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Great shows with a truly satisfying ending?
There was a thread about shows with a great beginning and a comment in the thread made me want to ask, what about the opposite? Shows with a really satisfying ending that feels like they wrapping things up in a satisfying way?
I third Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. I'd also list the following feel-good shows with feel-good endings:
The Good Place
Parks and Recreation
Schitt's Creek
And as I'm a huge animation fan, I can't go without mentioning "a few" shows here:
Gravity Falls
The Owl House
Cowboy Beebop
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Avatar the Last Airbender
Adventure Time
Over the Garden Wall (this one is cheating because it's only one season)
Castlevania
Bojack Horseman
I never see discussion on Bojack. I think I get it. The early seasons feel a little lost in tone compared to the later ones.
But by god, I had some strong feeling about that show. It kept me up at night. They really, really hit hard with the characters.
It's a reasonably long show but man it's worth it for the ride.
Yeah I should probably add a caveat to that one and say people struggling with depression and/or substance abuse should avoid watching it.
I think a lot of people see anthropomorphic characters and dismiss it, so they don't watch the show. Those of us who watched it are too busy doing this to talk about it. I lost count of the number of times that show made me go "Oof", it's great.
I only kind of half-agree with you about people struggling with depression watching it. While people who are really actively struggling might not want to take it in because it presents some pretty heavy topics, I found it kind of cathartic.
Being able to see Bojack's problems from the outside and wanting desperately for him to do better for himself helped me look at myself from the outside and want the same for myself, and I think a lot of my friends felt the same way.
The Adventures of Sad Horse, as it was known in my group, did hit deep a lot of the time but in a way that felt good. Like the way feeling sore after exercise can feel good, or how a good cry can make things more bearable.
That's fair, it's probably a "your mileage may vary" sort of situation. I know a couple of people who started watching and had to stop because it was too much for them. I also deal with depression at times and found it cathartic like you, but I could also see it going the other way if I were in the throes of deep depression when watching it. I suppose it's worth trying but it's ok to stop if it feels like too much.
I got to the part where he decided to live in the driveway of his old crush and had to bail. I've enjoyed awkward and uncomfortable shows before but that took it to a whole new level.
I don't blame you, it's a very hard watch.
I honestly think I would have turned it off too, but I felt the writers had honest to God sold me that Bojack was the kind of self hating, self destructive, selfish man that would be capable of doing that and I was on the edge of my seat to see how long he'd keep getting away with it.
Reminds me of a show I watched recently, The 8 Show, which is a Korean limited series. There were two episodes of that I genuinely had to put down and come back to later because it was just too grotesque.
I understand why you listed The Good Place under the feel good endings, but God it makes me cry every time
Sometimes the best shows are the most bittersweet :')
Same. I loved the show, but can't face a rewatch because I will be bawling at the final episode!
The last time my wife and I rewatched, we just never started the last episode cause neither of us were ready to be that sad again lol
Can one watch Cyberpunk without having played the game?
Absolutely! I've never played the game and greatly enjoyed it.
If anything is better that way, since it takes place before the game events and there are some backreferences
Oh man, The Owl House. I’m still disappointed at how the pacing got borked because of Disney going insane at the time, but I’m glad we got the ending because it was fantastic. It really had a lot of heart.
After one finishes Cowboy Bebop I would strongly recommend watching the movie. It’s a fantastically animated film that takes place before the ending of the show and it’s got a really affecting message about connecting with other people. Plus the ending theme song is possibly one of the most beautifully performed songs I’ve ever heard.
Oh man I hear you on The Owl House, but the team did a fantastic job with what they had to work with. Nowadays I get my fix by reading Moringmark comics and I am adamant those are canon now. Did you watch Amphibia as well? Almost put it on the list.
I don't think I watched the Cowboy Beebop movie. Sounds like it's time for another rewatch but this time including the movie. Thanks for the tip!
Another Moringmark fan in the wild!! Their comics give me so much life :)
I personally liked Amphibia overall a bit more than TOH (Hop Pop is hysterical), but the ending also similarly suffered from rushing sadly!
