Series finale

Series finale is a promotional/advertising term used to describe the final episode of a television series, usually a sitcom or a drama.

Notable series finales

1963

• Leave It to Beaver ? June brings out the family scrapbook, and the Cleavers recall memories and lessons learned via clips from previous episodes.

1966

• The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Last Chapter - Rob Petrie has finally finished his memoir, and gives it to his wife Laura to read. Laura's reading and reminiscing provides the excuse for clips. At the end of the show, Rob's boss, Alan Brady, offers to buy the rights to Rob's book. He wants to use it as the basis of a television series starring himself. (This twist is a marvelous bit of self-reference, since Carl Reiner, who played Alan Brady, had created The Dick Van Dyke Show based upon his own life as a comedy writer. In fact, before Dick Van Dyke was chosen as the lead, Reiner had planned to star in it himself.)

1967

• The Fugitive - Dr. Kimble finally catches up to the one-armed man. The two of them do battle atop a water-tower. Kimble prevails, and the one-arm man finally confesses to the murder of Kimble's wife. He then catches Kimble in a surprise attack, but before he can kill Kimble he is shot and killed by Lt. Gerard (who finally believes Kimble's story). Kimble is cleared of his wife's murder, he and Gerard make their peace, and Kimble's days of running are finally over. The final scene included a seemingly minor detail that many critics and fans claim elevates the story to high art: Although Kimble no longer need worry about police pursuit, when a police car pulls up next to him, Kimble's reaction is an unmistakable mixture of distrust and uneasiness, indicating that though Kimble's struggle seems to be over, he will forever be haunted by his experiences.

1975

• The Odd Couple ? Felix and his ex-wife, Edna, reconcile and announce plans to re-marry. Felix moves out and bids his longtime roommate, Oscar, farewell. Once Felix walks out the door, Oscar gleefully celebrates by messing up the tidy apartment.

1977

• The Electric Company ? The finale of this PBS children's show was most notable for its closing skit. The cast gathers to sing, "That's All," which acknowledged this would be the final new episode. Reruns would continue on many PBS stations for the next decade.
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The new executive staff at WJM announces sweeping changes at the TV station. In an effort to improve its newscast's struggling ratings, everyone in the news department loses their jobs. That is, except for Ted Baxter, in a bit of irony since he had been blamed in the past for the station's lethargic ratings. After one last emotional gathering in the newsroom ? punctuated by a great big group hug ? Mary and Lou thank everyone for all the good times. Everyone then leaves singing, "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary" before heading off their separate ways.

1978

• The Bob Newhart Show - Bob sells his Chicago-based psychiatrist's practice to take a teaching job at a college in Oregon. In the final scene (and as a possible nod to The Mary Tyler Moore Shows finale), the Hartleys and their friends join together in a rousing chorus of "Oklahoma".

1979

• Good Times - The long-struggling Evans family and their friends finally have some good fortune: J.J. sells a comic strip to a publisher, Keith gets a pro football job, and Willona gets a promotion.

1980

• Hawaii Five-O - After years of eluding Det. McGarrett's capture, criminal genius Wo Fat is finally brought to justice. This happens during McGarrett's investigation into the disappearance of three scientists. McGarrett disguises himself as a scientist, springing a trap that finally captures his longtime nemesis.

1981

• Blake's 7 - After being absent for two years, Blake returns and has apparently turned traitor (though this is in fact a ruse). In a misunderstanding, Avon shoots Blake dead, then the rest of the crew are gunned down by Federation troopers. The final shots show Avon surrounded by troopers and raising his gun, then gun shots are heard...

1982

• Barney Miller - Wojo unwittingly unearths an antique weapon in the 12th Precinct headquarters. Further research reveals that the precinct house was once the headquarters of Theodore Roosevelt (when he was president of the New York Police Board nearly 90 years earlier). As a result, the building is placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the precinct is ordered to vacate. The gang is left to reminisce about good (and not-so-good) times, remember friends that have since departed and ponder their futures in new assignments. Barney is named deputy inspector, while Officer Levitt is finally promoted to sergeant.
• WKRP in Cincinnati - WKRP rockets to sixth place, but Mr. Carlson's mother, the owner of the station, decides to convert 'KRP to an all-news format. The plot is foiled when Johnny Fever discovers the station was a tax writeoff, designed to fail. Fever convinces Mama Carlson to let the station try to succeed, rather than have her son find out.

1983

• M*A*S*H - Goodbye, Farewell & Amen - As the Korean War draws to a close, the crew of the 4077th ponder their respective futures. Hawkeye has been committed to a mental hospital, attended by Sidney Freedman. Charles teaches a group of Chinese musicians to play Mozart, but the group is killed en route to a prisoner exchange. Father Mulcahey is deafened by a mortar explosion. Klinger marries Soon-Lee, and decides to stay with her in Korea. As the camp is dismantled following the armistice, the recently-cleared Hawkeye and B.J. find it difficult to say goodbye to each other. Charles leaves on a garbage truck, and Colonel Potter takes Sophie for one last ride. When Hawkeye lifts off in the final helicopter to leave, he sees "GOODBYE" written on the ground in white stones.

