Are these the worst series finales ever?
Of course, everything is subjective, but sometimes we nearly all agree that the ending to a certain series is a complete letdown. So much so that the rest of the series is scarred by its disappointing end. Here are a few examples.
Don't read on if you are allergic to spoilers!
The Office, US: More of the same and nothing new. The entire final season of 'The Office' US was a disappointment to many. With the last episode aired in May 2013, the TV show left our screens pretty much without any drama or anything remotely climatic. In the end, the show became good for the celebrity cameos and, well, nothing else.
The finale of this classic TV show prepared many for the disappointment that a series finale could generate for years to come. It wasn't meant to be a finale, as NBC pulled the plug before another season, and it definitely looked like that. There were so many questions unanswered - BIG questions such as who was Sam before the leap? Who developed the Quantum Leap accelerator? - and the entire final episode really made no sense. In fact, the network didn't give any time for Bellisario to end the show his way, so someone who was completely unaffiliated with the series just tacked on an ending. The ending that even spelled the main character's name wrong...
Seven seasons of Suki's on off relationship with two powerful vampires. And who does she end up with? Some random guy, very disappointing. But truth be told it lost it's edge a couple of seasons before.
On the 21st May 2012, 'House' fans were watching the final episode of the eight seasons with complete perplexity. Take everything you know about the show, then completely forget it - including the genre - and slap on an ending where the lead character fakes his own death. Not only was it utterly ridiculous when you look back at the whole storyline, but aside from that, many have asked, "how can a man with limited mobility escape a building seconds before it is engulfed in flames?" But he somehow manages it and House finally gets his happy ending with Wilson. The end.
After two years of disappearing from our screens, Line of Duty came back with a bang. The whirlwind show had everyone on the edge of their seats, being thrown between complex storylines, interesting characters and a lot of police action. Much of the season was based around who could possibly be 'The Fourth Man' AKA 'H' - and the final episode delivered that news. The underwhelming reveal meant many were disappointed in the rather obvious 'Ian Buckells' being this mystery man. But the rest of the episode lends itself for audiences to believe there could indeed be another season...
Ted Mosby spent all of nine seasons telling his children how he had met their mother and it turns out that their mother had passed away six years previously. In the end, Ted asked his children for permission to go on a date with Aunt Robin, who had divorced Barney, to which they granted. Although some people saw this as a happy ending, many others saw a deceptive and tricky ending where well-established relationships were simply thrown out.
The secret of maturing is to become a mother? According to the end of 'Girls', it would appear to be something like that. An ending that, according to many people, did not live up to the six wonderful seasons of the series.
All your favourite childhood characters end their lively, fun and family tale by ... freezing to death. That's right, Earl causes the extinction of dinosaurs and puts a very dark end to what was a lighthearted and much-loved series.
Who won the throne in the end? Neither Cersei, nor Sansa, Jon, Arya ... No. The long-awaited announcement of the true King of the Six Kingdoms was... Bran Stark. Who is not actually Bran Stark, but the Three-Eyed Raven. Eight seasons waiting for this outcome and it was poorly received by pretty much everyone. Definite competition for the finale of ‘Lost’.
Everyone expected Don Draper to end up thrown into an abyss. Even more so after having said goodbye to the women in his life Peggy, Sally and Betty. But, in the end, he ended up on a spiritual retreat where he was able to get to know himself. Not quite what we were hoping for, was it?
After six complex seasons, there were many loose ends to tie up and a great deal of unanswered questions. In the end, ‘Lost’ did not give us all the answers we needed and, to be honest, no one really quite understood the ending either. A complete shambles that is considered to be the most controversial series finale in history.
For nine seasons, 'Seinfeld' continued to be the most relevant comedy on television. Irreverent, original, daring… The show had it all, including a simply wonderful Julia Louise-Dreyfuss. How did the series end? With the main characters in jail, sharing a cell. Why? For laughing at a man. No joke.
For eight seasons, the incredible yet twisted series, Dexter, followed a psychopath with whom the public empathised. Abandoning the love of his life and his son, plus the pain of carrying so much guilt with him, fans wanted the finale to contain dramatic misery or self-sacrifice. Instead Dexter somehow manages to forget it all and end up as a hairy lumberjack in the mountains of Oregon.
Following Charlie Sheen's abrupt departure, his replacement, Ashton Kutcher, did not quite live up to fans’ expectations. In the season finale of the series, an animated version of Charlie Sheen appeared confessing that he had been crushed to death by a piano. At that moment, Chuck Lorre, the creator of the series, appears and laughs at him. Seconds later, Chuck Lorre is crushed to death by a piano.
The fade to a black screen that angered the world. The scene that left millions of people speechless. Tony, Carmela and A.J are waiting for Meadow at the restaurant. She arrives, parks and opens the car door, rings the entrance bell and Tony Soprano looks at the door. Fade to black. End of series. HBO wanted the public to interpret the ending. That was not at all appreciated.
How many endings did Prison Break have? Way too many. The first ending went like this: everyone is happy, everyone is free. The second like this: Michael Scotfield electrocuted trying to free Sarah Tancredi. Then we find out that he was not dead at all and that yet another season could be made. So frustrating.
In this case, we are talking about the end of the first season. The original. Perhaps the most frustrating ending in television history. A whole season looking for Laura Palmer's killer and just when he is being discovered, Dale Cooper is shot. Too many open ended cliffhangers to wait for until a second season.