15 Series Finales In 2019, Graded

As we bid adieu to 2019, we're not just saying goodbye to the decade, but also to a slew of long-running series that helped define it.

Having already taken stock of the 100+ TV shows that ended in 2019 (some of which were outright cancelled), we are now taking a moment to reflect upon the series finales from this calendar year that left a lasting impression on us — for better or for worse.

TRANSPARENT

Amazon's dysfunctional-family dramedy said goodbye with a musical wrap-up movie that was messy and exhilarating, insightful yet bizarre... a lot like Transparent's entire run, actually. We didn't miss Jeffrey Tambor at all, as the Pfefferman family struggled to process the sudden death of matriarch Maura, and Judith Light soared as Shelly found her voice by staging a musical based on her family. (The original songs were pretty catchy, too.) The final number, with dozens of colorfully dressed revelers dancing in the woods and calling for a "Joy-ocaust," was the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it moment... and we kind of loved it.

GRADE: B

YOU'RE THE WORST

We still don't know how we didn't see the conclusion of Jimmy and Gretchen's courtship coming — they ditched their own wedding and made a pact to decide each morning if they want to stay together — but it was a perfectly poetic ending to FXX's gloriously crude hipster rom-com. (That poignant and hilarious final scene of them hashing out their pact in a diner booth was an all-timer.) Throw in a few huge laughs like Lindsay's song about all the dudes she's, um, known and a surprisingly moving montage that revealed where the whole gang ended up, and we're raising a big glass of Trash Juice to toast this one.

GRADE: A-

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VEEP

Selina Meyer's farewell was anything but a lame duck: A mad scramble for presidential delegates led to plenty of plot twists, F-bombs and Jonah ridiculousness — along with an unexpectedly emotional moment that hit like a ton of bricks, when Selina let the unfailingly loyal Gary take the fall for the Meyer Fund scandal. (It was risky for a show as ruthlessly funny as Veep to get serious in its final minutes, but that risk paid off big time.) It was all capped by a priceless flash-forward to Selina's funeral... which got upstaged by the news of Tom Hanks' death. Of course.

GRADE: A

SILICON VALLEY

The Pied Piper crew's tragicomic victory of sorts (they lost because they won spectacularly!), the hilariously morbid Erlich twist (and the not-so-subtle shade it threw at his embattled former portrayer T.J. Miller), Gavin's ambiguous coming out-slash-career detour, Laurie's cryptic imprisonment, the Bill Gates cameo, it all just... computed.

GRADE: A-

JANE THE VIRGIN

There's nothing better than a well-earned happy ending, and Jane the Virgin certainly earned every bit of joy in its zippy, emotional and romantic series finale. As Jane and Rafael's big wedding day took center stage, the show stayed true to itself, delivering oodles of unabashed heart (Rafael called Rogelio dad!), happy tears (those vows!) and cheeky reveals (Mateo is narrating Jane's telenovela!). In a word, it was perfect.

GRADE: A

IZOMBIE

Although we loved that Liv and Major finally found their way back to each other, starting a life together with their family on Zombie Island, the series ender left us underwhelmed. For starters, we're still craving the satisfaction that would have come with Liv, not Don E, taking out her archenemy Blaine. And while it was fun to see where Ravi, Peyton and Clive ended up in 10 years, their "reunion" with Liv and Major via a virtual talk show was bizarre, as was Liv's (half-joking?) offer to scratch her friends and turn them into zombies. It all left us scratching... our heads.

GRADE: C

GAME OF THRONES

It felt rushed, didn't it, the way HBO's epic drama skidded sideways into its series finale? With a shortened episode count and a whole lot of plot ground to cover, the show's sweeping fantasy arcs careened into sharp left turns with little breathing room to resolve. Jon killed Daenerys! Tyrion decided Bran should be king! Grey Worm was mad, and for some reason, everyone was worried about that! Still, the performances were on point and the visuals remained arresting, leaving us wishing the show's Powers That Be had opted for just a few more hours to tell Season 8's engrossing tale.