1984

• Happy Days ? After years of dating, and then not dating, Joanie and Chachi get engaged. With Fonzie and Jenny Piccalo serving as the best man and matron of honor, Father Delvecchio (Al's twin brother) marries the couple in the Cunninghams' back yard. Richie and Lori Beth arrive just before the ceremony begins. Meanwhile, Fonzie ? who has become busy with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program ? decides to adopt his "Little Brother," an orphaned boy named Danny. However, the adoption may not take place since Fonzie is a bachelor, leading Howard to give a passionate speech at the adoption agency about how the rules stink. Eventually, Fonzie is allowed to adopt Danny. After the wedding, Howard toasts the newlyweds and ? perhaps in stepping out of character ? the series, thanking everyone for sharing years of good times together. The episode ends with a montage of clips from the series, set to Elvis Presley's "Memories."
• Little House on the Prairie (actually the telefilm sequel Little House: The Last Farewell) ? In 1901, the citizens of Walnut Grove try to thwart a land tycoon's efforts to obtain Hero Township to build a railroad. When their efforts fail, the townspeople decide to blow up the entire town, forcing the tycoon to rebuild everything. This two-hour movie was the second and final special to air during the 1983-1984 season, a year after "Little House" had officially been cancelled by NBC. Although "The Last Farewell" was billed as the series' finale, a "Little House" Christmas movie (filmed in 1983) didn't air until December 1984.
• One Day at a Time ? The last two episodes saw the lives of two of the show's most important characters ? Ann and Schneider ? take different directions. In the next to last episode, Ann announces she and Sam will be moving to London when she accepts a job offer. In the finale, Schneider's brother passes away, leaving behind a son and daughter. Schneider takes custody of his nephew and niece, and accepts a new job as maintenance supervisor for a children's amusement center.
• Three's Company - The three roommates find themselves going their separate ways: Janet gets married and moves in with her new husband, Terri goes to Hawaii to work with children, and Jack moves, along with his girlfriend Vicky, to the apartment above his restaurant.

1985

• Alice ? Mel sells the diner to a land developer, leaving the gang to reminisce (thanks to a healthy dose of clips of the series' highlights). Just before everyone departs, Mel gives each of his waitresses a $5,000 farewell bonus, and everyone announces their plans. Jolene plans on opening a beauty salon, while Vera plans to be a full-time mother. As for Alice, after nine years of trying, she finally secures a Nashville recording contract.
• The Dukes of Hazzard ? Boss Hogg reluctantly decides to participate in Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane's magic act during a talent show at the Boar's Nest, but only because his wife Lulu had threatened him. Boss uses the "disappearing box" trick to sneak away for an appointment, but is kidnapped by two escaped felons he had put away on his testimony. Rosco fears he may have caused Boss to actually disappear into thin air, but Bo and Luke immediately suspect foul play and are left to search for their long-standing adversary. After the Duke boys defeat the criminals and rescue Boss, they return him to the Boar's Nest. Boss wants to walk in, but after seeing Rosco tearfully reflect on their friendship, he decides to recreate the second half of the act.
• Family Feud ? Although mostly an ordinary episode, the final episode of the ABC version of the game show was most notable for its final segment, wherein Richard Dawson tearfully thanked a number of people and the viewers for making the show a huge success.

1988

• Crime Story - Ended (which aggrivated many fans) with a cliffhanger.
• The Facts of Life ? Blair buys her financially devastated alma mater, Eastland Academy; Tootie goes to London to study acting, Natalie moves to the Soho district in New York City, and Jo gets married to her boyfriend, Rick.
• I Married Dora - This short-lived series (about a single father named Peter Farrell who marries his housekeeper, Dora, an illegal immigrant from Central America, in an effort to avoid her deportation) was most notable for the final scene of the finale. Peter receives a lucrative two-year contract in Bahrein and is about to leave Dora and his family. He says his good-byes to Dora and his family and gets on the plane ... only to get off again. Peter tells Dora, "It's been cancelled." Dora questions whether he meant the flight, to which Peter says, "No, our series!" The cameras immediately pulled back to show the stage and everyone coming out for their curtain call.
• St. Elsewhere ? In the final scene, a father places a snow globe of St. Eligius on the TV set and summons its owner ? an autistic 6-year-old boy ? to dinner. Seems the entire series had been but a figment of the youngster's imagination. During the finale's closing credits, Mimsie the Cat (the mascot of MTM Enterprises, the show's production company) is hooked to life support, flatlines and dies; this was a reference to the cat's real-life death earlier that year.

1989

• Family Ties - Alex moves to New York, having been offered a financing job there.