Yessss!! They really fill a hole left by the show. They're so well done and are published so regularly I have a hard time believing they're made by one person(?), it's insane!
I do love Amphibia as well, but the ending didn't give me the same level of closure as the other shows I listed, hence I didn't include it. It's still a great show though, and very funny at times.
There's dozens of us!
The Good Place spoilers
From a philosophical and mental health standpoint I found the suicide machine misguided and perverse. But I do admit that the ending follows all recognizable conventions of what makes a good ending.
Personally, I found it very comforting. If it was damaging to your mental health, that's awful and I'm sorry. My thoughts about why I liked it are below, but don't read them if you'd prefer no further discussion.
Also Good Place spoilers (trigger warning)
TW: suicideI grew up in a religion with a somewhat unique take on the afterlife. The idea is that there are infinite worlds that we will travel through -- some material, some spiritual -- and the goal is to always strive to grow and become a better person than you were before.
As a kid, I loved this idea. But the more I think about it as an adult, the more I actually loathe it. An eternity of this grinding existence? I already feel beaten down by the constant feeling of wading through molasses, and this world is just the "first" one. True, there are rewards to living, and the next worlds might not have the challenges I face in this one. Or they might be worse. I have no other frame of reference to know. When it comes time for me to die, my wish is to stop existing entirely.
Edit: Added trigger warning.
What religion was this, if you don't mind me asking?
It's called the Bahá'í Faith.
Click to view the hidden text
The reason why the ending is comforting is that suicide is comforting. The show is structured as a series of philosophical lessons that the audience can apply to their own lives. The characters act as counterparts to the viewers. The lesson taught by the ending is that suicide is good. I take suicide glorification very seriously. I find the ending incredibly misguided.
Click to expand hidden text (trigger warning)
TW: suicideI don't think it's suicide glorification at all. People who wish or plan to suicide, without variation, have that wish/plan because they are in too much pain to live. Many of them are crying for help to dig themselves out of their hole, but many are in impossible circumstances and are thinking clearly. The idea of merciful euthanasia is not a new one.
But this is not relevant to what happens in The Good Place. The idea that you can find your utmost peace before your end? That's not about suicide at all. I'd argue that it's the opposite. That's a message of hope.
Edit: Added trigger warning.
Click to view the hidden text
Because characters emulate the viewers, it is suicidal fantasy. A romanticization of what an ideal suicide might be. Additionally, suicide is what they concretely do: the voluntary elimination of consciousness. Even the philosophy professor who guided our ethical discussions until then offs himself. The message is really on the nose. It is also compelling, charming, poetic, and inviting. Essentially all the things I wouldn't wanna make suicide to feel in a fictional world that Is structured as a series of lessons about how to live your life. Giving up on the complexity and richness and multitudes of existence is about the least hopeful message they could end with.
Click to expand hidden text (trigger warning inside)
TW: suicideI'm going to try to paraphrase your viewpoint to make sure I'm understanding it the way you mean. Please tell me if I've gotten it wrong. Your argument is that depicting a voluntary end of existence in a positive, even cozy, manner is morally wrong. I'm not sure, exactly, if you're talking about as a general trend in thinking or as a message to those specifically who are currently at risk of suicidal ideation -- perhaps both, or perhaps the one leads to the other. From a show that preaches lessons about our behavior, and its impacts, and doing the best one can in the world we're given, giving the idea of suicide any encouragement is dangerous, because it is giving up on life when life still has so much to offer us.
Let me know if I'm correct because I don't want to go down the wrong path.
I don't understand why that would be triggering but I appreciate the care.
Click to view the hidden text
I don't think the show makers themselves are immoral, as I don't believe it was intentional. But it was intelectually poor to make a case for the virtues of suicide without realizing it, and without realizing the implications of that concept. This feeds into suicidal ideation as well as suicide glorification, but it is also bad reasoning and bad writing. To write that ending without realizing that you're essentially talking about suicide shows a lack of intelligence and knowledge. They just presented a well known and understood option with enough ornamentation to disguise it in poetry. It was suicide with extra steps and a pretty package. Call it by its name is what I am saying.
