# Biggest finale blunder by a show's creator (Lost spoilers, among others) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697 "2010-05-25T13:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/21 "2010-05-25T16:59:50Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Pretty much. They should approach it in the future timeline and it should be minuscule, even microscopic. They need to be sure what it is, so they MagicRay it and poof, it simply vanishes altogether, because the instant the ray hit it is when it was created, but growing backward in time, so the instant after the ray hits it, it doesn’t exist. > > Easy fix. Agreed. That would have made much more sense. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/22 "2010-05-25T17:17:30Z")
I thought the “Ludd was Right” aspect of the Battlestar Galactica ending was worse than the angels. I could tolerate the spiritual aspect, though I wasn’t a huge fan of it. So my vote goes to BSG, but to Lee Adama’s idiocy instead. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/23 "2010-05-25T20:34:46Z")
Enterprise. Just… Enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/24 "2010-05-25T20:45:59Z")
Alf ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/25 "2010-05-25T20:54:48Z")
I hate to expose my basic comic-book geekiness, but I hated the _Justice League Unlimited_ finale–or, rather, the last few minutes of it. Considering that JL was basically a continuation of _Superman: the Animated Series_, the whole story had been building up to a final confrontation between Superman & Darkseid. Having Lex Luthor ultimately save the world (even at the cost of his own life) was a deliberate and, frankly, stupid way to undercut that. The _Voyager_ finale was also terrible, but then the entire series was, so that was no surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/26 "2010-05-25T21:05:09Z")
The last episode of _ **The Prisoner** _ “Fallout” (which was the conclusion of a two-parter) gave up on telling a coherent story about what happened to Number Six and turned into an allegorical fantasy. Maybe _ **The Prisoner** _ couldn’t have a satisfactory real ending, but “Fallout” still sucked. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/27 "2010-05-25T21:35:59Z")
X-Files was the worst. But y’all remember that _Dinosaurs_ show? Now _that_ was a fucked-up ending! [Check it out](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPTUA_wdp78). ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/28 "2010-05-25T21:49:09Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The MASH final episode should be on here somewhere. It went on way, way, WAY too long and dissolved into a puddle of maudlin goo. I thought I was the only one who hated, hated that finale. And the worst part was that I had previously read a short story with almost exactly the Hawkeye plot. Grrrrr. Except for pretending the baby was a chicken or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/29 "2010-05-25T21:50:01Z")
Well Married With Children never had a final episode. This series was very important to the then new FOX network. To cancel that series during the off season so as to not have a series finale sucks. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/30 "2010-05-25T21:50:58Z")
**Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day** was the movie that ended the series. Such a huge letdown. It wasn’t funny at all. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/31 "2010-05-25T21:53:33Z")
The American version of Life On Mars. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/32 "2010-05-25T23:48:14Z")
I voted for Roseanne, hated that stupid “oh, Dan’s dead, Becky’s with David/Darlene’s with Mark, oh and Jackies a lesbian not Bev” shit. If it had been a simple “Rosie made a book out of her life” it wouldn’t have been that bad, but the attempted shock value, just make it piss me off. I would’ve given Seinfeld 2nd place. Great show, and I think it was still as great as ever during the last season, but that whole stupid trial thing was just horrible and seemed to just be an excuse for bringing back zillions of past guest stars. I didn’t hate the Lost ending. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I do feel about it, more strongly than I’ve felt about most endings, so that counts for something. I just can’t talk too much about it or it all hits me again. BSG, I felt it ended about as well as it could’ve, given the way the writers clearly had just been pulling things out their asses all along. They have a plan, my ass. Quantum Leap, I don’t mind that Sam never returned home. To me that just left the door open for the show to return later. Never did, but I liked the possibility being there. I didn’t watch Sopranos, but I did watch the ending of it, and I totally can see why that would piss people off. They didn’t even finish the episode, let alone the series! Never cared for X-Files, so I don’t have anything to say on that one. Other? Didn’t really like Angel’s ending. I’ve been told it’s supposed to show how the battle never ends or some such, but to me it just says GIANT CLIFFHANGER WE AIN’T GONNA RESOLVE. And no, the comics don’t count, even if Joss written and approved. Another, the Scrubs series finale (third in a series, collect them all!), boy talk about going out with a whimper. I didn’t even know it was the season finale, let alone the series finale, until like a month later. The 2nd series finale from last year was great, though. The first series finale (the NBC finale) meh, wasn’t even meant to be a finale, and was shown out of order (thanks NBC, NOT) ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/33 "2010-05-26T01:48:34Z")
