4 years ago
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How I Met Your Mother's finale was the biggest letdown in TV history.
1. Absolutely nailed it: On Schitt's Creek, when the Rose family go their separate ways, leave their little town, and were changed for the better because of it — even the town's billboard got an upgrade.
Pop / CTV
"Schitt's Creek was wrapped up so beautifully; I would not have changed a thing."
2. Total mess: On Supernatural, when Castiel sacrificed himself after finally telling Dean he loved him.
The CW
"They buried their gays, queer baited, and were extremely cowardly with the ending. Cas deserved better. Representation matters."
3. Absolutely nailed it: On Fleabag, when Fleabag and The Priest part ways after confessing their love for each other, and she breaks the fourth wall one final time to say goodbye.
Amazon Prime Video
"I say it every time, but Fleabag. It’s heartbreaking and perfect and so, so bittersweet."
4. Total mess: On Pretty Little Liars, when it was revealed that Spencer had an evil British twin named Alex who tried to steal her identity and ruin the liars' lives once and for all.
Freeform
"There were so many unresolved questions and dead ends from previous seasons. I felt like I wasted eight years of my life after the finale, like I was enduring the longest trolling session of my life." —mcwoodyard
5. Absolutely nailed it: On Wynonna Earp, when Waverly and Nicole get married, Doc and Wynonna ride off into the sunset together to go see their daughter, and everyone gets their well-deserved "happily ever after."
Syfy
"They gave us the happy ending we wanted for everyone while keeping the door open for another season or movie."
6. Total mess: On Game of Thrones, when Jon Snow killed Daenerys, and then Bran becomes King of Westeros after eight seasons of saying he didn't want to be ruler.
HBO
"I could write a novel on what should/shouldn't have happened in the final season. I personally believe that most of the characters were not given justice to the end of their storylines. I pretty much hated everything about the ending because it was messy, not true to the characters, and they just covered up plot holes with character deaths." —octopus4747
7. Absolutely nailed it: On Parks and Recreation, when all of the flash-forwards reveal exactly what each character ends up doing, but there was still so much room for interpretation.
NBC
"Since the back half of the season had given the characters closure, the final episode had all the room to tease their next chapters."
8. Total mess: On The Undoing, when the plot twist we were waiting for never actually happened, and Jonathan admitted he really did kill Elena Alves.
HBO
"I was captivated throughout the limited series, but the 'there is no plot twist' plot twist irked me. My whole family saw the end coming. Since the show built up so much suspense to throw off the audience, it left too many unanswered questions by the end." —hiitsnicetomeetyou
9. Absolutely nailed it: On The Good Place, when Chidi leaves Eleanor with a beautiful, serene, and teary metaphor about death before leaving forever.
NBC
"The Good Place was pretty perfect from beginning to end, but the finale was absolutely perfect. I never expected a comedy show to make me so emotional and leave me thinking about the ending for days afterward. It was such a perfect way to show how much the characters grew throughout the show. None of it felt rushed, and it all felt very natural to the characters and the storyline. Truly the best series finale I’ve ever seen."
10. Total mess: On The Vampire Diaries, when Katherine came back as the queen of hell and tried to destroy all of Mystic Falls but was defeated in an less than an hour, and Stefan sacrificed himself in the process.
The CW
"The finale was so poorly done that I don't even consider it the same show as the rest of the series. It was like having Joker or Thanos defeated by a papercut. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!!" —redwulfgirl
11. Absolutely nailed it: On The Office, when the entire cast reunites one year after the documentary finished, and they reflect on just how much Dunder Mifflin changed them for the better.
NBC
"I love this episode! I love how everyone came back together one year after the documentary was filmed!"
12. Total mess: On The 100, Clarke killed Bellamy for basically no reason after six entire seasons of building up their friendship.
The CW
"The entire last season was a mess, but the absolute worst part was Clarke killing Bellamy for no reason. The showrunner went out of his way to destroy six years of buildup, seemingly out of spite." —emme212
13. Absolutely nailed it: On Superstore, when the store closes to become a fulfillment center, Amy comes back to (unsuccessfully) save the store, and finally, the entire crew moves on and lives out their happy endings.
NBC
"An incredibly satisfying ending ESPECIALLY considering the circumstances surrounding its final season — the departure of America Ferrera (who fortunately returned to wrap things up perfectly in the last two episodes) and COVID severely interrupting filming/production. The writers/showrunners still managed to incorporate all of those things into the script and give us a prompt but not rushed, emotionally satisfying ending. It showed the growth of all of the characters and their next steps in life. Excellent."
14. Total mess: On Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, when Sabrina sacrificed herself to save the world, and Nick died by suicide just so he could reunite with her in the afterlife.
Netflix
"The final season was such an unorganized mess; they tried to fit way too much in. It needed a lot of editing. I also thought Nick dying and staying with Sabrina in the afterlife was such a cheap shot. I wished they'd just let her be at peace; she seemed totally content. Nick showed up for no reason at all. It made no sense to me." —samanthab46fff2ef7
15. Absolutely nailed it: On Community, when Jeff finally comes to terms with his friends leaving to embark on new exciting adventures, and he realizes he wants to stay at the school he spent years trying to get away from.
NBC
"The series had gone through so much change and HAD to come to an end, but anyone who is a fan of it obviously didn’t want that. Having the audience 'be' Jeff realizing that they would have to really stretch to have a Season 7, to showing Abed and Annie branching out and moving on with their lives, to Jeff finally being OK with staying at the school he was so ready to leave, it was definitely one of the best finales I have EVER seen."
—bc13
16. Total mess: On How I Met Your Mother, when we finally got to meet the mother after nine seasons, only for her to be killed off so Ted could marry Robin.