1990

• Mama's Family - Naomi finally gives birth to her baby, a beautiful girl. They name her Tiffany Thelma Harper so that both Naomi and Thelma will be happy about the name. Iola gives up her long-standing passion for felt handicrafts and begins making masterpieces out of dryer lint.
• Mr. Belvedere - Mr. Belvedere meets a woman at the Laundromat, and after the two have a whirlwind courtship, announce their engagement. Shortly before the wedding, Mr. Belvedere has serious reservations about getting married, but everyone assures him things will turn out fine. At the altar, Mr. Belvedere's bride tells him she's been called back to her job in Africa. Belvedere decides to follow her, and says his final farewells to the Owens family, whom he had worked for during the past five years.
• Newhart - Everyone in Stratford, Vermont - save for Stratford Inn owners Dick and Joanna - sells their real estate holdings to Japanese investors, who plan to turn the town into a golfing resort. Everyone takes their payoffs and leave Stratford - and Dick and Joanna - behind. Five years later, a huge reunion is held at the Stratford Inn, with everyone richer and odder than before. Most notable: Larry, Darryl and Darryl have married chatterboxes, and the two Darryls scream "QUIET!" - the only spoken line either of them had during the series entire run - to order them into silence. Even Joanna's changed, now dressing in Geisha attire and playing the part perfectly (to the delight of the town's eccentric owners). Things quickly become chaotic, and Dick - the only one who has never changed - loses his temper and decides to leave. On the way outside, he is struck by a wayward golf ball and is knocked unconscious. The screen goes black, only for a light to turn on in a bedroom. "Dick" awakens his wife to tell about the weird dream he just had. The other light comes on, and it's Suzanne Pleshette, reprising her role as Emily Hartley from *The Bob Newhart Show. It turns out that the entire eight years were but a recurring nightmare for psychiatrist Bob Hartley (Newhart's character from the earlier series). An annoyed Emily, after listening to Bob describe the dream, tells him to go back to sleep. During the closing credits - which featured Newhart and the entire cast making their final curtain call and expressing their appreciation for making the show such a huge hit - the closing MTM Enterprises logo features the two Darryls screaming "QUIET!"

1991

• Dallas ? J.R., having lost Southfork to Bobby over the course of the season, finally loses control of Ewing Oil as well. Depressed and drunk, he contemplates suicide. He is stopped by a character played by Joel Grey, who, in the tradition of It's A Wonderful Life, shows him what would have become of most of the show's characters had he never existed, and then at the end urges him on to suicide as his eyes glow red. The last scene is Bobby walking in on J.R. and a gunshot sounding off-camera (Viewers were led to believe J.R. had indeed shot himself, but a later reunion movie revealed that he had instead shot his own image in the mirror).
• Twin Peaks - Agent Cooper pursues his former-partner-turned-killer Windom Earle into the extradimensional Black Lodge, leading to a final confrontation with the evil entity BOB. BOB is confirmed as the killer of Laura Palmer, and proceeds to kill Earle and launch a psychological attack against Cooper. In the end, Cooper is unable to prevail against BOB, and his soul is trapped in the Black Lodge while his evil BOB-controlled doppelganger takes his place in the real world. Cooper nonetheless manages to score a small victory, in that his sacrifice allows Annie's soul to be set free.

1992

• The Cosby Show - Theo ? who is employed at a community center for inner-city youth ? graduates from New York University. Cliff recalls how it once appeared Theo would never live up to his potential, and both he and Claire tell him how proud they are for overcoming so many obstacles (including his poor scholastic performance in high school and dyslexia). Meanwhile, Denise announces she is pregnant, and Olivia plans to join both her and Martin in Singapore. Also, Vanessa and her boyfriend, Dabnis, rekindle their relationship. In the final scene, as Cliff and Claire think about everything that's happened, the two share a dance in the night ... and then walk back stage. Note: In some markets where "The Cosby Show" was airing in reruns, the first episode ? where Cliff confronts Theo about his poor grades ? was broadcast on the night of the finale.
• The Golden Girls ? As a practical joke, Dorothy pretends to be in love with Blanche's uncle, Lucas Hollingsworth (Leslie Nielsen). Ironically, they really do fall in love and get married, and Dorothy moves to Atlanta, Georgia with him, but her mother, Sophia, stays behind.
• Growing Pains - Maggie Seaver is offered - and accepts - a prestigious reporting job in Washington, D.C.. The Seavers' Long Island, New York home is sold, but before the family hands over the keys to its new owner, they share one last meal and reminisce with clips. Carol, who had been away for months (series star Tracey Gold had been absent to battle her eating disorder), arrives home to be with the family on their last day in New York.
• MacGyver - MacGyver teams up with his long lost son, Sam-Sean MacGyver, to help a fugitive Chinese dissident. In the end, MacGyver thanks everyone for their support, then leaves the Phoenix Foundation in order to spend time with his son. MacGyver also receives a phone call from his long-thought-dead arch-nemesis Murdoc, who laughs maniacally.
• Night Court ? While various characters ponder some wild offers (e.g., court bailiff Bull Shannon moving to a distant planet to live with his alien friends; Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding becoming engaged to a wealthy bride), Harry contemplates a variety of offers ... and finds his place in the world is being a justice of the Manhattan arraignment courtroom where he's worked alongside all these loonies for all these years.
• Who's the Boss? ? Tony accepts a job teaching at a college in Iowa, and moves out of his upper Connecticut home he shared with Angela for eight years. Angela soon misses Tony and begins looking for work in Iowa, but she is dissatisfied and soon moves back east, into her old home. It appears that Tony and Angela's relationship will be a thing of the past ... until one morning, when a bathrobe-clad Angela answers the door to find job-seeker Tony. The dialogue is identical to the first episode (when they first met), until they both admit that they missed each other and need to be together.