My nominee for series ending that left a bad taste in my mouth: Freaks and Geeks. Overall, the last episode was good like the other episodes, but I just didn’t like how Lindsay wound up. In my mind, she ditched the Grateful Dead and wound up with Neil’s brother Barry. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/34 "2010-05-26T02:18:32Z")
I thought the finale to **Dallas** really sucked. The show lost its way after the Dream season and really got bad after Pam left. the ending really should have been that the JR was the love-child of Miss Ellie and Digger Barnes. J.R. and Cliff being half-brothers and JR not Jocks Son. That would be something that would make JR kill himself. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/35 "2010-05-26T03:20:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > X-Files was the worst. > > But y’all remember that _Dinosaurs_ show? Now _that_ was a fucked-up ending! [Check it out](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPTUA_wdp78). Wow. I mean…wow. Depressing, dark, preachy, poorly written (subtlety be DAMNED!), deflating, BLAH. Geez, as it is I barely remember this show. Now I shall go back to forgetting it once I gargle this taste out of my mouth. Ick. Oh, and what happened on _Enterprise_? Did everyone get together in a big intergalactic sing along of the theme song? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/36 "2010-05-26T03:32:00Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > I thought I was the only one who hated, hated that finale. And the worst part was that I had previously read a short story with almost exactly the Hawkeye plot. Grrrrr. Except for pretending the baby was a chicken or whatever. The entire point of the show was that war is so insane, the only way to endure it is to be even more so, which Hawkeye Pierce strove ever to be. By the time of that finale, Alan Alda had obliterated the character by inundating it with his own personality. That fershlugginer finale practically undid all the quality that had gone before. When watching reruns, I have to think of it as out-of-continuity fanfic. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/37 "2010-05-26T03:47:11Z")
> [@Ruffian](#): > > Oh, and what happened on _Enterprise_? Did everyone get together in a big intergalactic sing along of the theme song? The holodeck program ended and Riker and Troi walked into a hallway on the Enterprise D. I don’t know if that meant the whole series took place on the E-D or if it was just that part of the last episode. That’s the only part of Enterprise I ever watched. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/38 "2010-05-26T03:56:19Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > The holodeck program ended and Riker and Troi walked into a hallway on the Enterprise D. I don’t know if that meant the whole series took place on the E-D or if it was just that part of the last episode. That’s the only part of Enterprise I ever watched. It was just that last episode. IIRC, Riker was having trouble deciding on a difficult course of action and used the holodeck to examine Archer’s actions at the founding of the Federation. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/39 "2010-05-26T05:16:58Z")
ALF’s creators Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco purposely wrote the finale to have [Alf and the Tanners captured by the US government,](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0504396/maindetails) to pressure NBC to renew for another season (or at least angle for a movie) to resolve the cliffhanger. They [actually succeeded](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117397/fullcredits), but 6 years later. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697/40 "2010-05-26T05:39:56Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I didn’t realize when I posted that this was going to be a poll. > > I’m voting for _Roseanne_ slightly beating out _The X-Files_, mainly because of what they did to Dan. > > If _Next Generation_’s finale had been on the list, I might have voted for it because of the glaring plot hole (which would have been so easy to fix) and what they did to Deanna. Can you spell out that plot hole for me? I’ve heard people mention it before, but I honestly didn’t notice. And I don’t believe they ever told me specifically what they were talking about. BTW. I voted for Roseanne. I actually liked the last season, and would have been fine with it being just a story. But undid a heck of a lot more of the show. BTW, anyone know why I thought there was something about Star Trek in one of those episodes? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-finale-blunder-by-a-shows-creator-lost-spoilers-among-others/540697.md?page=3)