Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is Top 10 Drama Series Finales! I will preface this by saying there's a few iconic drama finales like Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under that I have never seen so this is based purely on shows I have seen.
Close Calls
American Dreams "It's My Life"
The Fugitive "The Judgment"
The Good Wife "End"
A very famous finale before many shows had big finales, this one was also quite divisive as the idea that (spoiler) the whole series could have been from the mind of a boy with autism was very unexpected. I think it was a whimsical end for a show that had so many moments of whimsy.
9. Timeless "The Miracle of Christmas" (December 20, 2018)
I was a sucker for Timeless in its short two season run even though I knew it was just mindless fun. I'm so glad it got a chance to have a proper finale after it escaped death to get a second season. The final movie-length episode that aired months after the second season tied up loose ends and also had a haunting rendition of "Time After Time" playing over the final montage.
8. Damages "But You Don't Do That Anymore" (September 12, 2012)
Damages is an early prestige show I watched before I started watching more prestige show. I think it's a show that really stuck its landing. The show was always ultimately about Glenn Close and Rose Byrne's characters and their interactions with each other even when it deviated. The end game for both of their characters was very satisfying.
7. Bates Motel "The Cord" (April 24, 2017)
Bates Motel really found its groove once the Psycho timeline caught up to it and then they took things in a completely different direction. What most surprised me about the final season was how sympathetic they made Norman Bates and how his inevitable end actually elicited mixed feelings. I always am shocked at certain happy endings they allowed to happy after so much darkness.
The Americans had a very satisfying finale simply because of how much didn't happen. People expected a huge body count and tons of action. But instead, it was a very quiet and simple finale. No real winners or losers. It went out with an appropriate whimper, sort of like the Cold War.
5. The People vs. OJ Simpson "The Verdict" (April 5, 2016)
I know this was only a 10 episode limited series but it had such a perfect finale. We all knew what the verdict was going to be and yet the drama of the episode was completely engrossing. As OJ Simpson got his freedom, the show did a great job of showing us how much he still lost everything while also closing the book on the many other characters we saw in a new light.
4. The Sopranos "Made in America" (June 10, 2007)
I know this was a super controversial episode in its day. I watched it years and years later for the first time and thought it was completely fitting for the series. Maybe that's because I already knew how the final scene ended but I think an ambiguous ending is so much better than a disappointing one.
3. Parenthood "May God Bless You and Keep You Always" (January 29, 2015)
The finale of Parenthood was wonderfully done. It captured the highs and lows of the Braverman family just as the entire series had. The finale had higher highs and lower lows but it was done with sentiment and sweetness. It was equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting.
2. Mad Men "Person to Person" (May 17, 2015)
Another controversial finale that I watched several years later and found to be completely satisfying. I think the way Don Draper's story ended was completely fitting for the character. I think when a show invites so many fan theories about how it will end, it's hard to satisfy the fans. From a storytelling standpoint, this finale makes complete sense.
When you talk about shows that nail the beginning and end, Friday Night Lights is at the top of the list. It had a near perfect pilot and then ended with a near perfect finale. The finale focused on the couple that was always at the heart of the show - Coach and Tami - and their story. It all felt perfect and right and knew exactly how to bring a story to a close.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at 1995 flop The Monroes!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 Sitcom Series Finales!
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