1993

• Cheers - Diane receives an award for a screenplay she has written. Sam and Diane lie to each other about having spouses and families, until, in a moment of weakness, Sam invites her back to Boston. Before long the passion between Sam and Diane is back on and they are on a plane headed for California. At the last minute, however, Sam realizes that he is happy working at the bar and gets off the plane. The episode finishes as Sam is closing down Cheers for the night; someone knocks at the door, and Sam calls out ?Sorry, we?re closed?.
• Knots Landing - Valene is reunited with her family and friends in the cul-de-sac. She and Gary renew their relationship. Nick, Anne, and Claudia move to Monaco. Greg and Paige become an item. Abby takes over The Sumner Group and moves back into the cul-de-sac, much to the surprise of Val, Gary, Karen, Mac, and all the others, who realize that it will be 'just like old times.'
• Quantum Leap - Sam Beckett leaps to a strange bar at the moment of his own birth, and in his real body. Here Sam meets individuals he's previously encountered throughout his various leaps, although they have different names and do not remember him, and a mysterious bartender called Al who seems to know a lot about Sam?s leaping (whether or not the bartender is in fact God is left ambiguous). Al asks Sam to remember why he made the Quantum Leap Project, and Sam said he ?wanted to make right what once went wrong?. Al then asks Sam what he wants to do next; Sam wants to go home, but he must help a friend. Sam then wills himself to leap to Beth?s living room, as she finishes dancing (at the end of the episode MIA), and tells her Al is alive and will come back from Viet Nam. As a result, in the present day, Al is still married to Beth, and they have five children. Sam, however, never came home.
• The Wonder Years ? Reflecting on how everyone eventually grows up and how childhood comes to an end, Kevin and his longtime childhood sweetheart Winnie have one last passionate day together before going their separate ways once and for all. Winnie goes to Europe to study art, while Kevin stays in the States, gets married, and has a son. In his postlogue, Kevin mentions he writes Winnie for eight years. Kevin's father dies of a heart attack, and his brother takes over the family business. The fates of many supporting characters are resolved, and the narrator (adult Kevin) tells us that no matter what happens, his memories of his childhood will always be with him.

1994

• Dinosaurs - The corrupt WeSaySo Corporation's environmental exploitation results in ecological imbalance. The Dinosaur society's attempts to solve the problems only create new problems (i.e. breeding a plant to solve severe mosquito overpopulation results in a weed that ends up covering entire cities). Finally, WeSaySo bombs every volcano on the planet in order to wipe out the annoying species, only to create a nuclear winter that slowly kills off all life on Earth. The final scene shows the Sinclair family barricaded inside their house, as the world outside is covered in constant snowfall. Baby asks Earl if they're going to die, and Earl tries to reassure his son that dinosaurs have always been and will always be the world's dominant species. (Note: Although filmed, the last seven episodes of the series, including the series finale, were never syndicated or shown on ABC.)
• ' - Captain Picard learns that the Q Continuum's trial to justify the existence of humanity did not end at Farpoint, but has been on-going for all these years. Picard's omnipotent nemesis Q presents him with one final challenge, warping Picard to 3 different time periods (the Enterprise's first voyage, the present, and several years in the future where the crew has gone their separate ways) to see if he can prevent humanity from never having existed. Picard ultimately triumphs thanks to a mental revelation that allows him to think in 4 dimensions, and Q reveals that it is the enlightenment of the human mind, and not the exploration of space, that is the true "final frontier".

1995

• Full House ? Michelle suffers a concussion ? and temporary amnesia ? during a horse-riding accident. Everyone helps jog her memory, via past clips. Michelle eventually recovers, and Jesse tells her that everyone felt like a part of them was gone while she had lost her memory. Also, D.J. worries about not having a senior prom date, until the man of her dreams ? her old boyfriend, Steve ? shows up; and Jesse and Joey audition for their own late-night television show, but ultimately decide against it for the sake of their extended family.

1996

• Forever Knight - Nick's cop friend Tracy dies in the line of duty. Faced with her own mortality, Natalie asks Nick to turn her into a vampire by making love to her. Nick does so, but changes his mind later and stakes Natalie before she can rise so she won't have to live the cursed life of the undead. Nick then has his master and nemesis LaCroix stake him, finally bringing Nick's suffering to an end, and leaving LaCroix as the last (and only) man standing.
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Banks clan decides to move back east, and they sell their house to George and Louise "Weezie" Jefferson. Hilary and Ashley move to New York, Geoffrey is released of his duties as the Banks' butler, and Carlton finally gets his wish to attend Princeton. Even Will gets a place of his own.
• Picket Fences - Carter and Sue, and Kenny and Max get married. Waumbaugh and his ex-wife end up getting re-married. The triple wedding creates a bond between Jimmy and Jill Brock, and reverses the breakdown of their disintegrating marriage. All the surviving townspeople who managed to avoid dying a bizarre death over the course of the series get together for one last group photo.

1997

• Married... with Children - After a prolonged hostage stand-off against Bud's prison pen-pal, Kelly ends up getting engaged to one of the hostage takers. Determined to stop his daughter's marriage, Al ruins the wedding, leaving the Bundy family with a $10,000 wedding debt.
• Roseanne - Roseanne's monologue reveals that her husband Dan had actually died from the heart attack at the end of the eighth season (1995-1996), and the ninth season was mostly her imagination. In fact, none of the people we've known for all these years are actually real, but rather characters in Roseanne's book meant to help her deal with the events of her life.