GRADE: C

MADAM SECRETARY

Sure, the CBS drama's finale could've contained just a bit more politics and focused just a little less on Stevie and Dmitri's White House wedding. But given all of the inside-the-Beltway turmoil — including impeachment! — that Elizabeth has been through over the course of six seasons, it was kinda nice to sit back and watch the McCords enjoy a warm evening with family and some much-missed friends.

GRADE: B

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

The prison dramedy's feature-length finale provided closure, if not happy endings, for more than four-dozen characters — and most of them left us wholly satisfied. That, in and of itself, was a miraculous feat. If we have one complaint, it's the fan service that was paid to the Piper and Alex relationship, which seemed to reach its inevitable conclusion before Piper ultimately decided to remain with her prison wife and throw in the towel on a much more promising future with Zelda.

GRADE: B

THE AFFAIR

The Affair peaked in Season 2, and never quite managed to fill the void left by Ruth Wilson and Joshua Jackson. With that being said, the series knocked it out of the park with the conclusion to its fifth and final season. The last episode managed to provide closure even for the solely missed Cole and Alison, by way of their all-grown-up daughter Joanie, who was finally able to escape the generational trauma that had plagued her for much of her future-set journey. This wouldn't have been possible without Old Man Noah, who was all by his lonesome, but was now at peace with the cards that life had dealt him.

GRADE: B

THE BIG BANG THEORY

The repaired elevator! Amy's makeover! Sheldon's Nobel Prize speech! The CBS sitcom's final episode delivered payoff after payoff for longtime fans, ranging from funny (the explanation of Leonard's hoodie-heavy wardrobe) to emotionally charged (a long overdue argument between Sheldon and Amy). We'll admit we scratched our heads a bit at Penny's surprise pregnancy, which unexpectedly reversed weeks of storytelling choices... but that cameo from Sarah Michelle Gellar pretty much balanced the scale. 

GRADE: A-

BASKETS

The offbeat FX comedy took some interesting turns during its final season, building to a finale in which Chip's evolution became clear — reflecting almost a role reversal for him and twin Dale. After fetching Chip from a cult-y commune, Christine worried that her son had lost himself in trying to find himself. Chip, though, explained that he was finally becoming his own man after being a mama's boy for so long. As mother and son arrived at a peace about their respective futures, the series drew to a close with one of its most honest, resonant scenes of all.

GRADE: A-

GOTHAM

The Batman prequel's penultimate hour might have been a more satisfying series finale. It certainly was more action-packed, while offering up fun twists a la Penguin abandoning his grand plans to (as Oliver Queen might put it) save his city. Episode 100 instead leapt into the future to tease Bruce Wayne's homecoming after a 10-year absence, to in part reunite with a recast/aged-up Selina. And while there were iconic nods aplenty — Penguin's fat! Jim tried a mustache! Jeremiah is now Mister "J"! — it all felt a bit flat, and more than a bit coy, down to the reveal of a cowled Bruce.

GRADE: B

MARVEL'S JESSICA JONES

It's not that we didn't love seeing Jessica in a good (or good-ish) place, which is where she left things when the Netflix drama concluded: She silenced the Kilgrave voice in her head, stayed put in New York City and, most surprising of all, even cracked a smile in the episode's final seconds! But the love between Jessica and Trish had always been the show's big, beating heart, and it was totally tarnished by the time the credits rolled. These sisters deserved better than such a bitter, messy ending — and frankly, so did we. 

GRADE: C

SHADOWHUNTERS

Shadowhunters may have been canceled long before its true expiration date, but no one can say the Freeform drama didn't go out with a bang. From the long-awaited "Malec" wedding to Clary & Co.'s epic final battle against Jonathan, the two-hour sendoff felt more like a movie — one far superior to the actual movie released back in 2013, may it rest in peace — than a two-part episode of television. It was a classic series finale, one that checked as many boxes as possible, all the while feeling like an unabashed love letter to its devoted fanbase. 

GRADE: A-