The stories that unfold on the small screen often rank among some of the most popular in the world. The best TV shows have a way of gripping audiences, exploring their stories and characters in depth, with narratives that evolve over their tenure on our collective screens. Successful and popular TV shows typically endure for multiple seasons, delivering several years of entertainment with their ongoing narratives. This longevity also comes with an element of risk, though, as some shows struggle to maintain consistent quality over their various seasons, with many examples throughout TV history of shows that started incredibly strong only to decline in their later years.
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However, many of the best shows only seem to get better as they go along. Some of the best TV show character arcs only work because the later seasons of a show keep their narrative going strong, facilitating some of the richest stories in the history of the medium. Among the very best shows, there are only a select few that can boast ending with a truly flawless season, delivering the best possible final chapters in their respective stories.
7) The Shield
Considered by some to be one of the best TV dramas of all time, The Shield followed the corrupt members of an LAPD strike unit. The story of crooked cop Vic Mackey proved incredibly gripping, with the show’s protagonist only getting in deeper with every passing episode. The Shield‘s final season once seemed poised to end Mackey’s story in one of two ways — with his death or his incarceration — but instead it managed to deliver one of the most incredible and organic subversive endings that felt unexpectedly satisfying.
6) Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is one of the all-time great workplace comedies. Its comedic ensemble cast and often quirky humor saw the show become a major success, running for more than 100 episodes over seven seasons. Season 7 had the unenviable task of wrapping up the respective stories of its many characters, and it did so in remarkably efficient fashion. Every loose end was tied up, running gags were paid off, and Parks and Rec managed to end on the highest possible note, cementing its legacy as one of the best comedy shows ever made.
5) The Sopranos
There have been many great gangster TV shows over the years, but none have ever truly surpassed The Sopranos. Though the final moments of the show proved relatively contentious, its final season as a whole was utterly exceptional. It felt like a perfect culmination of Tony Soprano’s story, along with a handful of well-considered subplots that helped bring the show to an excellent ending. All things considered, The Sopranos‘ final season was a perfectly executed final chapter.
4) Succession
The story of Succession proved to be one of the most gripping TV stories in recent years, following the cutthroat Roy family as they vie for control of their family entertainment conglomerate, Waystar RoyCo. Its first three seasons set up its fourth and final chapter to be an epic conclusion, and it didn’t disappoint. It subverted expectations by killing off the family patriarch, Logan Roy, just three episodes in, lending Succession‘s final episodes an apt air of chaos that perfectly capped off the dark satirical drama.
3) Mad Men
Over the course of the show’s story, Mad Men‘s protagonist Don Draper earned himself the title of one of the best TV antiheroes of all time. As the show was set in the ’60s, its final season bringing the audience into the ’70s was a perfect backdrop to Don Draper’s final outing. As well as delivering perfect endings for all of the show’s characters, Don’s final moments top off his character arc in flawless fashion, making Mad Men‘s season 7 an outstanding ending for the show.
2) Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under is occasionally overlooked, but it’s fondly remembered by others as one of the rare TV shows with a genuinely perfect ending. The series’ premise was predicated on an enthusiasm for life, expressed through the lens of a morbid fascination with death. To that end, the show’s final season brought its story to an utterly perfect end, making its final chapter one of the most fitting and emotionally satisfying in the history of television.
1) Breaking Bad
Over the course of its run, Breaking Bad featured gruesome deaths, dark story developments, and a spiral of self-destruction that seemed destined to end in tragedy. Instead of actively subverting those expectations, Breaking Bad‘s final season instead doubles down, amping up the tension and the danger until it reaches a final unforgettable crescendo. As such, Breaking Bad‘s fifth and final season is remembered as one of the best in the history of TV, bringing the show to an end that managed to devastate audiences despite having seemed inevitable since its very beginning.
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