greatest finales
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Greatest Series Finales: LOST Ep 6.17/18 “The End” wasn’t perfect, but made its final moments count
LOST, Season 6, Episode 18: “The End” Written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse Directed by Jack Bender Aired 5/23/2010 on ABC It’s been three years since the LOST finale aired – but people are still bitter, given the Twitter reaction over the Breaking Bad series finale, which saw “The End” detractors flinging turds at Lindelof for no apparent […] More
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Greatest Series Finales: Friday Night Lights’ “Always” is a beautiful exploration of family
Friday Night Lights had a unique journey, to say the least. Based on the novel of the same name, which was adapted into a film first, the series premiered in 2007 on NBC to critical praise but didn’t manage to find a significant audience. NBC supported the series, bringing it back for a truncated season two (courtesy of the Writers Strike), but season three seemed unlikely to happen until NBC worked out a deal with DirecTV to cost-share the series, renewing it for season three, and then in one fell swoop, four and five. Because of this rocky road, the creators actually ended up crafting three separate episodes intended to function as series finales, season one’s “State”, season three’s “Tomorrow Blues”, and season five’s “Always”. Many series struggle to create a meaningful series finale. Jason Katims and the Friday Night Lights team made three. More
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Greatest Series Finales: The Office (UK)’s Christmas Special provides closure without sacrificing authenticity
The Office (UK) Christmas Special Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant Aired December 26th and 27th, 2003 on BBC One Before Americans swooned over Jim and Pam, viewers in the UK fell in love with The Office’s Tim and Dawn, laughed at the decidedly odd Gareth, and cringed at the odious David […] More
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Greatest Series Finales: Angel’s “Not Fade Away” is one of the best, most underappreciated finales ever made
There is a preconception in parts of Hollywood and America in general that shows one might call “genre”, shows set in a different time period (other than ‘60s, apparently) or featuring actors in billowy coats or, heaven forbid, prostheses are somehow inherently less than their more traditional peers. They can be fun, sure, but they’re not really art and admissions of watching them should be made only in hushed, somewhat embarrassed tones. More
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Greatest Series Finales: Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Chosen” brings Buffy’s seven-season saga to a bittersweet close
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 7, Episode 22, “Chosen” Written by Joss Whedon Directed by Joss Whedon Aired May 20th, 2003 on UPN After seven seasons of vampire slayage, rocket launchers, finicky hellmouths, heroes being hero-y, villains being evil, tragic deaths, hopeful redemptions, heartbreaking relationships, touching friendships, and an endless supply of emotional character […] More
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Greatest Series Finales: Blackadder’s “Goodbyeee” a masterpiece of blackly comic satire
Blackadder Goes Forth, Episode 6, “Goodbyeee” Written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton Directed by Richard Boden Aired November 2nd, 1989 on BBC One Blackadder ran for four series in the ‘80s, following the exploits of various members of the Blackadder line throughout history, first a prince during the War of the Roses, then a […] More
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Greatest Series Finales: Quantum Leap’s “Mirror Image” a beautiful, metaphysical swan song
For a few years in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Quantum Leap was the rarest of genre series- a sci-fi procedural with good ratings that was well received by critics, and actually got nominated for (and won) Golden Globe and Emmy awards. Crazy. It’s overlooked by many younger genre fans today, but Quantum Leap was a fun, interesting, and influential show – and it also has one of the most controversial final moments of genre television. What often gets lost when discussing those memorable words, “Dr. Sam Becket never returned home.” is just how great of a finale “Mirror Image” really is. More