CBS
"There was a beautiful ending right at their fingertips if they would have ended the series with the mother’s death. The moral of the story (told to the children) would have been how all the bad dates, messy breakups, bad choices, and silly shenanigans were needed and worth it, in order to meet the love of his life. That would have made for a beautiful and impactful ending to a sometimes silly coming-of-age story. Instead, they chose the basic, illogical, and disappointing ending." —mce7011
17. Absolutely nailed it: On Pose, when Pray gives up his own meds and dies so his ex, Ricky, can live, and then Blanca shares Pray's words of wisdom to a new generation who's trying to find their footing in the ballroom scene.
FX
"God, I cried so much."
18. Total mess: On Veronica Mars, when Veronica finally married Logan, the love of her life, only for him to get killed in a car explosion a few hours later.
Hulu
"That ending ruined the entire overarching love story of the series, and destroyed the character development both Veronica and Logan had gone through. It was a slap in the face to fans who had been with the franchise for years. The fan-funded movie reboot left everything on a great note, so I expected the TV reboot to have some downturns, but that ending was unconscionable and made the show almost unwatchable. Whoever decided on that ending should be genuinely ashamed of themselves as a storyteller."
19. Absolutely nailed it: On Friday Night Lights, when Tami and Coach Taylor walk off the field together one last time after finally moving to Philadelphia.
NBC
20. Total mess: On Gossip Girl, when Dan revealed he was Gossip Girl, and everyone ended up forgiving him for ruining their lives.
The CW
"How could they forgive Dan after they found out that he was Gossip Girl?!" —nilmetiner
21. Absolutely nailed it: On Six Feet Under, when we flash-forward to see just how the entire Fisher family lived out their lives and come full circle when they all eventually die.
HBO
"Hands down the best. It's beautifully shot and explained what happened to the characters (both good and bad). It was jaw-dropping."
22. Total mess: On The Originals, when Klaus decided to sacrifice himself to save his daughter, Hope, and Elijah didn't want to let his brother die alone, so they killed each other.
The CW
"I know my boys Elijah and Klaus did not shank themselves for Hope to be weak in Legacies." —clumsyfoo94
23. Absolutely nailed it: On Mad Men, when Don Draper smiles while meditating on a mountaintop, and you originally think it was because he's finally found peace, but then you realize it was because he came up with the concept for a new Coke commercial.
AMC
"While the last season was not quite as well executed as some of the earlier ones, the series alluding to Don thinking of the famous 'Buy the World a Coke' ad while at the retreat is SO brilliant and bittersweet. Aside from the fact that it's not made clear whether this is actually Don's ad and he has returned to NY, you have to wonder whether Don has captured something pure and true through an emotional breakthrough, or if it's another money grab that just exploits the new generation's desire for peace and love! (Can it be both?)"
24. Total mess: On Lost, when all the characters were assumed to have died and reunited at a church in purgatory.
ABC
"I think anyone who watched Lost while it aired can agree that their finale was a total dumpster fire. Fans guessed the ending, and the creators promised that it would end differently, but no..." —merrishaniquab
25. Absolutely nailed it: On The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when the Banks family moves to the East Coast to remain close, but Will decides to stay in California to finish school...then Carlton realizes everyone left without him.
NBC
"The final episode actually had me close to crying; then they played one final joke, and I went from sad to laughing my ass off."
26. Total mess: On Bones, when the lab explodes and causes Brennan to forget how to do her job, but they still have to solve a case.
Fox
"It was such a weird finale: The lab blows up, Bones can't remember medical facts anymore, and they still have a case to solve. It was just way too much, and I felt a little let down after the finale." —monikap6
27. Absolutely nailed it: On Scrubs, when J.D. decides to take a new job so he can be closer to his son, and as he leaves, he says his goodbyes to every single person who'd left an impact on him.
NBC
"Reminiscing about the past and a touching tribute to memorable characters through the seasons, then a heartbreakingly beautiful peek into a possible future. It will always be one of the best TV show finales ever in my opinion. Just beautiful!"
Note: Yes, I know there's technically another season after this one, but I still consider this episode a true series finale.
28. Total mess: On The Sopranos, when Tony, Carmela, and AJ were at a diner waiting for Meadow. Then, a mysterious-looking guy walked into the diner, Meadow entered, a bell rang, Tony looked up, and the series just ended.
HBO
"I stared blankly at the screen for so long after the finale aired. I’ve come to appreciate the ending after all these years, but it still devastated me at the time. I felt like I’d been so invested in the show, and to just end it like that with zero closure was frustrating." —broadwaybby
29. Absolutely nailed it: On The Americans, when Philip and Elizabeth's cover is finally blown and the FBI is after them, and then they leave their children behind and start a new life in Moscow.
FX
"It ended at the right time, and it was done so well. The way the things ended with their kids, too? Perfect and heartbreaking. It was the ending you kind of hoped for with these characters, and it was just the perfect finish for a perfect show."
30. Total mess: On Friends, when Rachel got off the plane and gave up her dream job to be with Ross, and then got some coffee right before everyone was about to go their separate ways.
NBC
"Something just felt off about the ending, specifically the finale — the whole last season just didn’t feel right." —amorman
31. Absolutely nailed it: And finally, on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when Jake, Amy, and Captain Holt all move on from the 99th Precinct, and the show ends the only way it possibly could...with one last heist.
NBC
"The final season was a bit shaky, but that last episode was so perfect. What better way to end than on a heist? We got so many memorable callbacks, and some of our favorite guest stars showed up. Everyone in the squad ended exactly where they needed to be. And Holt told Jake he was proud of him! It was magical."
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