Unlike watching a movie, following a television series is usually a multi-year commitment that gives viewers a chance to bond and grow with the characters on their screens. That’s why it’s so important for the finale to give both the characters and the fans a proper sense of closure. Dramas like Breaking Bad were able to wrap up complicated storylines in satisfying ways, but not all shows were as successful.
By misjudging an audience’s connection to certain characters or taking an artistic swing that doesn’t resonate with viewers, a bad finale has the potential to undo the goodwill created, in some cases, over a decade. These are the finales that found infamy among fans who expected more from their favorite show.
10
‘Alf’ (1986–1990)
“Consider Me Gone” Season 4, Episode 24
The sitcom Alf followed the titular puppet as he learned about Earth, but the finale was nothing to laugh about. Alf (Paul Fusco) is on his way to be reunited with his own kind, being driven by the Tanners to a secret rendezvous spot agreed upon over the alien’s short-wave radio. Unfortunately, government officials also listened to the communication and were able to grab Alf before he could board the ship and fly away.
Alf being whisked away to a government facility wasn’t how anyone thought the story would end for the sitcom’s fur-covered star. To be fair, the finale wasn’t intended to be the final episode, but an unexpected cancellation caused the series to end on a less-than-cheerful note. Thankfully, a TV movie was able to smooth out the rough edges of the depressing climax, letting fans know Alf was doing just fine.
9
‘Seinfeld’ (1989–1998)
“The Finale” Season 9, Episodes 23 and 24
After nine seasons of dissecting any topic worth arguing about, Seinfeld signed off with a two-part conclusion, “The Finale.” When Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and the gang callously watch a man get carjacked without intervening, the four are arrested for violating a new Good Samaritan Law. As their trial brings out character witnesses with scathing accounts of their past deeds, the four are sent to prison in an unexpected turn of events.
How does one end a show that was proudly about nothing? Whatever the right answer may be, it definitely wasn’t to send the main characters to jail. At least that’s how fans felt when they tuned in, waiting to see how their favorite foursome would sign off after years of televised comedy dominance. High expectations made a perfect finale hard to pull off, but co-creator Larry David was able to take a second swing at the idea in Curb Your Enthusiasm with better results.
Seinfeld
- Release Date
-
1989 – 1998-00-00
- Network
-
NBC
8
‘Dexter’ (2006–2013)
“Remember the Monsters?” Season 8, Episode 12
By the time the finale for Dexter, “Remember the Monsters?” aired, fans were ready for the serial killer’s story to wrap up. The episode would see Dexter (Michael C. Hall) choose not to leave the country with his son Harrison (Jadon Wells) and Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski). Instead, Dexter would take his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) off life support and drive both of them into a hurricane on his boat to fake his own death.
Dexter had been slicing and dicing his way through the Miami underworld without police detection for years, so the finale implied the justice-driven serial killer would pay for his crimes. Avoiding death and handcuffs wasn’t one of the expected outcomes, and audiences stared puzzled at the screen while they watched the killer take up a new line of work as a lumberjack. His isolated misery could have been considered punishment, but it just seemed like Showtime was unwilling to kill a character they might want to bring back at a later date.
Dexter
- Release Date
-
2006 – 2013-00-00
- Network
-
Showtime
7
‘Quantum Leap’ (1989–1993)
“Mirror Image” Season 5, Episode 22
Quantum Leap had slowly built a loyal audience over time who looked forward to each new adventure Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) found himself in week after week. A late decision not to renew the series forced a quick epilogue in the form of a title card with disappointing news. After Sam goes on one last leap, a title card appears that says, “Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.”
Having a title card providing closure for a show is one level of disappointment, but the message on the card was so depressing that it was a step too far for viewers who stuck with the show. After seeing their hero do so much for strangers, it was disheartening to know he would never make it back to his own time. Given the options, most fans would have picked an open-ending finale over the one they received.
6
‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005–2014)
“Last Forever” Season 9, Episodes 23 and 24
Although the build-up to Ted (Josh Radnor) meeting the future mother of his children would span over nine seasons, the finale of How I Met Your Mother threw a dizzying amount of twists at the viewer over two episodes. The mother that audiences grew attached to in the ninth season, Tracey (Cristin Milioti), would die, leaving Ted’s children to encourage him to ask out Robin (Cobie Smulders), who had quickly divorced Barney (Neil Patrick Harris).