1998

• Due South - With the help of the mounties, Fraser and Kowalski save the world from Cyrus Bolt's militia and Muldoon's nuclear submarine. In a final confrontation, the ghost of Fraser's father actually takes physical form to help Fraser defeat Muldoon. As a result, Fraser's father is finally put to rest after father and son team up to arrest Muldoon, the man who betrayed the mounties and killed Fraser's mother.
• Family Matters ? Steve Urkel, finally engaged to Laura Winslow (they became boyfriend and girlfriend after a years-long unrequited relationship), is invited by NASA to participate in a space mission to demonstrate his latest invention: an artificial gravity device. However, the spacecraft is damaged in a collision with a wayward satellite, and Urkel is pressed into the hero's role. In the subplot, Eddie ssems to be doing well as a trainee police officer, but Harriet becomes very worried for her son's safety. So, behind Carl's back and without Eddie's knowledge, she pulls a few strings and has Eddie reassigned to meter maid. Both of them become very angry when they learn about what happened, but Harriet's fear still comes true. Eddie, while trying to foil an armed robber, is shot, although he turns out to be OK (the bulletproof vest protected him); Eddie proves his worth by capturing the criminal. (This wasn't intended to be the series finale. The 10th season was to have featured Steve and Laura's marriage, but CBS had the sets destroyed without informing the crew.)
• Highlander - When an Irish terrorist endangers the lives of his friends, Duncan starts to question whether any of his efforts over the years have had any effect at all. He is then treated to an It's a Wonderful Life vision by the ghost of Hugh Fitzcairn, showing Duncan what the world would be like if he had never existed. In this dystopian alternate reality, Duncan's arch-foes Horton (the extremist Watcher) and Kronos (the evil Immortal horseman of the apocalypse) are alive and well and have plunged the world into havok and suffering. Horton has taken over the Watchers and Kronos has seized control of the Immortals, and the two are waging a destructive war against each other. Without Duncan's positive influence, his friends have taken a turn for the worse: Amanda seduces and kills men for profit, Methos reunits with Kronos and returns to being the horseman of Death, Joe Dawson has left the Watchers and become a drunk, Richie joins Methos and Kronos and is killed by them when he refuses to kill Joe. As the vision ends, Duncan realizes that he has made a difference. He vows "never again" to give in to despair, kills the terrorist, and saves his friends.
• Murphy Brown ? Murphy announces her resignation from "FYI" and plans on having another mammogram. The results detect another tumor, requiring exploratory surgery. While succumbed to the anesthesia, Murphy interviews God, who advises her to use her gifts wisely. The surgery reveals the tumor to be benign, and after the group gathers to recall Murphy's years with FYI, she rescinds her resignation. With her future now secure, Murphy returns home to find Eldin, in need of a job ... and a wife. She turns down his marriage proposal, but offers to let him work as her handyman. Also, Mike Wallace tells Jim that he is dull, while Frank pursues a date with Julia Roberts.
• Seinfeld - After a mid-air brush with death, the Seinfeld gang end up in a small town and mock a man who is being robbed on the street, rather than help him. They are arrested (due to the town's Good Samaritan Law), and a lengthy trial follows in which all the people whose lives their self-centeredness have ruined over the years (ranging from the Soup Nazi to Teri Hatcher) all appear to testify as to what lousy human beings they've been. In the end, they are sentenced to one year in prison... for doing nothing.
• Step by Step ? Frank and Carol contemplate selling the house to a snobbish yuppie couple, particularly since the Lamberts still have a large family living in their undersized home. However, they have second thoughts when they see how much the house means to their youngest daughter, Lily, and pull the house off the market at the last moment.

1999

• Babylon 5 - In 2281, President John Sheridan prepares for his expected day of death at the expiration of the twenty year lifespan extension by Lorien. As he visits his old friends, they gather to witness the scheduled demolition of the now vacated Babylon 5 station.
• ' - Hercules and his long-time nemesis Hera end up unintentionally helping each other save Olympus from the invincible titan Atlas. Zeus and Hera kiss and make up, and Hercules and the alternate-universe Iolaus walk off into the sunset, much to the chagrin of the war god Ares.
• Home Improvement - Tim records his final Tool Time. Morgan offers Tim more money and an executive producer credit to stay with the show, but Tim rejects the offer so that Jill can take her dream job in Indiana. Wilson and Tim take down their fence to make room for Al and Trudy's wedding. Note: This was actually the final story of the series; the true series finale was a retrospective look at 8 years of the show, complete with cast interviews, never-before-seen bloopers and ultimately the revealing of Wilson's face.
• NewsRadio ? Jimmy James sells WNYX and asks his entire staff to come work for him in New Hampshire. Everyone accepts the offer except Dave and, as Dave discovers to his horror when he returns to his office, Matthew.
• Red Dwarf - The Red Dwarf is destroyed by a living blob of acid, and the main cast, with no place to escape, disappear in the chaos. Only Rimmer remains, collapsed on the floor and awaiting the inevitable end. But when the Grim Reaper arrives for him, Rimmer musters enough strength to kick Death in the groin and proclaim that "only the good die young".
• ' - The final battles of the war with the Dominion are fought, and many dangling storylines are resolved. The Alpha Quadrant alliance eventually wins, thanks to a last minute change of sides by the Cardassians after the Dominion lay waste to Cardassia Prime and Over 800 million Cardassians had died on Cardassia alone, in a failed attempt to instill obedience. Odo merges with the Founder Leader to give her the cure to the Section 31 plague, and convinces her to end the war. Meanwhile, unbeknowst to either side, Captain Sisko has his final battle with Gul Dukat, who is attempting to revive the Pah Wraiths and destroy the galaxy. Their opposing energies eventually cancel each other out, foiling Dukat's plan and causing Sisko to ascend to live with the Prophets while Dukat is imprisoned alongside the Pah Wraiths. Many of the remaining characters move on to new things, continuing arcs that began over the course of the series.

