Name a TV show that ended just right.

[tigermilk]

My choice would be Blackadder. 4 seasons of some of the best quality comedy ever seen on TV. It started off funny and only ever got funnier; and even after all the jokes the end scene was one of the most moving I have ever seen.

It is just a real shame about all the one offs that followed Blackadder Goes Fourth that cheapened it and took the edge of the incredibly moving ending (I'm lookng at you Blackadders Xmas Carol).

OT: I heard the end of Roseanne beautifully dealt with loss and issues of mental health when it tanspires the rather tacky ninth season where the family win the lottery and fulfil all their dreams is in fact a dream as Roseanne drifts into a fantasy world as she can't cope with her husbands death from a heart attack.

Honourable mention also to every British sitcom and drama that didn't outstay its welcome.

 

[tigermilk]

Six Feet Under

couldn't have asked for a better ending to that show

Seconded, though I guess I don't have that many shows to compare it to since I usually give up on them before ending. Maybe when Dexter ends (Or has it already? We've only got 3 seasons where I live).

Apologies if I am the millionth person to quote this. Dexter has run for five seasons so far and the sixth was confirmed for this October.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I agree with what other people have said about Scrubs. It ended perfectly, and is probably my favorite show of all time. The scene right before this one, with him walking down the hallway, was really really good too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aekVGeBwKI4

Also, I've always considered the "9th season" to be a spin-off, so I actually enjoyed it, since I didn't try to compare it to the original, and just judged it on its own merits.

I also considered the "9th season" of Scrubs to be a spin-off. Heck, when they do the X-Ray pass off thing for the intro of the 9th, it says Scrubs but in the bottom right corner in brackets it says [Med School].

A good comparison would be MASH, it had 11 wonderful seasons, then after it went off the air, there was a spin off show called After MASH. It dealt with three of the characters from MASH and of course played by the same actors.

Synopsis: The Korean War has ended. Colonel Potter, Sergeant Klinger, and Father Mulcahy find themselves together once again, this time at a veteran's hospital.

Though it was a little more successful than Scrubs' [Med School], because After MASH had one and a half seasons at 29 episodes. I thought it was great as well.

 

[smeghead25]

There are a few I would say.

Persoanlly I loved the show Life more than any other show out there, and the fact that they were given notice before their final episode allowed them to write an incredibly satisfying finale (fittingly titled 'One') that cleared up all the necessary over-arching plot details. I have never lost control before, but I was laughing like made and yelling "YES YES YES YYEEEEESSS!" when Nevikov got his comeuppance.

The Brit's Life on Mars as well had a pretty good ending. And while the USA version was shittier than the lifestyle of the dung beetle, the ending was certainly... interesting. Though it really did prove my point that America should never remake a British show because apparently they're incapable of using any form of subtlety (The Office's humour, Red Dwarf, Being Human...) and not ham-fistedly taking something 100% literally. (Writer #1: "How should we end the show?" Writer #2: "It's called Life On Mars. Obviously it has to have something to do with MARS. Duh. It's not like it was called that to subtley insinuate that Sam Tyler felt like he was on an alien planet and felt very lonely and isolated...")

OH and Eli Stone. That was also a brilliant but sadly underrated show...

 

[Baby Tea]

I only read through the first page, so I'm not sure if these have been said or not:

First, light heartedly: Seinfeld.
They were at their peak of popularity, everyone watched and loved that show (Pretty much), the actors were raking in the millions, and Jerry said 'This is a good place to end it'. And you know what? I loved that. There are so many sitcoms where you can say "Well, the first couple seasons were awesome, but it went down hill the last 2 or 3." You can't say that with Seinfeld. The series was hilarious, and since it ended at peak popularity, all the fans only speak fondly of it.

Bravo, Mr Seinfeld. Well played.

Also: The Shield.
If you haven't seen this show, it's 10 seasons of one of the best cop dramas I've ever seen. And the ending is awesome. I'm certainly not going to go into detail for those who might be inclined to get into it, but it's one of those endings that's all at once depressing, all at once fitting, and just 'unperfect' enough to be really memorable. The last 2 or 3 episodes were fantastic.

You like cop dramas? Go get 'The Shield'. You owe it to yourself to watch it.

