Series Finales

[Lazario]

I really haven't seen more than 5 or 6 season finales ever. My favorite finale goes to my favorite show right now, The Nanny. But it's one of those finales where no serious thoughts need be had.

But on the whole, I saw the finale of: Roseanne, Golden Girls, Beavis & Butthead, and every series of The Real World from years 1992-2000. There's nothing like a Real World finale. It doesn't run like typical show seasons, so I count each new 'season' as a separate series. My favorite Real World finale is definitely Miami (1996) because of the pathetic tragedy of the character's relationships and the dissolvement of the ideas they had for the business. But New York (1992) and New Orleans (2000) were the most joyous and anti-climactic - which a lot of people like. Boston (1997) and San Francisco (1994) were very emotional. London (1995) and Los Angeles (1993) were very nonchalant, which I loved. And the Seattle (1998) and Hawaii (1999) finales plain sucked.

[blinkfan]

Wait... Lazario liked Beavis and Butthead. I did not see that coming.But yeah Beavis and Butthead were great

[Lazario]

No, no, no - I didn't like Beavis & Butthead. I loved it. Because it was actually funny. And because I never actually knew a couple of dorks like these 2, and I went to a fairly large high school. This show actually found a way to make these characters somewhat original yet imbue them with the sensibilities of actual young people. Me, not like B&B? Did you not see the episode where they went on Rush Limbaugh???

[baalek]

Thread resurrection time! I've seen a number of series finales since I started watching tv series on dvd (the ONLY way to watch)... some good, some bad, some mediocre. I would have to rate my favorites as:


SLIGHT SPOILERS!!!



1) Angel - I dearly love this finale. Sometimes an open-ended, "here we go again!"-type ending is just the way to go, and it really works with Angel. Plus, the whole show was about the continuous nature of the battle of good vs. evil. It only stands to reason that the series would end in the midst of battle. Also, one of the GREATEST sad character deaths of all time.
2) Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars - I cheered out loud when I heard that SciFi was making a miniseries to finish Farscape. Though you have to wonder what it would have been like if they had been able to make the full 5th season, this is still a great sendoff to the series. It's not an easy ending, of course, what with the rabid character killing-off the writers had in mind for the finale, but the end is satistfying and at least somewhat happy, if tempered by some sadness. The only complaint I could come up with is, of course, that it's too short.
3) Buffy - Not as good an ending as Angel, but still mostly satisfying. There's some of the shocking character deaths that Joss is known for (no names, of course, but I was very surprised), but overall the series is given a good sendoff. Although with the Season 8 comics coming up, I suppose this isn't going to be the series finale for long.
4) Wonderfalls - Yeah, I know, this one really goes in the "should be more!" pile, but even though I wish the show had been given more of a chance by Fox, aka the Killer of Great Shows, I still love that the season finale (which turned out to be the series finale, which of course nobody even saw until the show was released on DVD) wraps up most of the plot threads from the first season and gives us what can be considered, in light of the show's untimely demise, as a happy ending (in the DVD special features the creators even mention that they wrote the finale that way on purpose as they suspected they might not get a second season).
5) M*A*S*H - Wow. Now that's an impressive finale. Not to get too in-depth with the spoilers, but this show wasn't afraid to leave the heroes somewhat worse off than they were when they arrived, and that's doubly impressive considering how long ago the show aired. Gotta admit I teared up a bit as Hawkeye was leaving in the helicopter.

