Best series finales

[BYH]

I'll second MTM, but I'll also put in a word for "Raymond's" understated ending. No huge show, they stayed pretty true to what they had been, then faded out with the characters all gathered around the table, eating and talking. Nice, understated finish.

That's a great call. It also displayed a little bit of heart at the beginning of the finale, when Ray took longer than expected to come out of the anethesia. Frank freaking out was a nice touch on a show in which it was often difficult to figure out if the family actually cared for one another.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

The birth of the wriggling larval cocoon in The Fly (1986 version) was horrifying.

There was talk a few years ago of an V-sequel NBC miniseries by the original creators.

 

[Huggy]

What was the series finale for Quincy? Or did it not have one?

Quincy and Sam had to open the dead guy up again.

 

[ballscribe]

Agreed on NYPD Blue. Started out as a must-see, lost track with all the cast and producer changes and hiatuses (hiatii?), but somehow despite all that it managed to stay pretty high-quality right to the end. As we've seen from many other long-running shows that jumped the shark at some point, that's extremely rare.

The finale was beautifully understated. No matter how many changes, how many cops rolled through the precinct, life goes on and there's a job to do.

 

[Write-brained]

I'd really like to see an ER series finale. That show was great a decade ago, loved it when Omar Eppes walked in front of the train ... but it lost its originality years ago.

 

[Tom Petty]

I'd really like to see an ER series finale. That show was great a decade ago, loved it when Omar Eppes walked in front of the train ... but it lost its originality years ago.

sorry, but i pushed the ignore button on ER years ago.

 

[casty33]

I would watch it only if Juliana Margulies came back.

 

[Write-brained]

I'd really like to see an ER series finale. That show was great a decade ago, loved it when Omar Eppes walked in front of the train ... but it lost its originality years ago.

sorry, but i pushed the ignore button on ER years ago.

Ooh, let me clarify me original post. I'd really like to see, but not watch, an ER series finale. ;D

 

[Tom Petty]

I would watch it only if Juliana Margulies came back.

naked.

 

[DanOregon]

I watched one episode this year (CBS was in re-runs) and it was like who are all these people?

 

[Tom Petty]

I watched one episode this year (CBS was in re-runs) and it was like who are all these people?

they are the "back when it was a good show folks" dan.

 

[Freelance Hack]

Concur with the majority on Newhart as the greatest ever. Also, on the West Wing needing a second hour for its touching, poignant sendoff.

Hated, hated, hated the Seinfeld conclusion.

Another touching one was "Life Goes On" where Becca's reading the story to her child, whom she named after Chad Lowe's character.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

The Fugitive. How long had the one-armed man been waiting for a chance to strut his stuff? I love the twitching cowardice the JD Cannon brought to his silent witness of Mrs Kimble.

The second last episode of Carson trumped the last. Not by much tho' and I'm not a fan of the Divine Miss M or Robin Williams particularly.

I always wished **** Van Dyke had a finale (the last episode to air was a dream deal with cowboy villian Bid Bad Brady -- Jerry Helper had put Rob to sleep in the dentist chair, very lame). Wished that Columbo and Rockford had a proper send off. As a kid, Lost in Space coulda used one, I thought.


And I loved the last episode of Seinfeld.

YHS, etc