The trigger warnings are for anyone else reading this comment thread. You already know what we're talking about, I assume. :-)
I think we are talking at cross purposes and so I am bowing out. I apologize if any of this discussion has caused you any frustration or distress.
That's cool. You didn't cause me any distress, by the way. I don't find that subject particularly distressful. But it's nice to know you care. Take care ;)
Also, to your actual question, the issue is not doing X. The issue is doing X without addressing the fact that you're doing X. Lots of media are openly pro X.
Just OWN It. That's I would expect from a show that is so overtly philosophical and pedagogical. Don't just throw the uncomfortable bits under the rug with slow motion, uplifting music, and selective Buddhism. They should embrace complexity and nuance like they did for most of the show. Or better yet, don't end with a freaking lesson. Be vague, open ended, whatever. Don't support an over simplified conclusion that betrayals all that came before and allows for disturbing ramifications. That show managed to be nuanced about everything but X. It was a blind spot. That's my point.
I have a reply I'm working on wording, but first: I've edited my previous comments to include a trigger warning. Letting you know in case you wish to do the same.
Just started Better Call Saul, couldn't get into it the first time I tried. Can't stop watching it now. I found Breaking Bad to be a bit too ultra violent eventually and actually stopped watching, hope Better Call Saul doesn't go the same way.
Avatar is so good. The ‘spiritual grammar’ of the story -for lack of better words- make the themes and characters really come alive for me. It’s one of those shows that needs a rewatch every few years.
I remember being blown away by Dark's ending. Its been a while, so maybe its time for a rewatch.
Edit: For those who have not watched it, Dark is known for having an extremely complex plot, so much so that Netflix created a website that provides a (spoiler-free) guide to the show's characters and timeline, episode by episode. For some, this can be a bit off-putting - I had a few friends give up on the show because they couldn't follow the plot at all.
But please don't be discouraged by that! The ending does tie up a lot of plot points with little to no loose ends.
This is the third time I've seen this show mentioned this week. I think I'm going to have to watch it!
Do so. Just amazing. Deep characters. Complicated and coherent story. It's rewarding.
Great show indeed. Did you watch Dark dubbed or with subtitles?
Subtitles, always! The only show I've enjoyed more with dub is One Punch Man.
I had been watching it for a season or so and I fell off, maybe I can pick it back up again soon. Thanks for the encouragement.
Honestly it has a bit of a saggy middle. Lots of angry silences and not much progress. I thought it could have been two seasons.
And their new show got cancelled, it looked like it was maybe going to be similarly good.
I'm happy to know Netflix brought the website back at some point; they took it down while I was watching, which was a bummer. I thought they'd decided not to support it anymore since the show was no longer new at the time.
Here's my recent list. Some overlap with what's already been recommended and I'll try to avoid single season recommendations
Barry
Adventure Time
Reservation Dogs
The Good Place
Parks and Rec
Shogun - this is only one season but the plot is incredibly intricate and sticking the landing was incredibly difficult but they absolutely nail it. To me they didn't need a season 2 but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt
The ending of Shogun seemed like a total cop out. It felt like they had absolutely no idea how to end it so it just sets up the second season. It was very disappointing. I don’t think Shogun is the type of show that really needs multiple seasons. I would have preferred a complete story in a single season.
Have you read the book? The ending is similar. Like it or dislike it, Clavell sets up the plot and themes of the book to reinforce certain messages, especially that Japan is different from the west and that toranaga is a master Machiavellian strategist. The story ends like chess. And the way blackthorn's story ends is intended and purposeful from the author.
Having not read the book, this is how I interpreted the ending...
Exactly this.
I have read the book, yes. I still don’t think it needs to be a multiple season affair. Personally, I would have preferred a stronger finish on season one and nix the rest.
I misunderstood you. I thought you were unhappy with the similarities between the end of season one and the end of the book.
I agree. I didn't want season 2.
The Wire
Succession
Veep
Better Call Saul
Ozark
Le bureau des légendes
Better Call Saul's ending was excellent. That's the only one of those shows I've seen the final episode of. I fell off The Wire during season 2, and Succession and Ozark even faster. I should probably give at least The Wire another chance some time.