How I Met Your Mother is a painful addition to the list because the story that led up to the final episode was, for the most part, a sweet love story with a genuine heart. Unfortunately, the misdirection of who Ted’s story is really about was too much of a shift, delivered too quickly for viewers who were committed to the relationship between Ted and his future wife. Ted and Robin had their time as a couple, but to revisit it undercut the narrative that fans were much more interested in.
5
‘Roseanne’ (1998–2018)
“Into That Good Night” Season 9, Episodes 23 and 24
In a ninth season that saw the Conner family win the lottery and enjoy the luxury afforded by the winnings, Roseanne drifted further away from the grounded beginnings of the series. However, the finale reveals that winning the lottery was a story that Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) wrote to cope with life events that included the death of her husband, Dan (John Goodman).
Although Roseanne would get a chance to correct mistakes in the form of a revival, viewers who stuck with the sitcom were left with a bad taste in their mouths at the end of the initial run. The idea that many of the events they watched were nothing more than an idealized fantasy by Roseanne seemed an unnecessary grim closure. While Roseanne may have never pulled punches regarding its subject matter, it was, until the finale, a show that prioritized comedy first and foremost.
Roseanne
- Release Date
-
1988 – 2017
- Network
-
ABC
4
‘Dinosaurs’ (1991–1994)
“Changing Nature” Season 4, Episode 7
The intended series finale for Dinosaurs, “Changing Nature,” saw the Sinclair family face mortality as Earl’s (Stuart Pankin) company, WESAYSO, creates an ecological disaster. When WESAYSO inadvertently destroys a species needed to keep their ecosystem in balance, drastic measures are taken to fix the many problems that spring from the missing species. By continuing to tamper with nature, the dinosaurs bring on an ice age that is implied to kill the family after the episode ends.
Dinosaurs always had a dark sense of humor; that’s one of the reasons fans loved the show as much as they did. However, no one was expecting the show to kill the lovable puppet cast and end the show on such a downbeat note. More than a few viewers assumed something else was going to happen after the closing scene before realizing Dinoasaurs went for the boldest move possible.
3
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
“Made in America” Season 6, Episode 21
The Sopranos is a piece of game-changing television with a legion of fans, but the finale is still a sore subject among a few. The episode, “Made in America,” ends with Tony (James Gandolfini) and the family meeting at a small diner to have a family meal, looking through their menus, waiting for Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) to arrive. Tension builds as Tony eyes the different patrons with his usual suspicious gaze, the music begins to swell, and then the screen famously cuts to black.
The finale that made everyone think they didn’t pay their cable bill is still a point of heavy discussion among fans of the mob series. Was cutting to black a way of saying Tony’s selfish ways had caught up to him, and he was finally killed, or was there some deeper symbolism behind the decision? Fans may never know for sure, leaving an ambiguity to the finale that still frustrates a portion of the audience.
2
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
“The Iron Throne” Season 8, Episode 6
.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2)
The finale of Game of Thrones is the quintessential example of a finale that has soured fans on revisiting the once-beloved series. The episode, “The Iron Throne,” would see the sudden madness of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) cut short by Jon’s (Kit Harington) intervention, and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) being appointed to the Iron Throne. Jon would be sent back to the Night’s Watch, and fans were ordered to mourn what could have been.
Fandoms of any major story like to debate even the smallest details of their favorite show, but Game of Thrones accomplished the impossible with its last episode by uniting a fanbase in complete disdain for its finale. Red flags were starting to pop up as the last episode appeared on the horizon, but even the most loyal followers of the show were left with nothing to defend with a show closer that erased character development and rushed plotlines for an anticlimactic conclusion.
1
‘St. Elsewhere’ (1982–1988)
“The Last One” Season 6, Episode 22
For six seasons, St. Elsewhere was a groundbreaking medical drama that allowed viewers the chance to see both the professional and personal lives of the doctors who worked at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital. While the series was known for throwing out the occasional high-concept episode, nothing compared to the finale. The last moments of the show reveal that the hospital is inside a snow globe, and all the storylines have been in the imagination of the child who owns it.
Finding out everything that happened within the walls of the hospital was a fantasy that made some viewers feel like they had been tricked, or furthermore, mocked for caring at all. Regardless of the controversy it caused, the finale of St. Elsewhere was a bold decision that will, if nothing else, be remembered as one of the most unexpected finales to air. The legacy of the St. Elsewhere farewell lives on, as it continues to be referenced in shows such as the 30 Rock finale.