The 45 Best TV Series Finales

In this two-part finale, Admiral Kathryn Janeway, formerly captain of the ship Voyager, travels back in time to save her crew members stranded years earlier in the Delta Quadrant. She confronts her younger self, Captain Janeway, on the journey as she battles the Borg collective. Eventually, the ship makes it back to earth.

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after a 10-year hiatus to open up Wayne Tower. He arrives just in time, as the city is beset by the Penguin and the Riddler. Police Commissioner James Gordon is also trying to uncover the plot behind the murder of a prison guard. The ending hints that the winged vigilante will save the city once again.

Set in the 18th century during the age of piracy, the series aimed to be a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson 1883 novel, “Treasure Island.” In the finale, the main protagonist, Captain Flint, fights to save Nassau from the British.

In the finale of this six-season series, the Pied Piper team scrambles to stop the $100 million launch of PiperNet’s decentralized system after realizing it would abolish Internet privacy. The ending also looks 10 years in the future to see what the Pied Piper crew is up to.

After the Korean War ends, the service members of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital go their separate ways and face the reality of returning to civilian life. Although happy to leave the war behind them, most will forever be changed by their wartime experiences.

An animated series set in the fictional universe first portrayed in “The Last Airbender” (see No. 3), depicts Korra’s battle against Kuvira to save the Earth Kingdom and the element-manipulating Avatar.

The Galactica sets off on a mission to rescue Hera Agathon, the only known Cylon-human hybrid child, from a heavily guarded Cylon base near a black hole. Hera is saved and the fleet lands on a planet they call home. They name it Earth and it’s revealed to be the true Earth.

The series follows the exploits of two brothers, Lincoln and Michael. Lincoln has been wrongly jailed as Michael plots his brother’s escape. Lincoln is eventually freed, but Michael later dies.

Starship Enterprise-D Captain Jean-Luc Picard travels back and forth between the past, present, and future to stop an anomaly that has the potential to destroy humanity. Picard successfully makes his case to save humankind before the Q Continuum. The captain solves the puzzle and the crew is last seen playing poker.

Set in a maximum security prison for women, the comedy-drama “Orange is the New Black” sends off the show’s main character, Piper, as she strives to put her life of crime behind her and start a new life in Ohio. The fate of her fellow inmates — inside and outside of prison — is also revealed.

A blend of action, drama, and comedy, “Chuck” follows the exploits of computer geek turned CIA spy, Chuck Bartowski. In the series conclusion, Chuck teams with family, friends, and even former foes to stop his antagonist from destroying his life. Chuck is last seen embarking on a romantic relationship with another CIA agent, Sarah.

Set in a small Kansas town, “Smallville” dramatizes the life of a young Clark Kent before he morphs into Superman. The series concludes with Clark realizing his super powers and stopping a plan to destroy Earth. The episode ends with a look into the future as Clark becomes Superman.

Set in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, “Boardwalk Empire” blends real-life historical figures with fictional characters as they navigate the crime world of bootlegging. The lead character, “Nucky” Thompson, is a powerful politician who tries to make things right as Prohibition nears an end. The final scene shows Nucky assassinated by a young man who turns out to be the son of a former protégé and the grandson of a young woman he set up to be raped by another power broker so Nucky could keep his job as a sheriff.

The fate of the characters in this 1960s-era drama about a Madison Avenue advertising agency are portrayed. Most have happy endings (well, except Betty Draper) as they start new relationships and lives away from the agency. And in the end, series hero (or anti-hero) Don Draper is seen to have (perhaps) created a classic Coke commercial.

Vampire killer Buffy finally kills off the villain Caleb, but soon confronts more dangers. With the help of her friends, she defeats the vampire army and realizes she’s not the only one who has the powers to battle the blood-sucking creatures.

In the controversial finale to this suburban mafia drama, Tony Soprano’s fate is never definitively revealed. Instead, the audience is left to wonder what happened in the diner as a mysterious man passes Tony and his family and the screen goes to black.

This animated sci-fi series takes place as the Galactic Empire tries to exterminate the last remaining Jedi. In the finale, Jedi Padawan and freedom fighter Ezra Bridger and the crew of the freighter Ghost liberate the planet Lothal from the evil empire.

In “Arrow,” a crime-fighting vigilante, Oliver Queen, wields a bow and arrow to battle the bad guys of Star City. In the end, Queen sacrifices himself to save the universe, but is reunited in the afterlife with his love, Felicity.

Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) battle evildoers ranging from aliens to other inhuman creatures as they travel through time. In the series finale, the team fights the Chronicoms, an ancient race of semi-robotic beings.

College dropout Mike Ross works at a New York City law firm despite the fact he never graduated from law school. His professional relationship with super-lawyer and mentor Harvey Specter evolves in unexpected ways. In the finale, Specter marries his longtime assistant, Donna, then moves to Seattle to rejoin Ross and fight for good causes.

An animated sitcom, “Futurama” is set in the far distant future at an interplanetary delivery service, Planet Express. It follows the adventures of Philip J. Fry, who was cryogenically preserved for 1,000 years and woke up in the 31st century. The ending sees Fry and Turanga Leela, captain of the Planet Express ship, embarking on a new life together with the help of a time-travel device.