2000

• Boy Meets World ? Cory and Topanga announce their plans to move to New York City (for her internship), while the rest of the gang announces big plans of their own. Mr. Feeney ? who has been there for them all since elementary school ? gives them some sage words of advice before all of them emotionally bid farewell and strike out on their own. This episode also replayed clips from the series' past seven seasons.
• Sliders - Rembrandt goes off to his homeworld with a virus to finally defeat the Kromaggs. Diana, Maggie, and Mallory are stranded in a parallel earth where the Sliders are celebrities. Their only hope of finding out what happened to Rembrandt disappears when the Seer dies. The remaining Sliders have no way of knowing whether the Seer's prophecy of their next slide causing their deaths has been changed or not.

2001

• 3rd Rock from the Sun - The mission to study Earth ends, and the Solomons are forced to return home. Even though Mary has finally discovered the Solomons' secret and actually finds the idea of dating an alien to be kinky, she ultimately can't bring herself to follow them into space, so Dick eases her pain by erasing her memory of him with a karate chop to the head. Later in syndication an extended version was shown with Dick, who couldn't stand the loss of Mary, returning moments later in the nude and abducting the quite alarmed Mary.
• - The series finale begins more than 10 years in the future. Voyager finally returned to the Alpha Quadrant after a decades-long journey, but many crewmembers (including Chacotay and 7-of-9) died during the voyage. Admiral Kathryn Janeway makes a bold decision to change the past in an attempt to undo the toll taken on the crew during their arduous journey home. She travels back in time, and provides the present Voyager crew with advanced technology that allows them to combat the Borg. Future Janeway leads the Voyager crew in a final assault on the Borg's homeworld, where they ultimately make use of the Borg's trans-warp technology to return home. Meanwhile, Future Janeway stays behind and sacrifices herself to destroy the Borg Queen and the Borg's inter-galactic trans-warp network. Voyager destroys a final Borg vessel sent to stop them, and is then escorted back to Earth by a Starfleet Armada which was assembled to combat a possible Borg invasion.
• Walker, Texas Ranger ? The ruthless supervillain Lavocat ? whose gang Walker had imprisoned several years earlier for their roles in a bank robbery and Ranger-killing spree ? returns to exact his revenge. Lavocat - whom Walker had long assumed had died in a mental hospital - stages a major prison break, in which his criminal associates are freed, and they begin their search for Walker and his partners in Company B. Walker investigates the autopsies of several Rangers, which have been killed in the villain's latest rampage; the shooting style matches Lavocat's shooting style. Walker and Trivtte find a note telling them to dig up the body of C.D. Trivette, and both of them realize that their friend has died. An autopsy determines C.D.'s death to be the result of poisoning. Later, Trivette survives a brutal confrontation with Lavocat, and before long, Walker realizes that his sworn enemy is still alive. Eventually, Walker captures one of the villain's cronies, who immediately lets slip of his boss' whereabouts. Walker eventually gathers a small army of Rangers, which are able to capture all the rest of the bad guys before Walker's one-on-one battle with Lavocat. All this was going on while Walker's pregnant wife, Alex, is about to go into labor (she eventually gives birth to a baby girl, which she names Angela). Also, Trivette proposes marriage to an old flame, and the full story of Hayes Cooper is revealed.
• ' - Xena dies in order to defeat a Japanese demon lord. While she has died before and been brought back to life this time she cannot as that would condemn to eternal torment a few thousands souls she killed back when she was still evil. Her partner Gabrielle sails off into the sunset alone to continue the work, although Xena's spirit stands beside her. Almost all of series' re-occurring characters had died prior to the finale and did not make reappearances.

2002

• Ally McBeal - Ally leaves Boston and the law firm to go to New York and start a life with her newly discovered daughter. Tears are shed and many goodbyes are exchanged between Ally and her friends. Ally concludes that some of the saddest times in her life were also the best.
• ' - Agent Sandoval is fed up with serving the deranged alien overlord Howlyn, but goes after Renee anyway, for personal revenge. Renee and Sandoval have their final showdown, in which Sandoval is killed. As he dies, Sandoval tells Renee that he has no regrets and would gladly do the past 5 years all over again. Meanwhile, Howlyn attempts to activate the Atavus mothership to attack Earth, but his impatience results in the engines overheating and exploding. Howlyn's warriors finally realize what an idiot he is, and their leader fights and kills him, only to be killed by Renee who shows up a few seconds later with a huge energy cannon that conveniently vaporizes the previously invincible Atavus. Howlyn's son vows to return his people to their homeworld, where they won't have to feed on humans. In the end, Howlyn's son, Renee, Liam Kincaid, and Ra'jal (the last Taelon) leave aboard the Taelon mothership to explore the universe together.
• The X-Files - Mulder uses a keycard to break into Mount Weather and learns the date of the alien invasion using a misappropriated password. He is attacked by his indestructible alien nemesis Knowle Rohrer, but manages to fight him off with Krycek's help. Mulder is later captured and put on trial by the government, and his surviving allies (including Skinner, Scully, Spender, Doggett, Reyes, Marita, and Gibson Praise) come together to testify on his behalf (providing a brief overview of the entire series). The trial is rigged, however, and Mulder is ultimately sentenced to death. Director Kersch has a last minute change of heart, and helps Mulder and Scully escape. Meanwhile, Reyes and Doggett return to Washington to discover that the X-files have been closed once and for all. Mulder and Scully go to a New Mexico arroyo in search of a wise man who knows the final truth. That individual turns out to be Mulder and Scully's old arch-nemesis, Cigarette Smoking Man, who supplied the keycard and password to Mulder so that he could learn the date of the alien invasion. Doggett and Reyes also show up at the arroyo and are confronted by Rohrer, who intends to kill everybody but is destroyed by some natural mineral in the arroyo walls (suggesting there may be hope against the aliens after all). Black helicopters ultimately arrive and vaporize the entire arroyo, including the Cigarette Smoking Man. The agents escape, and Mulder and Scully hold each other and ponder the future.