Breaking Bad also nailed the ending, in my opinion. Apparently, Vince Gilligan is currently working on a new show for Apple+. May have to look into that when it comes out.
Do give The Wire another shot. A lot of people are not happy with the changed setting in season 2 so you aren't the first, but it is so worth it to continue. For me at least, it's the best show of all time and it is not close. And this will sound annoying but I always feel like those that don't consider it the best ever show, it's because they didn't watch it.
Ozark is a mixed bag and I understand that it's not for everyone.
What didn't you like about Succession?
As for Breaking Bad.. that's the one show that I don't get what the fuzz is about. I watched it 3 times (why did I do that lol) and I can only say that it's like a solid 6/10, at best 7/10.
That's how I feel about Succession. It's not that I don't like it; I just don't care enough to watch the next episode.
Succession has no characters to root for. I simply can’t care enough for what will happen to these characters, so why would I keep watching? They’re all shitty people in shitty situations!
They're all various degrees of shitty people, but one is always less shitty than another, so who I rooted for depended on the situation. And when there wasn't anyone to root for, I didn't really mind - I don't always need to be one someone's team in that sense.
The brilliant thing about Succession is just how well made it is all around. The writing is impeccable, acting always perfect, comedic moments always land, and the scheming and plotting never stops! It was entertaining and gripping throughout, often having me on the edge of my seat
Fair enough. How far did you get?
Not very. Maybe 5–6 episodes.
Season 2 is the weakest season since it kind of goes off-theme a bit. It's not bad by any stretch. In fact, the final few episodes make it all worthwhile and provide a huge payoff that make it a much more enjoyable season when rewatching.
But regardless, the show gets back to its roots in season 3 and stays there for the rest of the show.
The ending of the wire was so incredible that it made me cry both times I've seen it and put me into a state of deep contemplation for at least a week.
Totally agree. The Wire was even better on the second watch - in fact, as soon as I finished watching it the first time, I instantly started over from season 1 episode 1. So good!
I think I've seen it three times? Four? It's magnificent.
I think I'm on five! Do yourself a favour and watch both versions if you haven't already. It feels like a completely different show
Wait, what? Please explain.
It was remastered some 10 years ago into 16:9 in HD. The original version is in 4:3 and SD
The show was shot in full frame 4:3 on film. The remaster cuts information the cinematographer and director included as part of a conscious choice to shoot in the 4:3 aspect ratio. If you can find the DVD sets, I'd recommend them over watching in widescreen.
Ozark was good for a bit but it had an awful last season and an even worse ending, so you're not missing much.
Dropping Succession before/during S2 is crazy to me, I think it's one of the best shows ever made and it absolutely nailed its final season and ending.
The Americans has maybe the best finale of any show I've watched. I finished it months ago and I still can't stop thinking about it. It's a really excellent show all the way through.
It's up there with the Six Feet Under finale.
I had some real gripes with that show. I did watch it the whole way through so I was decently entertained, but my eye-rolls per episode ratio was too high lol
It's been years since I watched it so my memory is a little flaky. And I know it's an unpopular opinion because every time I see the show brought up, it's only high praise. I had three problems with it:
First of all was that Stan almost always went solo which is a very tired trope, like, just call for back-up when you do anything even remotely dangerous on the job!
Secondly, there was a lot of soap-opera level writing. The family drama in the show was mostly pretty bad in my opinion, especially with Paige who was also the weakest link in terms of acting. She was a child actress so it's understandable, but they should have worked around it and given her scenes where she could shine instead of what they had her do.
And the third was that it dragged on for too long. It could have been a lot tighter if it was one or two seasons shorter.
Also, Matthew Rhys' veneers are way too big for his mouth and always distracted me. Nothing but praise for Keri Russell though.
I'm not sure this is true except in instances where he was already breaking protocol and going on a hunch. Stan made a lot of mistakes throughout the show, I'll give you that, but that's part of the point in his character. He has a lot of faith in his ability to read people and to win people over (remember he spent years under cover in a white supremacist org), and that was his fatal flaw.
