Best Series Finales Of The Decade
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BREAKING BAD
How do you wrap one of the finest dramas in TV history? With a tense, comprehensive, moving and highly satisfying episode that delivers payoffs in every act. "Felina," the climax of Walter White's anti-heroic journey, methodically connects scenes and clues from the AMC drama's five-season run; gives Walt major moments with Skyler, his Gray Matter pals and (most importantly) Jesse; and provides Bryan Cranston with a showcase to make us love-hate Heisenberg right up until his final moments. And if that's not an accomplishment worth a "Yeah, bitch!," we don't know what is.
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CHUCK
The fact that the series ended on a cliffhanger of sorts left some fans miffed. But even if we didn't get to see what unfolded after Chuck and Sarah's kiss, we know in our hearts what must have happened next: Either Sarah regained her memories and reunited with Chuck, or if she didn't, she and Chuck fell in love all over again. If you ask us, that's a happily-ever-after ending no matter how you slice it.
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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Of course the final episode of NBC/DirecTV's small-town football saga came down to a last-minute Hail Mary to win the state championship... but the best moments of this hugely satisfying wrap-up came off the field. We will never not be floored by the achingly tender way that Coach Taylor asked his wife Tami to "take me with you to Philadelphia, please," reuniting one of TV's all-time best couples, and the final montage was just gorgeous, cementing that these football heroes will live on in our hearts (Texas) forever.
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HALT AND CATCH FIRE
Sad as it was to see Joe walk away from those he cared for most, it was exactly what was needed to bring the series full circle. Our once-reptilian protagonist had endured the pain of becoming human and all of the loss that entails. And emerging from the dust of Gordon's demise, and Joe and Cameron's on-again/off-again romance, was the rebirth of Cameron and Donna's working relationship, which, over time, had become the very best part of the show.
Hannibal - Season 3
HANNIBAL
A visually stunning character piece that broadcast TV didn't deserve, the NBC drama ended its third season the only way that it could have — with a scintillating, satisfying and frankly sexual final dance for Will Graham and his feral foil. Will fancied his ploy to sacrifice Hannibal to Dolarhyde as his "becoming," when in truth his personal discovery came with his and Lecter's tandem mauling of the Red Dragon. Surveying their bloody handiwork, Will remarked, "It's beautiful" — and in a twisted way, it was.
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JUSTIFIED
The ballad of imperfect lawman Raylan Givens had a pitch perfect ending. Yes, there was a final "high noon" showdown in which Raylan (barely) drew best. But the true satisfaction came after a time jump, where we learned of Ava's craftiness as a pregnant fugitive who got the happy ending that long eluded her. There was sweetness between Raylan and Winona, regaling daughter Willa. And in the very end, there was Raylan and Boyd, who put a poignant button on their life as frenemies who "dug coal together."
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PARENTHOOD
Parenthood wouldn't be Parenthood if it didn't make us cry — and the NBC dramedy's finale certainly brought on the waterworks. But even though the Bravermans lost patriarch Zeek in the final episode, the hour wasn't weighed down by grief and heartache. Rather, with the help of a several-year time jump, the finale became a beautiful (and, yes, ugly cry-inducing) celebration of love, family and the joyous moments that can be found even in the most difficult times.
Parks and Recreation
PARKS AND RECREATION
It was hard to say goodbye to Pawnee, Indiana, and the lovable oddballs who lived there. But Parks and Rec made the farewell wholly enjoyable via a series of flash-forwards, offering us glimpses of where Leslie, Ben and the rest of the gang would end up. (Even Jerry/Garry/Larry/Terry got a happy ending!) The finale also got wonderfully nostalgic, bringing back Rashida Jones' Ann and Rob Lowe's Chris to make the episode litrilly perfect.
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PENNY DREADFUL
Crushed as we were to learn, when "The End" flashed on screen, that the Season 3 finale of John Logan's poetic monster mash-up was really the series finale, we were also gratified: The two-part conclusion that saved Billie Piper's Lily from becoming the domesticated Bride of Frankenstein and freed Eva Green's beleaguered Vanessa Ives from her fate as the Mother of Evil had been every bit as thrilling, poignant and beautiful as the 25 episodes that preceded it.
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THE BIG BANG THEORY
The CBS comedy concluded with a two-part finale that was equal parts funny and emotional. Among the many highlights: Leonard getting to slap Sheldon, the reveal of Howard and Bernadette's children, and the moment that Penny exited the apartment building's long-broken, newly restored elevator. But above all else was Sheldon's poignant Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which served as a touching tribute to his surrogate family, and a fitting end to TV's longest-running multi-camera sitcom.
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THE LEFTOVERS
Though "The Book of Nora" didn't reveal what the Sudden Departure was or whether an "other side" existed, the series' ultra-romantic final chapter still told us all that we really needed to know: that Kevin believed Nora had crossed over; that despite the sad trajectory of their relationship, they were getting a happy ending; and that there wouldn't be many performances in this decade, or any, that could hold a candle to those given by Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon.
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THE OFFICE
After Steve Carell's departure in Season 7, many critics (including us!) argued that The Office had overstayed its welcome. But despite some creative hiccups in its last two years, the NBC comedy still went out with a sweet, sincere and massively satisfying finale that offered happy endings to just about everyone at Dunder-Mifflin. Plus, thanks to the surprise return of Carell's Michael Scott, a "that's what she said" joke has never been so emotionally affecting.
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12 MONKEYS
However difficult it is to craft a satisfying series finale, take that and triple it for a time-traveling genre show full of complicated mythology. And yet, the Syfy series completely nailed the landing with a conclusion that felt carefully crafted and completely earned. When the final minutes echoed the pilot's opening scene, we were left a bit breathless at how beautifully the story came full circle.
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ADVENTURE TIME
Not only did the supersized finale of this beloved Cartoon Network series manage to successfully wrap up 278 episodes' worth of dense mythology, taking advantage of every conceivable emotional beat along the way, but it also gave eager fans a long-awaited kiss between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen. If we never get to return to the Land of Ooo (and we really hope we do!), at least we got one heck of a sendoff.
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THE AMERICANS
Just when we expected FX's Cold War spy drama to go out in a hail of bullets, with multiple characters getting killed off, it ended on an appropriately restrained note instead, with an elegantly constructed, magnificently heart-wrenching finale. It packed plenty of epic emotional moments, too — Stan finds out! Paige gets off the train! — before dealing married Soviet spies Philip and Elizabeth Jennings perhaps a fate worse than death: starting a new life in their Russian homeland after leaving their children behind in Reagan's America.