroes as doing good is secondary to their dirty deeds (and usually they only "do good" like plant evidence on a guy who probably should be in jail if it benefits them). The show is not for the faint of heart but it is excellent.

Seconded. The Shield, especially the finale, was perfect. Oh Gordocki... kills me every time. It's better than Felins.
Seconded for Last Air Bender too. Since we're doing cartoons, Full Metal Alchemist, either version.
DS9 and the culmination of Gul Dukat and Dominion storylines.
Babylon 5 had a perfect send off, even with the creator turning the lights off as the station is shut down.
As long as you don't count the spin off season, Scrubs had a great finale
Also, as always, the Wire.
I liked Person of Interest finale too.

Babylon 5?s ?Sleeping in Light? is the yardstick by which I measure all series finales. Its fucking perfect.

 

[Kwak]

Six Feet Under.
Blackadder.
The Young Ones.

 

[gorfias]

Sadly, kind of at Agema: Was the last episode of Fleabag Season 2 the end of the series?

It was spectacular.

I want Season 3.