2003

• Brookside ? Drug dealer Jack Michaelson gets killed by a number of regular characters, who had been at the receiving end of his vile ways in previous episodes, an idea subtly suggested by Barry Grant, who makes a return to the Close along with Lindsey Corkhill. The final shots show Jimmy Corkhill adding a 'd' to the street sign, so that it read 'Brookside Closed'.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy leads her great alliance of friends and former foes for one final assault on the Hellmouth and The First Evil's army of uber-vampires. In the final confrontation with the First Evil, Buffy learns that she can 'activate' each the hundreds of girls with the potential to become Slayers, creating a small army of Slayers. As a result, she no longer has to be the only active Slayer, allowing her to realize her dream of a somewhat normal life. This act tilts the balance of power drastically back towards Good, allowing the First Evil's assault to be defeated. The First Evil cannot be destroyed, but it is unlikely to be active for some time. The Hellmouth is sealed once and for all, destroying the corrupted town of Sunnydale. A couple of the recurring characters died in the final assault on the Hellmouth (Anya gets stabbed by one of the bringers, and Spike sacrifices himself to seal the Hellmouth), but a surprising number survive to move on to new things. A few details of their continuing lives are revealed during season 5 of the ANGEL spinoff series, which spike joins as a regular after being resurrected.
• Dawson's Creek - Jen dies, leaving her daughter to be raised by Jack and his boyfriend - Pacey's cop brother, who turned out to be gay after all. Joey takes Pacey back to New York with her, leaving Dawson back in LA producing his autobiographical series, "The Creek".
• Touched by an Angel - Monica has her final assignment which will lead to her promotion taking over Tess' position.

2004

• Angel - Team Angel (including Angel's long-time nemesis Lindsey) plans to defy the Senior Partners by destroying the Circle of the Black Thorn, their prime operatives on Earth. Each Team Angel member is assigned a Black Thorn member to assassinate, while Angel gets into a final bang-up showdown with Hamilton, the Senior Partners' liaison. The team succeeds, but Wesley dies on his mission and Lindsey is killed by Lorne to prevent him from taking the Black Thorn's place. Angel's son Conner shows up at the last minute to help Angel battle Hamilton, and the Wolfram and Hart building crumbles to dust after Hamilton is killed. However, this act of defiance angers the Senior Partners, who finally send their full might against Angel and Co. The final scene is Angel, Spike, Ilyria, and a mortally wounded Gunn about to fight what appears to be a hopeless battle against a massive army of hellspawn, plus assorted giants and one flying dragon. Despite the overwhelming odds, Angel seems hopeful, and his final words (and the final words of the series) are "let's get to work". On the plus side, Lorne the singing demon manages to get away, having left the group earlier for parts unknown, and Angel lives on through his son Conner.
• The Drew Carey Show - Kellie accepts Drew's marriage proposal and gives birth to a baby.
• Farscape - Crichton and the crew of Moya discovers that the Scarrans are preparing an invasion of defenseless Earth. Crichton rejects Scorpius' offer of a Peacekeeper alliance and uses his wormhole knowledge to seal up the wormhole leading to Earth forever, holding one last conversation with his father while standing on the moon. A Scarran scout ship heading towards Earth is destroyed as the wormhole tears itself apart. Moya sets down in an ocean on an alien world, and Crichton proposes marriage to Aeryn, who accepts. However, in the last few seconds of the episode, a strange alien craft appears, identifies the pair as "intruders" and reduces them to dust. Although the series ends on a cliffhanger, after several years it finally receives a more concrete resolution to the various plotlines in .
• Frasier - Ronnie and Martin wed, despite a series of hilarious screw-ups by the Crane brothers during the wedding preparations. Niles worries that his and Daphne's child will take after her loutish brothers rather than his more refined side of the family, but ultimately decides to accept the child for who he is. Daphne gives birth to a son, David Crane. Roz gets promoted to station manager of KACL. Feeling increasingly distant from his family and friends, Frasier accepts a new radio job in San Francisco. But in the end we see him aboard an airplane flying to Chicago to catch his new love. The story is somewhat open ended.
• Friends - Monica and Chandler adopt twins and Rachel and Ross finally get together. Rachel avoids getting a fashion job in Paris so that she can get back with Ross.
• The Practice ? The firm closes.
• Sex and the City ? An American Girl in Paris: Parts Une and Deux. In Paris with Petrovsky, Carrie comes to realize that his work will always come first and that she misses her friends. Back in New York, Samantha is depressed about the effect of the chemotherapy on her libido and tells Smith he can have sex with someone else while on location filming a movie in Canada. Miranda and Steve realize that his mother's mental capacities have taken a serious decline and that she can no longer live alone, so they have her move in with them. After their attempt to arrange an open adoption with a couple from North Carolina falls through because the woman has found out she will be having a daughter, Charlotte and Harry get referred a Chinese orphan girl to adopt. After sending her unbloomed flowers at work, Smith comes home in the middle of the night and tells Samantha he forgot to tell her he loved her on the phone. She tells him not to have sex until he gets back. Carrie finally confronts Petrovsky and after he accidentally slaps her, she goes looking for a hotel room, only to find Big there in the lobby. After talking him out of attacking Petrovsky, they return to New York where she is reunited with her friends. She concludes that happiness in love means that you have to love yourself and find someone who loves that self as much as you do. In the last scene, she is walking along a street when Big calls and the caller ID on her cellphone at long last reveals his name: John.