 

[JUSTINtimeforalaugh]

I would love to say Scrubs, but then they made Season 9 -_-

I agree, but even Bill Lawrence doesn't count it as an actually season. More like a spin-off.

 

[Jon Shannow]

The Wire, just felt like a good ending to me and Rome.
But the Sapranos, just no

 

[baddude1337]

Stargate SG1, Battlestar Galactica, Blackadder, One Foot in the Grave, The Shield, Hornblower, Taken (from what I remember of it anyway).

On the flip side, some of the worse I've seen are The Sopranos and the Sarah Connor Chronicles.

 

[Grayfayce]

Ashes to Ashes. Most of those outside of the UK probably never watched all three seasons of the Life on Mars spin-off, but it became better and better as the show went on. And it all culminated in a stunningly good finale.

 

[shwnbob]

Pretty much every single season of digimon. And Scrubs.

 

[zaly]

Personally I thought these shows ended just right:
- Lost (provided answers to most questions and gave a very emotional and satisfying ending to the characters)
- The Shield (an example of an open ended ending done right as opposed to the Sopranos - there is a lots of closure but also the sense that the lives of the characters will continue)
- Firefly (if you count Serenity)
- Buffy (if you disregard the comics)
- Angel (pretty much a perfect ending to the show)
- Heroes (yes technically it was cancelled and ended on a cliffhanger but somehow the cliffhanger actually worked as a "new beginning" type ending)
- Battlestar Galactica (there admittedly are a couple of things I didnt like - but the overall ending was exactly as it should be)
- Life On Mars/ Ashes To Ashes - both endings were pretty much perfect and whilst both being different make sense and don't contradict each other)

And now a couple that didn't:
- The Sopranos (if I have to read an essay on the internet to understand the meaning of the last scene in my opinion it isn't a good ending)
- Dollhouse (I know some people liked the ending to Dollhouse on this thread but personally I wasn't to keen - the future stuff could have been good but it just felt rushed- I would have preferred it to have not bothered and just stayed in present times)
- 24 (as much as I really like 24 the ending is terrible - it feels as if its been cancelled as it doesn't provide any closure - it basically ends on a cliffhanger - the endings to seasons 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 all provided better endings with the possibility of ending the show)

 

[thest3alth]

Battlestar Galactica. Loved the whole starting anew without building a city. The way characters had been developed so well throughout the series reflected on the ending, and it was so emotional to watch them all go their separate ways. I can't even tell whether it was a victorious, happy, peaceful ending, or a sad, lonely ending (especially for Adama and Apollo).

 

[Ragsnstitches]

EDIT: Wrong topic derp.

 

[Nuclear Pancake]

Blackadder for definate.

 

[IsraelRocks]

Babylon 5
Star trek : DS 9

 

[ZEBSER]

Doc Martin was funny to the very end.

 

[TheSnesDuckling]

Freaks and geeks.

 

[Adultism]

I'd have to say scrubs, I really liked Azumanga's ending (The anime) I also liked the first season of black butler ending (anime) I dunno though, I don't watch too much TV

I thought that the UK version of Skins had a good ending.

 

[tzimize]

In these forums I've seen a few threads about TV shows that either died before their time or have long since lost their magic, but I don't think I've seen any for shows that got it spot on. That kept us all entertained for long enough but didn't outstay their welcome, and also managed to sign off without some cop out ending that everyone hated. So if you think you have one, name it.

My choice would be Blackadder. 4 seasons of some of the best quality comedy ever seen on TV. It started off funny and only ever got funnier; and even after all the jokes the end scene was one of the most moving I have ever seen. I don't say this about many things, but it was, in my opinion, perfect. (There's also the fact that Blackadder was one of the two main shows that launched Hugh Laurie's career, so without Blackadder there may never have been a House, which is probably the best thing still on TV).

Agree about Blackadder.

I havent finished Babylon 5 yet, but it doest surprise me as the series is one of few TV series that was planned from beginning to end before they made it.

I also think 3rd rock from the sun ended pretty cool.

 

[castlewise]

Avatar: The Last Airbender has one of the better endings, and overall story arcs, that I have seen. The writers had a lot of discipline, especially towards the end.