# Worst TV series ending? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435 "2011-05-19T12:56:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/21 "2011-05-19T14:45:09Z")
I thought _Star Trek: Voyager_’s conclusion was fine. Not as good as ST:TNG’s or DS9’s, but OK. _The X-Files_ ended poorly, I’d agree. But my all-time most-hated series conclusion was that of _Twin Peaks_: The quirky but pure-at-heart FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is possessed by the evil and murderous Bob, but no one else knows. It was an awful end for a wonderful character, and implies that what happens next is going to be esp. nasty. What a shame. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/22 "2011-05-19T14:47:24Z")
Eep! I couldn’t believe anyone could consider that finale to be good, so after **Elendil’s Heir** posted, I checked, and yeah, I was thinking of the ST: Enterprise finale. Which was a steaming pile of poo. I’m not sure I’ve even seen Voyager’s finale. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/23 "2011-05-19T14:47:37Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Abso-frakking-lutely. > > (note–I removed some of the white space in the quote. I think that is allowable.) Although I actually sort of enjoyed the decision to Abandon Colonial technology and civilization. Not because it made sense - this was a horrible call. But the entire series was, IMHO, about watching the mind-fracked survivors of nuclear holocaust endure the final, inexorable decline and fall of Colonial institutions - the erosion of the economy, courts, democracy, and so on. The story _can’t_ end well, and it really doesn’t. I liked that. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/24 "2011-05-19T14:47:59Z")
\*\*X-files \*\*has the worst finale of any successful show that has ended since 2000. I think it makes Lost’s look brilliant. Seinfeld’s final episode was also worse than Lost’s, but it is a different genre. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/25 "2011-05-19T14:50:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\*X-files \*\*has the worst finale of any successful show that has ended since 2000. I think it makes Lost’s look brilliant. > > Seinfeld’s final episode was also worse than Lost’s, but it is a different genre. Yeah, but the only expectations for Seinfeld was for it to be funny. There was no mythology that people were invested in that was supposed to have been made clear. It was a mediocre episode as compared to Seinfeld episodes. It was still a great episode compared to its competitions - like, say, Dharma and Greg. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/26 "2011-05-19T14:51:37Z")
Oh, yes. _Enterprise_ and _Seinfeld_ both ended badly. Big letdowns. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/27 "2011-05-19T14:55:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So what? Couples break up all the time. 😛 Snerk. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/28 "2011-05-19T15:04:20Z")
I never understood the hate for the Seinfeld finale explain note that I never watched the show until after the finale in syndication ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/29 "2011-05-19T15:04:46Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Although I actually sort of enjoyed the decision to Abandon Colonial technology and civilization. Not because it made sense - this was a horrible call. But the entire series was, IMHO, about watching the mind-fracked survivors of nuclear holocaust endure the final, inexorable decline and fall of Colonial institutions - the erosion of the economy, courts, democracy, and so on. The story _can’t_ end well, and it really doesn’t. I liked that. I hated that decision, both from a logical perspective and as a creative choice. Thought it was batshit insane on both counts. I’d rather the show end with the _Galactica_ and ragtag fleet getting massacred by cylons…or both sides losing the final battle. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/30 "2011-05-19T15:07:13Z")
Soap. As a soap opera parody it had several continuing storylines, each of which ended in a life-threatening cliffhanger. And then it didn’t get renewed. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/31 "2011-05-19T15:12:56Z")
Yeah, I’d forgot about Soap… but the worst? Roseanne. No question. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/32 "2011-05-19T15:14:35Z")
I have to give _Married w/ Children_ a little love. As in, no ending at all. 11 seasons on the air, 263 episodes. It deserved to have a finale to put a button on what might happened to Al, Peg, Kelly, Bud, Marcy, and Jefferson. Along with _The Simpsons_, it was Fox’s flagship TV Show for many years. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/33 "2011-05-19T15:14:55Z")
Just to throw something different into the mix, does anybody remember _[Dream On](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098780/)_? It was quirky and inventive, if not necessarily groundbreaking. I enjoyed it. Martin had spent the entire series pining over his ex-wife Judith, who was basically a horrible shrew who treated him like crap. By the end of the show, Martin has finally won her back, and they are planning to re-marry. The perfect ending, IMO, would have been for him to realize at that point that, now that he had gotten her back, he was finally over her, and to call off the wedding so that he can at last get on with his life. That’s what the entire run of the series seemed to have been moving toward. Instead, nope, he marries his bitch ex, presumably living miserably ever after. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/34 "2011-05-19T15:28:32Z")
The Sopranos…game…set…match. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/35 "2011-05-19T15:31:06Z")
I prefer shows that don’t have a “finale.” Like _Cheers_: after the final episode, you get the feeling life goes on at the bar as it always had, and I found that comforting. Yeah, they’re all still there, and they still know your name. ---
**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 19, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/36 "2011-05-19T15:34:13Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Thing was, though, there were so few parts to Voyager that really made me care. Remember the episode where they killed Garrett Wang (funny, I can remember the actor’s name but not the character’s)…and then replaced him with a clone from a parallel universe? Ugh. Once they’ve done something like that who cares anymore? > > -Joe That episode was “Deadlock,” which I just rewatched the other day, and it’s quite good up to that point. In fact it could have been saved even then, if they’d showed Kim having difficulty dealing with his situation, or established that Ensign Wildman was unable to bond with the alternate, still-living version of her dead baby that Kim brought with him, or something like that. The basic problem with Voyager was their refusal to commit to their premise or show consequences to anyone’s actions. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/37 "2011-05-19T15:37:18Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I prefer shows that don’t have a “finale.” Like _Cheers_: after the final episode, you get the feeling life goes on at the bar as it always had, and I found that comforting. Yeah, they’re all still there, and they still know your name. I agree that the Cheers finale was a smart one. No reason to close the bar or have any major changes happen. ---
**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 19, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/38 "2011-05-19T15:38:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I agree that the Cheers finale was a smart one. No reason to close the bar or have any major changes happen. Well, you have to define major change, I think. Rebecca got married, Woodie became a city councilman, and Norm got a job, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/39 "2011-05-19T16:13:33Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Eep! I couldn’t believe anyone could consider that finale to be good, so after **Elendil’s Heir** posted, I checked, and yeah, I was thinking of the ST: Enterprise finale. Which was a steaming pile of poo. > > I’m not sure I’ve even seen Voyager’s finale. I think it went: My future self comes back in time to save us all. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435/40 "2011-05-19T16:28:02Z")
I didn’t mind the BSG finale at all. And I didn’t watch Lost. But these sucked: - ST: Voyager - ST: Enterprise - ST: Elsewhere 😃 - Twin Peaks I also hated the endings of Sports Night and Firefly, but that’s just because I didn’t want those series to end. The episodes were fine, even if they didn’t wrap everything up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-series-ending/582435.md?page=3)