This Season's Broadcast-TV Finale Episodes, Ranked From Worst To Best
Summer is in full swing, and we're going to distract ourselves from this gnarly heatwave by reflecting on the spring television gone by.
In the list below, we're looking back on nearly 40 season or series finales that aired across the broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW — earlier this year, with quick-hit recaps of each episode's strengths and weaknesses. But when it came time to rank these three dozen-ish hours of TV — a near-impossible feat on its own — we turned to TVLine readers for help, ranking the finales based on the average grades you gave them in our reader polls at the time of each episode's airing.
Note: Though most of the finales below aired in May, we also included season enders for shows like Fox's Doc and CBS' Matlock, which arrived earlier in 2025. And in the case of any ties — where multiple finales earned the same average score from TVLine readers — we've listed the tied shows in alphabetical order.
So, which finale(s) did you deem the strongest of the 2024-25 broadcast season? And which finales left something to be desired? Keep scrolling for a complete assessment of this spring's season/series enders, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the results!
38. FBI: International (CBS)
THE GOOD: Wes teaming up with Tokyo cop Reiko offered a very refreshing detour into a non-Eastern European country.
THE BAD: Unlike the similarly cancelled FBI: Most Wanted, this spinoff did not attempt any semblance of a proper series finale. Instead, Vo, Smitty, et al. had barely any screen time, and the episode ended with a cliffhanger. — Matt Webb Mitovich
READER GRADE: 46/100 ("D")
37. The Cleaning Lady (Fox)
THE GOOD: Thony evaded all kinds of peril and ultimately got the criminal charges against her dropped; we finally got a genuine (though short-lived) Thony/Jorge kiss. Plus, good riddance, Ramona — for a while, at least.
THE BAD: Jorge lost control of Sin Cara, forcing him out of town and away from Thony until he could get the resources to defeat new leader Feng. And, well, the show got cancelled, so we'll never see Thony rise through the Sin Cara ranks. — Rebecca Luther
READER GRADE: 56/100 ("C-")
36. Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
THE GOOD: Bruno's daring roof-hopping while chasing a suspect was pretty badass; Velasco got promoted to detective second grade.
THE BAD: A waste of Breaking Bad alum Betsy Brandt as the victim of the week; the departure of cast members Juliana Aidén Martinez and Octavio Pisano went unaddressed, meaning a likely offscreen exit for Silva and Velasco when the show returns for Season 27. — Kimberly Roots
READER GRADE: 72/100 ("B-")
35. All American (The CW)
THE GOOD: Amina put herself first by choosing Dinsberg; Ava and Cassius moved toward reconciliation; and yay, we'll get resolution to that episode-ending playoff game cliffhanger.
THE BAD: We're still not sure how we feel about Breonna and Coop becoming a thing. — R.L.
READER GRADE: 80/100 ("B+")
34. Chicago P.D. (NBC)
THE GOOD: #Burzek finally got hitched!
THE BAD: We didn't get to see any of the #Burzek wedding vows. — Claire Franken
READER GRADE: 80/100 ("B+")
33. The Conners (ABC)
THE GOOD: The very last scene, where real emotions seeped through and John Goodman broke the fourth wall to say good night, was truly a lovely way to go out.
THE BAD: DJ should've been there! Also: Making 70-year-old Jackie a cop again was nearly as dumb a decision as killing off Dan Conner the first time around. — Ryan Schwartz
READER GRADE: 80/100 ("B+")
32. Suits LA (NBC)
THE GOOD: Ted and his ex Samantha teamed up to take down abusive Hollywood producer Avery Jeffers; the stage was set for an interesting Ted/Samantha/Amanda love triangle.
THE BAD: The Season 1 finale was clearly not intended to be a series ender — though it ultimately had to serve as one — so the episode lacked any meaningful closure. — R.L.
READER GRADE: 80/100 ("B+")
31. Chicago Fire (NBC)
THE GOOD: Stella and Severide are expecting!
THE BAD: Despite applying for a job in Denver, Carver went on to profess his love for a heartbroken Violet. This girl deserves better! — C.F.
READER GRADE: 82/100 ("B+")
30. Doctor Odyssey (ABC)
THE GOOD: Every loose end was tied up, and all our main characters lived happily ever after.
THE BAD: We made no headway in the Fever Dream Theory department; Phillipa Soo mentioned singing a song, but didn't deliver. — C.F.
READER GRADE: 82/100 ("B+")
29. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
THE GOOD: Amelia saved Dylan; Teddy kept Nora alive but pulled the plug on her marriage to Owen (finally!); Simone's cocky one-night stand scrubbed in as a first-year.
THE BAD: Still no #Monmelia kiss; plus, was Link blown to smithereens — like, minutes after learning that he and Jo were having twin daughters?!? — Charlie Mason
READER GRADE: 82/100 ("B+")
28. Night Court (NBC)
THE GOOD: We got another Big Bang reunion, with Simon Helberg dropping by as Abby's... secret husband?!