Now, on to the finales I didn't like so much. These left me with a bad taste for otherwise good shows (of course, some SPOILERS on this one):
1) Firefly - Okay, so it's not really their fault, as this wasn't ever meant to be the end of the show, or even the end of the season. And, in fact, both the final episode in the DVD order ("Objects in Space") and in the filming order ("The Message") are two of my favorite episodes in the entire series, so maybe this doesn't even belong in this category. Nevertheless, what lands Firefly in the "bad ending" pool is not so much HOW it ended but merely the FACT that it ended. As I said before, neither of those episodes was meant to be an ending. Firefly should have continued on to a long and popular run as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, sci-fi shows of all time. Joss should have been lauded with praise and fame (okay, so maybe he was lauded with praise, not so much with the fame though). Of course, the previously mentioned KoGS (also known as the Fox network) was the end of all that. Thanks a lot, Fox!
2) Mad About You - As a teen in high school I used to love this show, and watched it every night in syndication. What was the great appeal to a teenage male of a sitcom about the life of a 30ish married couple? I don't know. But for some reason, I watched this religiously. While you're taking a minute to think about how disturbing that is, I'm going to harp on the crappy turn the show took during its' last couple of seasons. As much as I hate to admit it, it really jumped the shark after Jamie had a baby. But even the last few seasons were good compared to the finale (I'll post some major spoilers here, so be prepared):
Paul and Jamie find out that, due to a bizarre clerical error, they are actually NOT MARRIED and have never been married. This unfortunately is revealed at the height of an argument between them and they use the information as an excuse to split up. (I don't remember off the top of my head who got Murray in that split, but I think they got joint custody of Mabel.) The two remain bitter divorcees (sans the divorce, apparently, since they're technically not married) for many years. Fast forward a number of years in the future to learn that the entire episode has been a movie made by an adult Mabel, who apparently followed in her father's footsteps as a filmmaker. An aging Paul and Jamie are tricked into attending the premiere of Mabel's new movie at the same time, meet again, and (apparently) make up their differences.
What the crap?!?
Never mind the ridiculous plot twist of "they're not actually married, but they thought they were for years!" As an avid Joss Whedon fan, I understand the idea that interesting writing springs from NOT giving the viewers what they want, but how in the name of all that's holy do you justify ending a series which was about marriage with the dissolution of the marriage in question? The whole point of the series was that Paul and Jamie STAYED MARRIED through everything that happened to them. They had problems, sure, and it almost ended a few times but they kept it together. Perhaps the writers were trying to give the show an ironic ending and maybe they thought it would be a dramatic way to end it, but I found it very jarring and somewhat depressing. I think a better way to end the series might have been to have the couple almost break up, but find some common ground and stay together. Or would that be too cliche? In any case, I found this ending disappointing.

Okay, so I tend to like finales more than dislike them. (There are a few anime finales I could include on both lists, though.) Honorable mention for finales I liked might include the Mary Tyler Moore show (that's just a classic ending. Classic.) and Arrested Development, though that could just as easily fit into the "Untimely Killed by Fox" pile.

[Storm_Rider]

admin said:

SHOWS THAT NEEDED A PROPER FINALE: Twin Peaks, Futurama

Well they're working on a new season of Futurama, so no finale needed..yet..hurray Fry, Bender and the gang will be back..in the words of Doctor Zoidberg:wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo!

Show in need of a proper finale: Samurai Jack

[StarOpal]

baalek said:

As much as I hate to admit it, it really jumped the shark after Jamie had a baby.

One of the most common signs a show has jumped/is jumping the shark is the addition of a child or baby. The best example would probably be Brady Bunch's Cousin Oliver.

And yet they keep writing them in...

[DTH]

I concur, however, in Mad About You, as a show about a marriage, it was going to happen eventually.

What I hate most is sci-fi babies: they always end up magically growing up over night. V did it first and it was rubbish there (how come human/alien hybrids always have magical powers?), then 4400 did and that was even more rubbish.

Stupid science fiction clichés

[Spiderdancer]

Huzzah! Someone else who's seen V! We have the miniseries on two clunky VHS tapes. Way better than the new Battlestar, for my money. You're way right about the magical alien hybrid child. I really expected her to turn out evil.

And, being me, I felt really sorry for her twin. "Poor little reptile puppet. Nobody will hold him and they didn't even give him a name."

[DTH]

spiderdancer said:

"Poor little reptile puppet. Nobody will hold him and they didn't even give him a name."

I think we should name him Schubert. For no reason other than because it was the first name that came to mind.

What were the chances that I hadn't seen it? I mean, when it comes to sci-fi, I don't claim to have seen everything, however, I've seen pretty much most of it! The two most obscure sci-fi programmes I've ever seen? Jupiter Moon (a short-lived space-borne soap opera that only aired on the BSB satellite channel) and Whodunnit? (a random gimmicky murder mystery tv movie that aired over two nights with a cliffhanger so people could talk about whom they thought had done it and why).

[pfrsue]

Oh yes, V. Loved that show. Developed a slightly strange obsession with Michael Ironside from that show. Good times. Yes indeed.

Poor little Schubert.... *sigh*

[Spiderdancer]

pfrsue said:

Oh yes, V. Loved that show. Developed a slightly strange obsession with Michael Ironside from that show. Good times. Yes indeed.

Poor little Schubert.... *sigh*

I'm always amused by the scene where him and that one chick - what WAS her name? - were making out, but his jeans are so sheer you can tell he's not remotely aroused. For one thing, I'm pretty sure becoming aroused in jeans that tight would kill him.

Ah, the eighties.

[Head Mutant]

It does us much good to know you're on the lookout for such things, Spider-Girl.

[Spiderdancer]

admin said:

It does us much good to know you're on the lookout for such things, Spider-Girl.

Actually, in the context of this thread, I wish to be referred to as "Reptile Woman."

You know, you called me "girl" on the phone, too. Just because I stared intently at Michael Ironsides' denim bulgies doesn't mean I'm immature.

Oh, wait. Yes it does.