The spy thriller ends its run when CIA agent Carrie Mathison and her mentor Saul barely manage to avert a nuclear war. But the real cliffhanger is, has Carrie truly abandoned her Homeland — the USA — for Russia?

“Community” is set in a community college in Colorado and portrays the interactions between students and teachers. In the series finale, the main character, Jeff, comes to terms with the possibility his group of friends is breaking apart.

The series centers on a close circle of science geeks, led by Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, and Penny (the so-called normal one). As Sheldon and Amy jet off to Sweden to accept the Nobel Prize in physics, the group of friends deal with the prospect their lives are changing — a prospect Sheldon finds particularly distressing, but learns to accept.

This series is based on Elmore Leonard’s stories about Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshall in eastern Kentucky, and revolved around his rivalry with childhood friend and criminal, Boyd Crowder. In the end, Boyd is imprisoned, as Raylan finds a new life in Miami.

Set in Pennsylvania’s Amish country, “Banshee” tells the story of an ex-con who assumes the identity of the town’s murdered sheriff, Lucas Hood, to dispense justice as he sees fit. After dealing with the local crime kingpin, Hood leaves town and the woman he loves.

Law professor Annalise Keating fights for life when she’s tried for murder. There’s a shooting on the courtroom steps. Ultimately, Annalise is acquitted but her funeral in the far future closes out the series.

The cursed vampire, Angel, wanders Los Angeles, hoping to help people with supernatural problems. In the finale, Angel and his team combat the Circle of the Black Thorn, which could unleash the armies of Hell.

In a small town in Indiana, a team of local officials strive to make their community a better place. The series concludes with one last successful project before most of the team heads in different directions. The finale also features a look into the future selves of the characters, including one who may become president of the U.S.

In this fantasy-comedy series, a woman, Eleanor, enters heaven after death, but soon realizes she was sent there by mistake and is far from morally perfect. In the end, Eleanor returns to real life on earth.

Billed as an animated tragicomedy, “BoJack Horseman” follows the journey of an anthropomorphic horse, BoJack Horseman, who was once the star of a 1990s sitcom, but has fallen on hard times and now wants to revive his career. After being arrested and convicted of breaking and entering, BoJack receives a furlough and makes peace with his ex-girlfriend.

Throughout this violent crime drama about an outlaw biker gang in California, the title character, Jax, has struggled to fulfill his late father’s legacy as the gang’s former leader while also being a good father. In the conclusion he takes his fate into his own hands.

A blind lawyer, Matt Murdock, practices law by day, but is a masked vigilante (Daredevil) at night as he fights his nemesis, Fisk. After putting Fisk behind bars, Murdock decides to return to his life as an attorney.

Filmed in New Zealand, “Spartacus” focuses on the early life of the gladiator Spartacus who led a revolt against the Romans. The series concludes with a bloody battle between the rebels and the Romans.

After 10 seasons, the friends of “Friends” move on with their lives. Ross and Rachel finally unite, and Chandler and Monica start a family and move to the suburbs. The last bittersweet shot is of an empty apartment.

This German science fiction thriller uses time travel to unravel secrets about a missing child in a fictional town in Germany. The ending is literally about a knot that ties everything together.

Set in the Cold War, “The Americans” revolves about a married couple who are seemingly normal suburbanites but are really Soviet spies. The two return to Russia at the conclusion of the series, but leave their children behind.

A reclusive billionaire invents a computer program able to predict future terrorist acts. The climax details the struggle to wrest control of the program from another program, the sinister Samaritan. In the end, good triumphs.

The employees of Dunder Mifflin embark on new lives as many bid farewell to Scranton. And yes, Pam and Jim get married and move to Austin. Everyone has a happy ending.

Cybersecurity engineer Elliot is recruited by an anarchist, Mr. Robot, to join a hacking group to erase all debt records held by a huge conglomerate. The two-part finale sees Eliot morphing between two alternate realities that may only be in his mind.

In this Japanese anime series, an exiled Prince who has gained absolute power rebels against the Holy Britannian Empire. The finale depicts the final battle for Damocles.

Wouldn’t think a show about a funeral home would be the basis for a comedy-drama, but “Six Feet Under” successfully navigated dark humor and drama. The show revolves around the extended Fisher family who owns the funeral home. In the end, the ultimate deaths of all the characters are portrayed.

This animated series depicts people who can manipulate one of the elements — water, earth, fire, or air. The Avatar can bend all three. The conclusion sees Aang, the last Avatar, battle the Phoenix King as he may have to take a human life.

An animated “Star Wars” prequel, the Confederacy of Independent Systems wants to break free from the evil Galactic Empire. Former female Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Rex, veteran Clone Commander, take part in the final battle of the Clone Wars.

Chemistry teacher Walter White embarks on a life of crime to set up his family’s financial future when he learns he’s dying of cancer. But selling crystal meth proves dangerous and the finale of this well-regarded series sees Walter settling old scores and ensuring his son gets the drug money. In the end he dies, but not of cancer.