THE BAD: It left us dangling on a cliffhanger — and now that it's cancelled, we'll never get answers! — Dave Nemetz
READER GRADE: 82/100 ("B+")
27. Grosse Pointe Garden Society (NBC)
THE GOOD: We finally learned who killed Alice's dog, and Alice finally admitted she might have feelings for Brett.
THE BAD: The cliffhanger ending made it look like Alice has been ousted from the group, but we need her in the mix! — C.F.
READER GRADE: 84/100 ("B+")
26. NCIS (CBS)
THE GOOD: It was, at the very least, ambitious to try to connect the ongoing Nexus, Kansas City crime boss Carla Marino and (possibly!) Lily Mystery arcs. Also, Roman's murder — while not exactly "earth-shattering," Wilmer — should set up Gary Cole's Alden for some juicy fallout.
THE BAD: For all that McGee invested throughout the season, it seemed a bit too convenient/snoozy that "dirty" LaRoche instead turned out to just be working "undercover." — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 84/100 ("B+")
25. The Neighborhood (CBS)
THE GOOD: Umm, at least Justin Long seemed to be enjoying himself...?
THE BAD: The supporting cast assembled for the planted (and ultimately nixed) Malcolm-and-Marty spinoff just didn't gel as well as we'd hoped, and the characters felt half-baked. — R.S.
READER GRADE: 84/100 ("B+")
24. The Rookie (ABC)
THE GOOD: Lucy learning the night shift ropes (and dopes) was fun, Miles' blind date-gone-bad was thrilling, and Nyla's use of a drone to save John was crafty.
THE BAD: Hey, you know that TVLine loves Bridget Regan, but... Monica, again? Also, while it's great that Tim took that big swing, to have Lucy sleep through it felt like so much wheel-spinning. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 84/100 ("B+")
23. 9-1-1 (ABC)
THE GOOD: Eddie moved back to Los Angeles, Hen and Karen adopted Mara, Chimney entered his captain era, and Maddie gave birth to a baby boy — Robert "Bobby" Nash Hahn.
THE BAD: Where the heck is Buck going to live now, and why isn't it "with Eddie"? — Andy Swift
READER GRADE: 86/100 ("A-")
22. FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)
THE GOOD: This spinoff used the advanced notice of its cancellation to follow up a rather hum-drum Case of the Week with loads of closure and/or big news for all of its main characters.
THE BAD: As noted, that final, hurried Case of the Week was weak. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 86/100 ("A-")
21. Law & Order (NBC)
THE GOOD: Maroun finally found the man who murdered her sister years ago, bringing a degree of closure to the tortured assistant district attorney's plight.
THE BAD: But then she maybe had him killed? And now her future with the DA's office/show is now a big question mark? — K.R.
READER GRADE: 86/100 ("A-")
20. Rescue: HI-Surf (Fox)
THE GOOD: Sonny told Laka that he's on the road to becoming a lieutenant, Vince agreed to leave quietly (for now), and Em received a lucrative offer to tour a social media mogul around the Pacific.
THE BAD: Will left town, promising to return... but since the show was cancelled after one season, he's definitely not keeping the promise. — A.S.
READER GRADE: 86/100 ("A-")
19. Chicago Med (NBC)
THE GOOD: Sadie (guest star Holly Curran) made a surprise — and flirtatious! — return.
THE BAD: We were left hanging in the baby daddy department: Was Hannah's visit to Archer a cruel misdirect, or is he really her baby's father?! — C.F.
READER GRADE: 88/100 ("A-")
18. Fire Country (CBS)
THE GOOD: The Gabriela/Audrey/Finn face-off had some fun twists, and the visual effects for the fires at Walter's memory care center and Three Rock were typically outstanding.
THE BAD: The lack of masks. The fact that [Spoiler] is probably dead. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 88/100 ("A-")
17. Ghosts (CBS)
THE GOOD: It was nice to see both Sam (with her book party) and Jay (whose restaurant is getting a magazine cover) reap big wins — though Patience nearly derailed things. Also, we think we're now on board with the rather random Pete/Alberta romance.
THE BAD: En route to getting that cover, Jay made a deal with the Devil. Oops! — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 88/100 ("A-")
16. Watson (CBS)
THE GOOD: Watson and his team finally got the upper hand in the fight against Moriarty; both Crofts survived; Sasha and Stephens kissed; a plucky pediatric oncologist named Laila showed up and quickly became Watson's girlfriend.
THE BAD: Watson brought Shinwell back into the fold rather quickly after such a huge betrayal; the entire team ignored their Hippocratic Oath and chose to be complicit in Moriarty's death. — K.R.
READER GRADE: 88/100 ("A-")
15. Elsbeth (CBS)
THE GOOD: So many returning guest stars. A dreamy "Cell Block Tango" musical number (though neither André De Shields nor Donna Lynne Champlin got to sing?). Multiple sweet Angus mentions. Oh, and we learned how to make murder weapons out of ramen!
