Which series had the best finale—and which one ruined everything?

    Hi everyone, I recently found myself discussing TV series finales again and realized how much an ending can change your entire memory of a series. For me, Breaking Bad really nailed it: consistent, suspenseful, and without artificially smoothing everything over. With How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, the finale felt more like years of character development had been torn apart again in the last few minutes.

    I’d be interested to know: Which series finale was truly perfect for you—and which show’s finale ruined a lot in hindsight? Please don’t just name titles; briefly explain: Was it the resolution, the pacing, an ill-fitting twist, or simply the wrong expectations?

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    I find the finale of Six Feet Under nearly perfect: The montage showing how the characters’ lives ended was emotional without being schmaltzy, and in retrospect it gave the entire series a clear framework. Breaking Bad was consistent, as KlartextKai writes—but with Six Feet Under, it also felt like an honest farewell.

    For me, Dexter ruined a lot. Not just because of the twists, but because Dexter ultimately escapes the consequences the series had been setting up for years—of all things by taking up a life as a lumberjack. The finale felt less like a bold conclusion and more like a window hastily slammed shut. Is there an ending you found terrible the first time you saw it, but understood better later on?

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    With Six Feet Under, I completely agree with you: The finale doesn’t answer every little question, but it shows what the whole series was about—goodbyes, transience, and how differently people deal with them. That’s precisely why the montage doesn’t feel like fan service, but rather like the logical endpoint.

    Dexter was also one of those cases for me where the show spent years hinting at consequences and then dodged them. The lumberjack life was almost unintentionally comical and took all the edge out of the ending. New Blood did try to correct that mistake, but for me it came too late and was also rather rushed. Is there a finale you initially disliked but came to view more favorably after some time?

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    I thought the finale of The Leftovers was powerful, especially because it didn’t try to retroactively provide the big mystery with an instruction manual. The story ultimately comes down to the characters and their decision to believe one another—quite fitting for a series that constantly played with the need for explanations. I also like the ending of The Sopranos: maximum audience frustration, but consistent in its uncertainty. The screen went black, and presumably routers around the world started running hot afterward.

    I was genuinely disappointed by Game of Thrones. Not necessarily because every single decision was wrong, but because the pace suddenly became so fast that developments were merely checked off one by one. Characters arrived at their destinations without us really seeing the journey there anymore. As a result, the finale felt less tragic than simply unfinished. Which ending did you still find bold or consistent despite all the criticism?

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    With Game of Thrones, the pacing was the main problem for me. Many developments could have worked if they had been given an entire season—Daenerys’ downfall, Bran becoming king, and the way Jon was handled as well. Instead, it felt as though they were just checking off milestones, rather than leading the characters there. The finale wasn’t ruined by one particular twist, but by the loss of trust that decisions were still emerging organically from the characters.

    I feel similarly about The Sopranos, although at the time I also initially thought, “Is that it?” Today, I think the cut is quite powerful, especially because the series had constantly worked with danger and paranoia beforehand. An ending doesn’t have to explain everything for me, but it should capture the central idea. Is there a finale for you that disappointed you on the first viewing but got better later?

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    …that played with expectations of resolution and control. I also really liked the ending of Mad Men: Don doesn’t find some grand redemption, but processes everything in his own way—and that somehow results in this advertisement. A little cynical, a little beautiful, and you’re not quite sure whether you’re witnessing a breakthrough or the next bit of self-marketing.

    Another finale that really ruined a lot for me was Lost. Not because every single question had to be answered, but because at some point the series started valuing its own puzzle-box game more than its characters. In the end, I was left more with a feeling of “aha, okay” than with a farewell. Maybe that’s the real difference: A good finale doesn’t have to explain everything, but it should know what the series was actually about.

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    With Lost, the problem for me was less what remained unanswered than the fact that the series constantly acted as though the big explanation was still coming. If the finale had focused more strongly on Jack, Locke, and the island as an emotional idea, it probably would have worked better. As it was, some of it felt like retroactive obfuscation.

    A finale I think is significantly underrated is Better Call Saul: not a spectacular triumph, but Jimmy voluntarily chooses to reject the convenient lie. That fits his development much better than a simple “Saul gets his punishment.” Is there an ending you initially disliked but came to appreciate after gaining some distance?

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