My advice is to embrace a good series on DVD even if the finale has four cliff-hanger threads going. I made up my own endings for those unresolved elements for Tru Calling, the most creative variation I’ve seen of Groundhog’s Day. Next to Fringe, that is the DVD series I looked forward to and enjoyed the most, and it’s only 26 episodes, period.
Many of the mysteries were lifted by the time Tru Calling ended; it was more how the resolutions would work themselves out.
Forever Knight– Nick Knight is a detective in Toronto, also a vampire. This was originally an 1989 movie and then a series from 1992-1996 so costume and slang is dated – however it is a good show with a definite beginning and end.
never mind
So far, Season 2 has been just as enjoyable, IMO.
The Shield is an excellent series. It’s unusual in that you get what’s essentially the climatic event of the series in the first episode and then watch for seven seasons (88 episodes) as the effects of that event drive the story.
The only plotline they dropped that I wanted followed up was Mac’s biological parents, simply because they did such a good job with her mom and sister; I hate to think they’re stuck with just Madison the rest of their lives…
The networks never want to let something die, but as much as I liked Veronica Mars, it should have ended when they graduated high school, same as BTVS and Smallville.
Climactic. Unless you mean there was a storm.
I submit the same show I always submit: Chuck. Not sure if it fits quite perfectly into what the OP is after, but it’s damned entertaining and has a proper ending, or as much as you can expect for a show of its type.
Boy, no one mentions The Fugitive?
as far as I know, it’s the first American TV series to have an actual final episode where things are resolved. (I don’t count things like the Dick Van Dyke Show, which had a sort of “recap” “last episode”). At the end
They finally DID find that One-Armed Man who killed Richard Kimble’s wife. And he died, and Richard Kimbal got to stop running
The 1960s show Hank, a virtually forgotten sitcom about a “college drop-in”, who tries to get a degree by sneaking in and surreptitiously taking classes, while holding down day jobs, actually had a final episiode, where he got his degree. Hank
After that it was a while before there was another "final episode on American TV. Shows like Coronet Blue were supposed to have one, but never got that far. (and I think it was ITV, anyway). The Prisoner, aforementioned, was British. The next one I can recall was Barney Miller, although therre mmay have been others.
Although they are more serialised movies than true TV shows like the Wire etc I’d suggest The Killing i, ii and iii (series i is 20 episodes, series ii and iii are 10 episodes each).
I’m referring to the Danish originals which were really well written, produced and acted; I’ve not seen the US remakes so I can’t comment on those.
Thank you, there’s a bunch of great ideas in here. I will keep a list.
As to sitcoms, it’s not so much that I am narrow minded about them, but I have never enjoyed them. I try every now and then, but the formulaic humor and the lack of continuity make me disgusted and leave. That’s like the number one thing in a show to me - there MUST be continuity. I hate the magic reset button. What’s the point of watching their trials and tribulations if everything goes back to the way it was before?
I have not, seriously, found a single sitcom I like enough to keep watching. It’s just not my type of thing, and as evidenced by this thread, there’s plenty of other TV to watch! 
So thank you all! I forgot to mention I positively adore Barney Miller, so there’s another one.
Barney Miller is an Historical Narrative, just like Gilligan’s Island (those poor people).
Sci-fi series with satisfying endings? We could definitely use more of those.
Someone mentioned Life on Mars. There’s a US version as well as a British version. I highly recommend either or both, although the sci-fi is more in concept than on screen much of the time. I was very satisfied by the ending.
I’d also recommend Dollhouse. I skipped it when it first came around because I thought it was just an excuse to dress up Eliza Dushku in different sexy outfits (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I separate my story-viewing from my titillation-viewing). There are two seasons, and each season has an epilogue set a few years in the future. Very strong near-future SF themes. Altogether, there’s a nice finish to it.
I’m trying to think of sit-coms that have a lot of plot developments and don’t use the “restart button”. Not just one or two things over the course of the series that stick, but where most episodes have developments that continue to affect the characters down the line.
Arrested Development is the only one I can think of. The Office, sort of, though things tend to go back to the status-quo at Dunder Mifflin pretty quickly.
Soap comes to mind.
Thirding Life on Mars. You might have a little more success with British series overall, given their propensity for shorter runs.
Ultraviolet was a good SF-ish series, for instance. With Jack Davenport and Idris Elba, no less.
**M.A.S.H. ** had several developments through their 12 year run. You certainly can’t run them in obscure order.
So did Roseanne.
Heck, for that matter, so did I Love Lucy. The last season they moved from Manhattan to Connecticut. And Laverne and Shirley irrationally moved to LA.
NoClueBoy beat me to it, with the BBC version of Life on Mars. Plenty of male characters, but the lead is more brainy than brawny. The US version of the show is set in NYC, lasted only one season, and was wrapped up neatly. I liked it a lot, especially the ending, though I’m sure many will disagree with me.
For something a little different, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an excellent animated series.
Agreed. The sequel (Legend of Korra) misses some of the spark, though I’ve still got hopes for the next season.
In a few months Breaking Bad will soon be coming to a finite end as there are only eight episodes left. Worth checking out if you’ve never seen it before.
You laugh, but cops will tell you that Barney Miller was the most accurate police procedural ever broadcast.