THE BAD: In her final episode as a series regular, Carra Patterson didn't get much to do as Kaya. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 90/100 ("A")
14. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (CBS)
THE GOOD: The writers generated real stakes for Season 2 by having 1) Georgie and Ruben buy McAllister Auto & Tire and 2) bringing Mandy's ex/boss Scott into the fold.
THE BAD: Jim's early retirement may lead to less screen time for Will Sasso. Let's hope we're wrong! — R.S.
READER GRADE: 90/100 ("A")
13. Happy's Place (NBC)
THE GOOD: The sitcom finally addressed Bobbie and Emmett's attraction head on...
THE BAD: ...but stopped short of having them come out and say the obvious. — R.S.
READER GRADE: 90/100 ("A")
12. Shifting Gears (ABC)
THE GOOD: Riley made the right call when she decided against moving in with estranged husband Jimmy.
THE BAD: As much as we're enjoying Jenna Elfman's performance, it feels too soon for widowed Matt to move on with Eve. — R.S.
READER GRADE: 90/100 ("A")
11. St. Denis Medical (NBC)
THE GOOD: It was nice to see workaholic Alex set her job duties aside in order to support husband Tim through his vasectomy; the hospital now has some money, hooray!
THE BAD: Not as much development on the Serena/Matt romance front as we would have liked, but hey, we'll take the slow burn. — R.L.
READER GRADE: 90/100 ("A")
10. Brilliant Minds (NBC)
THE GOOD: Oliver's dad is alive, and he's played by Mandy Patinkin!
THE BAD: Oliver and Josh relationship woes this soon after they finally got together? Really?! — K.R.
READER GRADE: 92/100 ("A")
9. Doc (Fox)
THE GOOD: Scheming Richard got his comeuppance, and if you're Team Exes, Amy and Michael sharing another smooch surely left you on a high.
THE BAD: Uh-oh, is "old," cold Amy resurfacing? And if you're Team Jake, that aforementioned kiss had you feeling jilted. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 92/100 ("A")
8. Matlock (CBS)
THE GOOD: The double-episode finale had us on the edge of our seats as Olympia begrudgingly took cues from crafty Madeline Kingston to investigate Julian's possible role in hiding the Welbrexa study.
THE BAD: You have to worry that Olympia will lie to Matty about Julian taking the document, and instead will string her along if the three of them team up to take down Senior. Also, did anyone else shrug when Alfie's possible father showed up? — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 92/100 ("A")
7. NCIS: Sydney (CBS)
THE GOOD: The Darwin setting was palpably steamy; the Etienne twist was predictable, yes, but still effective; the restaurant terrace tussle was fraught; and we are extremely curious to learn who that was waiting for Blue in her flat!
THE BAD: We "get" what they were going for with pensive Mackey and JD at the end, but... that "Will They/Won't They" cliffhanger was too muted for our taste. — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 92/100 ("A")
6. Abbott Elementary (ABC)
THE GOOD: Janine and Gregory's cute romance progressed nicely (and Ava and O'Shon's, too); the teachers did hilarious impressions of each other in the kids' play.
THE BAD: With no big twists and bombshells, it didn't feel much like a season finale — but we actually liked the low-key vibe. — D.N.
READER GRADE: 94/100 ("A")
5. FBI (CBS)
THE GOOD: The Forefront terrorist group's infiltration of the New York field office's ranks was equal parts disturbing and spine-tingling, leading to a thrilling face-off in an abandoned subway station between the baddies and Jubal & Co.
THE BAD: Oh no, why did Isobel suddenly collapse in the final moments?! — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 94/100 ("A")
4. High Potential (ABC)
THE GOOD: Morgan and Tom (and Karadec) got their flirt on at the police ball, Karadec found the location of Morgan's missing ex, and some quick thinking saved Oz from drowning in a pool.
THE BAD: Who is David Giuntoli playing, and what does he want with Morgan?! — A.S.
READER GRADE: 94/100 ("A")
3. NCIS: Origins (CBS)
THE GOOD: Um, everything? A brilliant callback to the NCIS: Los Angeles pilot, this freshman finale sicced MP Lara Macy on Pedro Hernandez's killer, Gibbs, which in turn set in motion a series of big, emotional moments for Gibbs/Lala, Lala/Franks, Lala/Macy....
THE BAD: That our heart breaks anew, our eyes well up yet again, every single time we think about Lala's flipped Jeep? — M.W.M.
READER GRADE: 94/100 ("A")
2. Tracker (CBS)
THE GOOD: Colter finally found and confronted the man responsible for pushing his father to his death.
THE BAD: The "big reveal" regarding Mom's involvement in Dad's death wasn't much of a reveal at all — the show has been telegraphing it since Mary was introduced at the end of the pilot — so treating it as some huge cliffhanger was... a choice. — R.S.
READER GRADE: 94/100 ("A")
1. Will Trent (ABC)
THE GOOD: Caleb extended an invite to Will to meet his stepmother and half-siblings; Angie and the baby are OK!
THE BAD: Nothing better happen to Amanda or Ormewood! — R.S.