She walked off into the rain, the election results of the local sheriff race were still up in the air. In another world, hundreds of young women were empowered with mystical powers and left a crater in place of a town. In yet another setting, they ended up in jail, charged with an absurd crime, but they were together. These are just some of the best and worst series finale scenarios to grace television’s airwaves in the last couple of years, and after this week’s “ER” finale, another show has joined them.
“ER” ended after a decade and a half on television, when most shows barely last more than three seasons. But either way, they have finales. Release dusted off the DVDs, grabbed the hankies and relived the good and bad finales of some of our favorite shows.
WORST:
“Veronica Mars”
The show was always on borrowed time and knew that, so the season finales were always good wrap-ups though cliffhangers. Its third and final season ended with Veronica royally screwing up her father’s bid for county sheriff by breaking into the house of her ex-boyfriend and dead best friend’s father, stealing his hard drive full of confessions from members of a secret society. She’s caught on tape and her father destroys the evidence. Veronica casts her vote for her father for sheriff and leaves the polling place, walking away in the pouring rain as the camera pulls out. A good season finale, but as a series finale? Forget about it.
WORST:
“Seinfeld”
A parade of guest stars returned as the four friends, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, stood trial for standing by — and mocking — while a man got carjacked. The gang is sentenced to a year in jail, leaving fans baffled.
WORST:
“Twin Peaks”
“Twin Peaks,” the brilliant-but-canceled brainchild of revered director David Lynch, deserved a far better ending than the one it got. Coerced into giving up its primary storyline half a season before, “Twin Peaks” stumbled weakly into its finale, a bizarre episode which resolutely avoids any semblance of closure, leaving each of its major characters stuck in mind-bending, perilous cliffhanger situations which remain unresolved to this day. The groundbreaking series — and its fans — deserved better.
BEST:
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
We’re overlooking Anya’s pointless death at the hands of a generic villain to name “Buffy’s” finale as one of the best. The potential slayer army became a true slayer army after Willow worked her magic to give them all powers. Buffy defeated The First — the first evil in the world — and in the process closed the hellhole her town, Sunnydale, was built on.
BEST:
“Newhart”
We doubt you guys know who Bob Newhart is, let alone his place in sitcom history. “Newhart” ended with the main character, played by Newhart, waking up in bed with this wife from his previous sitcom, “The Bob Newhart Show.” “Newhart” was all a bad dream of the character from “The Bob Newhart Show.” This is how you do finale dream sequences, take note, “Roseanne.”
BEST:
“Arrested Development”
A brilliant show canceled far before its time, “Arrested Development” used its finale to bring itself full circle as a series. The episode recalled the pilot in all the right ways and offered a measure of closure for each of its characters. It was a fitting — if far too early — swan song for an amazing series. However, with news of an upcoming “Arrested” movie, perhaps there is more Bluth family madness to look forward to.