The Ten Best TV Series Finales Ever

While some television shows fade off into history, others take their shot at the series finale seriously. For better or worse, the final show is often the one most remembered. Here are the TV series that I think got it right.

"St. Elsewhere"
I feel I have to defend the series finale of "St. Elsewhere" since it's found it's way to many "worst" lists. Though a serious medical drama, more than once we were reminded that this hospital was not the ordinary type. Even the casting was quirky. Did you really see Howie Mandel as a successful resident, or Ed Bagley Jr. as the best heart surgeon resident to grace the halls of any hospital. Nothing quite fit, but everything felt right. Finding out that the entire show was held in the mind of an autistic boy as he stared into a snow globe seemed only fitting to me.

"Law & Order"
The long running series "Law & Order" left network TV as quietly as it entered, with us watching like a fly on the wall. While other series' have attempted to back quietly out the door, it doesn't always work. It fit perfectly here. The writers wrapped up the only question, Lt. Van Buren's cancer, in a final phone call from her doctor. We could see from her reaction that the news was good. That's all we as viewers needed to know.

"The Fugitive"
Much like the movie, "The Fugitive" wrapped up all of the loose ends in a perfect bow. No fancy writing. No waking up from a bad dream. Dr. Kimble had lived the experience of the fugitive and had survived. He defended his name, literally, to the end of the saga where it was proven that he was innocent of killing his wife. The one armed man was arrested and all was resolved with the case. Simplicity at its finest.

"Newhart"
"Newhart" put a comic spin on the series finale of "St. Elswhere". I'm always surprised to see the dramatic version wind up on a worst finale list, while the comic version plays as one of the best. I truly enjoyed both. Bob Newhart took a advantage of a great opportunity. Combining his original sitcom from the 70's, "The Bob Newhart Show" with the finale of "Newhart" was priceless. Newhart is such a comic icon of America, we were thrilled to see him reunited with his onstage wife of so long ago. Even if it made the second series a dream.

"Cheers"
How do you turn off one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 80's? Just turn the lights out in the bar, like the end of any business day. We had ridden the roller coaster of Sam Malone and the gang at "Cheers" for so long it was best to close things quietly and pretend it would all start over again, even without us watching, tomorrow. It does just that at neighborhood bars around the world.

"Frazier"
"Frazier" was one of the best casted sitcoms ever. Nothing fancy, again simplicity triumphs. The Crane men had all evolved from a dysfunctional middle aged family to become friends. All had not only come out unscathed, but as better people for having gone through their trials. It was the perfect time to let go of Frazier and the rest of the Crane men.

"Roseanne"
Again, I often enjoy the dream ending when it's done right. Though many think "Roseanne" got it wrong, it was just the way I saw it happening. The last season of the show took us in a wildly opposite direction, with the Conner family winning the lottery. Right then it felt like a dream. The final season also had Dan leaving Roseanne and his family. It just didn't feel right. When it was revealed that Dan had actually died and the rest of the series had come from the mind of Roseanne Connor as a writer, it all fit for me.

"Star Trek: The Next Generation"
While some think the writers bailed on the final episode of "Star Trek: TNG", I disagree. Bringing the show to a head with "Q", and making the final battle worth all the marbles was brilliant. Captain Picard stayed true to himself and his crew. The choice to destroy the Enterprise rather than live in a universe where the infantile "Q" was proven right was the appropriate and expected outcome. The fact that the ship was restored, and "Q" was vanquished, was just gravy. The final scene showed Captain Picard joining in the weekly poker game with his crew members, something he had never done before. It was a move forward, and we could let go.

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
We had grown up with Mary, and the others in the newsroom at WJM-TV. It was time to let go, no matter how hard we wanted to hold on. The giant group hug with all the cast members together singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" just felt like the right way to end an era. Though we knew we would see all the great actors on this sitcom again, it would never be the same.

"Everybody Loves Raymond"
While most shows save their best story lines for the final episode, the writers on "Everybody Loves Raymond" gave us their best over the course of the last several episodes. Developing the characters played by Fred Willard and Georgia Engel as the in-laws made the final season of the show one of its funniest. The final episode brought us a split second of drama, but with good reason. When Ray went in for surgery and has trouble waking up, we find out that everybody really does love Raymond. It was the perfect ending.

As seen from this list, sitcoms writers know how to end a series. Maybe we just let them get away with more since they let us laugh at them every week. What I enjoyed most about the series finales on this list is that they stand alone as the best episodes of each show.