5 Sitcoms That Nailed Their Series Finales

5 Sitcoms With Perfect Endings Martin says goodbye in the Frasier finale By  Ben Sherlock Published 29 minutes ago Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He's also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

It’s nearly impossible for a TV show to stick the landing with a satisfying series finale, but a handful of iconic sitcoms have had perfect endings. The storied history of television has brought us shows with perfect finales, like Breaking Bad and The Wire, and shows with terrible finales, like Dexter and How I Met Your Mother.

It’s particularly difficult for a sitcom to have a strong ending, because they’re not designed to end. TV dramas usually have a question to answer — in Succession, for example, it was a question of who would succeed Logan Roy — but sitcoms are built to maintain a status quo, which makes the sitcoms with great endings all the more impressive.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the finale

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of the most influential sitcoms ever made. It pioneered the concept of co-workers as a found family, the same concept we would later see in The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But it didn’t just set the gold standard for the workplace comedy; it also set the gold standard for sitcom finales.

The final episode said everything that was left to say, both about the show’s individual characters and on its groundbreaking feminist message, and it felt beautifully poignant. The heartfelt goodbye that caps off the series doubles as a touching farewell to the audience at home. Every subsequent sitcom finale set out to recapture that emotional resonance.

Derry Girls

Orla, Erin, Michelle, and James in the Derry Girls finale

Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls is both a hilarious coming-of-age comedy and a poignant historical chronicle. The series takes place during the final years of the Troubles, as we see five teenagers getting into typical teenage antics against the backdrop of bomb threats and military checkpoints. This dichotomy came together beautifully in the show’s final episode.

In the build-up to the Good Friday Agreement referendum, the girls are torn between two competing parties. Erin and Orla’s joint 18th birthday party is overshadowed by a much more extravagant (and expensive) celebration thrown by Jenny Joyce. This paves the way for some wacky shenanigans, but it also facilitates a falling-out and eventual reconciliation between Erin and Michelle.

The Derry Girls finale demonstrates the show at its very best: it’s funny, heartfelt, sharply written, and beautifully acted. It culminates in a touching final scene when these kids, who have grown up in the Troubles and don’t know what life is like without the looming threat of violence, exercise their democratic right to vote for a more hopeful future.

Frasier

Frasier in the season 11 Frasier series finale

Like all the best series finales, the ending of Frasier feels as much like a new beginning as it does an ending. It closes this chapter of Dr. Crane’s life and sets him up for an exciting new chapter as he moves to San Francisco to start a new show and be with Charlotte, the woman he loves.

The Frasier finale feels like a real culmination of the series. As Frasier gives his final broadcast, surrounded by friends and family, he’s speaking to his real-life audience watching the show as much as he’s speaking to his in-universe radio listeners. Kelsey Grammer beautifully recites Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses,” capturing the exact right emotions in the context of the scene.

And it’s not just a new beginning for Frasier; the finale sets everyone else up for an exciting new chapter in their lives, too: Marty and Ronee get married, Daphne and Niles have a baby, and Roz becomes the new station manager at KACL. Frasier’s goodbyes to everyone (especially Martin, who he reconnected with over the course of the series) still make me cry to this day.

The Office (UK)

Dawn kisses Tim in The Office

The original British version of The Office only lasted for 12 episodes, but it concluded with a feature-length Christmas special that ranks among the all-time greatest series finales. It catches up with the ensemble after the documentary has wrapped filming for a sort of “Where Are They Now?” retrospective, and we see where everyone ended up.

This finale has the show’s signature mix of cringe comedy, melancholic mundanity, and an uncanny sense of realism. It has plenty of hilarious moments and plenty of sad moments, but it ultimately leaves all the main characters in a good place: David finds love, Gareth becomes the manager, and Tim and Dawn finally get together.

M*A*S*H

Goodbye in the MASH finale

When M*A*S*H aired its final episode, more than 100 million people tuned in to watch the finale. It’s one of the highest-rated TV broadcasts of all time, and it’ll probably never be topped. After dragging out the Korean War over 11 years, M*A*S*H finally showed the final days of the conflict in its feature-length finale, “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.”

As the ceasefire goes into effect, the 4077th throws a big party to celebrate before taking down the camp one last time. With its tearful goodbyes and iconic final message, the M*A*S*H finale provides all the closure that fans could’ve asked for — but it also examines the psychological impact that the war has had on all these people.

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