2005

• Andromeda ? The crew escape their dimensional prison and return to the known universe, just in time to confront the Nietzschean fleet as it begins its invasion of the Commonwealth. After an extensive battle, the Nietzcheans are eventually convinced to stand down. The Spirit of the Abyss shows up, but is finally defeated. Surprisingly, everyone survives.
• Everybody Loves Raymond ? Raymond undergoes minor surgery, but seems to go into a coma, causing all his family members to gather around him and fear he may die. It all turns out to be a big misunderstanding, however, and Raymond is fine. Ray starts to ponder his own mortality, but that doesn't last very long. The show ends with the entire family arguing around the dinner table, as they always have.
• JAG - Harm and Mac are told by the general that they have been promoted and assigned to new posts: Harm in London and Mac in San Diego. They are told that they can choose from the JAG staff who they want to go with them. Meanwhile Lt. Vukovic is sent to work on a case involving an underage 16 year old marine who's father died in combat 2 years earlier. In the end the young marine is sent home and told that he can join the marines when he comes of age. Harm offers Bud the chance to go with him to London as his assistant. Bud jumps at the chance. However after a discussion with Harriet they decide that it would be best to stay where they are so Bud declines Harm's offer. Then Harm and Mac finally confront their feelings for each other that they've been avoiding for the past 9 years. They decide to get married. They meet the whole gang at the bar. For the marriage to work however one of them will have to give up their military career and go with the other. Since they can't decide, Bud pulls out the JAG coin that Admiral Chedwiggen gave him when he retired and proposes a coin toss. Mac chooses tails and flips the coin. The final shot is the group looking up at the coin as it spins, and as it fades to black, the coin is left on a black screen, and the coin simply says: "JAG 1995-2005".
• NYPD Blue - Andy Sipowicz takes over as squad commander and takes the heat from his superiors as he and the detectives press ahead with an investigation of a wealthy and well-connected man for the murder of a prostitute. Greg drops by briefly. Lieutenant Bale stops by to get his things and he tells Andy that he'll be a good squad commander. The rich man gets arrested. Andy gets yelled at by the chief of police who says that if he screws up one more time, he'll "regret it". At the end of the episode Andy is shown sitting at his desk going through paperwork, finally content and happy with his life, as the squad members come one by one telling to congratulate him on his new position and say goodbye. The camera, focused on Andy, slowly moves out from his desk through the empty squadroom and out of the door. Then the screen fades to black, showing that life has not ended at the 15th precinct; we just won't get to visit every week.
• Six Feet Under - Everyone's Waiting. Brenda delivers early to a premature baby girl named Willa two months prior to the original delivery date. Leading Brenda to allow her negativity about the future of the baby's health to take over. Willa makes wonderful advances in the next few weeks and is soon sent home. Ruth then gives Maya, (Nate's daughter) who had been staying with her back to Brenda promising she will help her raise the two children. Later, Federico makes a down payment on a mortuary of his own and asks David and Brenda to buy him out. David refuses to sell the business but soon puts the home on the market. Keith then proposes for David, himself and their sons to purchase both Federico and Brenda's halves and move into the funeral home. Ruth then moves out of the funeral home to open a canine retreat with friend, Bettina. Meanwhile, Claire is offered a photographer's assistant job in New York City which she accepts and at her farewell dinner, the family reminisce on the last 5 years and toast Nate, who had died 3 episodes prior. The final 6 minutes of the episode flash forward to the future showing how each of the main characters will die.
• ' ? The series finale is set six years after the two-part season finale, and is in fact a holodeck re-creation of "historic events" in which "Star Trek the Next Generation"'s Commander Riker and Councillor Troi are taking part. Inside the re-creation, the original Enterprise crew get together to witness the decommission of the Enterprise and the formation of the United Federation of Planets. We learn that Trip and T'pol broke up their relationship shortly after the events of the season finale. Before going their separate ways, the Enterprise crew embarks on one last mission: to save the daughter of their former nemesis and ally Shran from Andorian terrorists. During the course of the mission, the Enterprise is invaded by the terrorists, and Trip sacrifices himself to stop them by detonating one of the ship's corridors. Enterprise ends with Captain Archer about to give his historic speech that will bring the Federation together, and Captains Kirk, Picard, and Archer signing off with the famous phrase "to boldly go where no man has gone before."