The nature of TV storytelling makes nailing an ending much harder than one might suspect. Many successful TV shows run for years – and, in some cases, decades – allowing them time to expand their stories and evolve characters along the way. However, others are cut tragically short, with some TV shows forced to end on annoying cliffhangers due to being prematurely canceled. While some shows run for too long and outstay their welcome, others aren’t given enough time at all. Rarely, though, a show seems to end at the perfect moment or in the perfect way, delivering a hugely satisfying conclusion to a journey that spanned multiple years for its audience.
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Getting the perfect ending is a complex matter, particuarly as the nature of most TV shows requires multiple loose ends to be tied up at once. Delivering a satisfying and timely conclusion may not be simple, but it is possible, as several shows have achieved the feat. Some always seemed destined to end with a perfect thematic flourish, while others were creatively written to give their characters the best possible ending, but the following shows all managed to pull off an exceptional finale.
1) Superstore
Superstore is one of the most underrated TV sitcoms of recent years, with its big box store setting making for excellent workplace comedy and organic moments of drama that mirrored real-world events. Its large ensemble cast, made up of the employees of the fictional Cloud 9 store in St. Louis, featured a diverse cast of characters brought together through chance, and who continually battled against the odds to keep their store open while contending with corporate greed and professional challenges.
The show’s finale came in its sixth season, which was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic and announced to be its last ahead of its release. It saw the pressures of the pandemic reflect on the employees and business of Cloud 9, ultimately ending with the store’s closure. It’s a rare finale that managed to be sentimentally nostalgic, deeply funny, and incredibly satisfying, tying up numerous loose ends and offering a glimpse into the futures of its characters.
2) Friends
Initially airing between 1994 and 2004, Friends is arguably the most successful and influential sitcom of all time. As well as establishing a core cast of six close friends, Friends featured countless great guest stars, going on to become a key part of pop culture and following its characters as they blossomed from twenty-somethings to thirty-somethings, navigating marriage and parenthood alongside their continued friendship. Friends ended with season 10 in 2004, delivering one of the most-watched finales in TV history.
The final episode of Friends saw its characters finally go their separate ways. Rachel and Ross ended up together after the former was seemingly set to leave for her dream job in Paris, Monica and Chandler were finally able to become parents to twins, Phoebe found herself happily married to Mike, and Joey had made his peace with his friends all moving on with their lives. It was a bittersweet moment that delivered exactly what Friends fans needed: an emotional but ultimately happy farewell to characters that had become an utterly iconic part of sitcom history.
3) The Good Place
The Good Place took a unique premise and ran with it, delivering various shocking twists and turns all while maintaining its profile as a light-hearted comedy series. Its story follows the recently deceased Eleanor, who finds herself in the supposedly heavenly afterlife known as the Good Place. However, she later learns that the Good Place was actually the Bad Place all along, prompting a journey of growth and self-discovery over the show’s four-season run.
After the shocking reveal at the end of season one, The Good Place only continued to expand upon its ideas. This resulted in a season four finale that felt an organic development of its original premise, while also tying up various loose ends and giving its characters a definitive ending. Many cite The Good Place‘s ending as one of the most satisfying in TV history, thanks to it coming at the perfect time and giving its characters the ending they deserved.
4) New Girl
Though it may not often be considered among the most successful sitcoms of all time, New Girl‘s popularity should not be overlooked. The show grew to become one of the most-watched sitcoms of its time, running for seven seasons before ending in 2018. Its ensemble cast was led by Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, the titular new girl in the shared Los Angeles loft of three male friends. It follows her blossoming friendship (and later romance) with her roommates, as well as all of their respective lives over the course of the show.
New Girl‘s ending gave its characters a perfect ending. It showed them having one last great time together before all moving on, only to jump ahead to briefly give viewers a glimpse at their futures. Seeing the friends all remaining in each other’s lives and maintain their close bond despite living apart was touching, and made a refreshing change from many other shows’ more definitive endings. It painted the show as just one chapter in its characters’ lives, and though New Girl may return with a revival, its original run ended things on a perfect note.
5) Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars proved to be so popular that many believe some Star Wars characters are better in animation than live-action. Set between the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars significantly expanded upon the prequel trilogy, introducing new characters and giving existing figures in the franchise more attention. The show ran for seven seasons spanning a total of 12 years, with its finale, “Victory and Death”, released in 2020.
Though it may have been a long time coming, The Clone Wars‘ finale did not disappoint. It’s often considered not just one of the best Star Wars moments, but one of the best TV endings of all time. It’s beautifully animated, powerfully written, and delivers an emotional conclusion to the series that is fittingly epic. Ending a show in a way that leaves the story open for pre-existing movies was never going to be easy, but The Clone Wars absolutely stuck the landing in the best possible way.
6) Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy delivered one of the most immersive crime dramas in modern television. Many argued that its quality was inconsistent, leading to speculation that its final season would be disappointing. The show followed Jax Teller, the vice president of the founding chapter of the titular motorcycle club, and his clubmates as they navigate increasing pressure from law enforcement to end their outlaw criminal ways. The show ran for seven seasons, coming to an end in 2014.
Sons of Anarchy brought its story to a conclusion at an appropriate moment, as it could never have continued indefinitely. Having seen so many of his friends and loved ones lose their lives and freedom, Jax’s decision to try to break the cycle makes for a poetic and emotional ending. It’s a finale that brings the show’s story to a natural conclusion, and manages to be devastating, organic, and sadly fitting.
7) Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle built its success on the subversion of several common sitcom tropes. Its central family was introduced as beyond dysfunctional, and they were made lovable in spite of their countless faults. The show followed Malcolm from the discovery of his genius-level intellect through to his high school graduation, running for a total of seven seasons consisting of a total of 151 episodes.
Having followed Malcolm and his family’s journey for seven years, the show’s conclusion needed to end things on the perfect note. Malcolm in the Middle‘s finale wasn’t overly emotional or bittersweet: it was simply a reinforcement of all the ideas that had made the show great all along. It sets up Malcolm’s bright future while also doubling down on the deep-seated dysfunction within the family, firmly establishing their unique but touching form of love for one another. It’s an ending that was perfectly in line with the spirit of the show, and one that came at just the right moment.
8) Parks and Recreation
Just as an awful finale can ruin a TV show, a great one can completely enhance the experience of watching it. Parks and Recreation‘s ending was certainly the latter, as it came about at the end of a successful seven season run and a total of 125 episodes. Its mockumentary style and excellent ensemble cast contributed massively to both its success and the rise of multiple major stars, with Parks and Rec often cited as one of the best comedy TV shows of modern times.
Its ending was perfectly executed, as it gave every character a definitive ending. Parks and Rec finished with a series of flashforward scenes depicting the futures of its characters, establishing all the ways their respective lives panned out in the years that followed their time working together. It was an ending that managed to be deeply funny while also delivering some memorable emotional beats, bringing an exceptional show to a truly perfect ending.
9) Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under is a show that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, as despite being considered one of the best-loved TV series of all time, it’s rarely mentioned outside of its loyal circle of dedicated fans. Its story followed the Fisher family as they run a funeral home in Los Angeles, and ran for 63 episodes over five seasons. It came to an end in 2005, and its finale is commonly considered one of the best TV show endings ever.
While every other episode of Six Feet Under begins with a death, its finale instead starts with a birth. It’s a subversive start to an episode that manages to deliver on the narrative symbolism that always made the show great while also offering a fitting level of finality to proceedings. Its final montage depicting how each of its characters will eventually die was an especially clever touch, and one that managed to build upon the show’s theme of death without ever descending into morbidity.
10) Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is so much more than just a good TV show with a great ending. It’s a show that almost immediately earned a reputation as one of the most exciting and intriguing crime dramas, bolstered as it was by incredible performances from its unbelievably talented cast. However, five seasons of considerable build-up led to a finale for which expectations were remarkably high. Thankfully, Breaking Bad delivered in the best possible way.
Breaking Bad‘s final episode, “Felina”, manages to carry the show’s intense narrative momentum into an inevitably violent ending. It’s the end that audiences knew must be coming, but delivered in a way that felt appropriate, confronting, and satisfying while also being incredibly emotional. In a thematic and narrative sense, Breaking Bad‘s ending was absolutely note perfect, earning it a reputation as perhaps the greatest TV show ending of all time.
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