With Battlestar Galactica and ER having recently ended, and the Scrubs finale coming up, I've been thinking about some of my favorite series finales. I've never seen the MASH finale or many of the others regularly mentioned, so I'm only talking about my favorites here.It's so rare a show gets to go out its own way, without being cut too short to get the finale it deserves (Veronica Mars) or outstaying its welcome too long to have the right impact (Friends). Battlestar certainly belongs on this list, but I'll leave off this season's finales for now.
5. Twin Peaks
Actually, this was a terrible series finale. Canceled after its second season, the multiple cliffhangers seemed more of a "screw you" to the network than any way to end the show. But I'm including it because the entire sequence inside the black lodge is easily the weirdest thing I have ever seen on TV, making Twin Peaks' final hour one of its absolute best, series finale or not.
4. Arrested Development
Another show cut down too soon, Arrested Development somehow still got the finale it would have wanted anyway. With George Sr. cleared of all charges and Michael sticking by his family (on a boat!), the series came full circle back to the pilot. But it's on this list because of all of the awesomely crazy twists. Linday's adopted! Lucille was behind everything! Annyong's a mole! And to cap it all off, Ron Howard's single line that have kept us all going since, "Maybe a movie."
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Finally, an example of a show that went out at the exact right time. Sure, Buffy had long since faded from its season 2 and 3 glory days (e.g. season 5 villainess Glory), but season 7 was just enough of a creative comeback to provide a solid lead-up to an action-packed finale. It's hard to think of a more final ending than literally going into Hell to fight Evil, destroying Sunnydale in the process. Buffy may not have answered where they would go next, but with her mission accomplished, so was the show.
2. The Office (UK)
The real series finale may be the most depressing half hour of TV I've seen, between David getting fired and Dawn rejecting Tim. But all of that just makes the Christmas special all the happier. The special additionally earns its ending with some of the series' more excruciating moments, as David milks his D-list celebrity status and creates a hilarious music video. And in the end, David finds love, Tim and Dawn get together, and best of all, David finally tells off bullying "friend" Finch. I only hope the American version can find an exit even marginally as satisfying.
1. Six Feet Under
I'll be the first to tell you Six Feet Under's final season was borderline unwatchable. But all of that is forgiven due to what may be the greatest series finale of all time. The episode contains plenty of great finale-like activity, as Nate and Brenda's baby is born and David buys back the funeral home to again be Fisher and Sons. But it's the epilogue that makes the finale stand out, as we flash ahead to everyone's deaths, ending with Claire at 103. We see how life goes on beyond the scope of a TV show, and get real closure with each character to the tune of Sia's "Breathe Me" (well before every other TV show took it. Seriously guys, SFU has dibs). Far more than a gimmick, the ending let Six Feet Under die in the most natural way possible.