I really hated the crisis around whether she could join the church, but it led to interesting places later in the show. But in general, yeah, child actors are rarely great.
Absolutely incredible show, watched it at the beginning of the year and I still think of that garage scene and the final shot, so good.
Exactly. The garage scene is so deeply nuanced. My wife and I watched that single scene several times. We were discussing it for days!
Oh, wow. Great call out. The final conflict (I'll go with that) was so artful and insidious. Just absolutely brilliant in its understatedness.
I really love the ending of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but it has its caveats. Because the final season needs to conclude the "origin" story and the character story at the same time. Theres no elegant way to handle this because media formatting hell. You cant have infinite seasons, or single episodes for different time periods or some flexible way out, especially with the cast and crew wanting to move on. So you have a season of non-chronological storytelling that clashes with the format so far and its jarring. But that finale is just incredible and just wraps up the series beautifully. My wife and I are both big standup fans and will occasionally rewatch that episode when we need a pickup. The entire series is fun mash of New York story, family comedy, period piece and comedy industry showcase. Also the two part "We're going to the Catskills" episodes is easily some of my favorite media of all time.
I also have to mention Star Trek TNG. Don't know if it's just my love of the show but All Good Things was an amazing finale.
TNG was a really solid ending of that show. By that token, DS9 was really well wrapped up too, a very satisfying ending.
It’s been a minute since I watched it but I remember thinking the format of the final episodes (was it the whole season? half the season?) felt very different from the rest of the series. I wasn’t a fan of the Kai Winn / Gul Dukat story arc, which seemed out of character for both and rather forced. I was also really annoyed by Jadzia receiving the Tasha Yar treatment, and while there might have been a good way to handle her successor in Ezri Dax, I think they bungled it. The icing on the cake was the cheesy clip montage at the very end which showed memorable moments from every season but none of Terry Farrell (but plenty of Nicole de Boer). I understand the real-world contractual reasons for that but it still felt like a slap in the face.
Star Trek Voyager had a very solid endgame episode :) recorded it on VHS tape lol.
I'm slowly rewatching all of Voyager now. Looking forward to experiencing that final episode as an adult. :)
I didn't love the ending of that show personally, or really the whole last season which was pretty uneven imo.
But the episode with Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall is probably my favorite, which I think is the season 4 finale.
Can't actually remember the ending but loved MMM so much!
Six Feet Under
It's been years since I've watched it, but that final episode still sticks with me.
I think it was my comment you're talking about! I was thinking of asking this question myself.
So, here are five wildly different shows:
I mentioned Fringe in the other thread. Sci-fi detective show, except the setting is modern and the sci-fi elements aren't common place... At least, not until the final season. There's an overarching plot involving multiple universes and time travel, and the final season largely drops the weekly-case format to focus on the culmination of those plot threads. My mom and I had a blast the whole way through the show.
A show I doubt many people here have or would watch: Desperate Housewives. It's a bit of a satire on soap operas I think, with all sorts of drama that's played seriously even when it's ridiculous. I only got into it partway through the series because my mom would watch it while brushing my hair. I was like, in seventh grade I think? The show had its ups and downs of course, but the finale was incredibly satisfying. It had this montage featuring a wedding, a birth and a death. Worth noting that the death is even more poignant because the actress, Kathryn Joosten, was suffering from cancer in real life and died 20 days after her character died onscreen. At the end of the sequence my mom and I just stood and hugged while crying.
Also, I still think about one of the final lines sometimes. About how so many people never get to know the neighbor on the other side of their hedge. That show helped me realize how much of a rare and good thing we have with our neighbors. I've been thinking about that line a lot now that we're moving from our house of 23 years.
Skipping over to anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the most perfect series I have ever seen. I read a LOT of manga, and long series tend to lose steam at the end. Burnout hits, plot threads are left in the air, etc. FMA is a rare exception. When watching the anime adaptation, on the credits of the second-to-last episode I was just hit that the series was perfect. Full emotional closure while still leaving the future open for the cast, the story wrapped up neatly in every way, just... A rare gem of a series.
In a similar vein to above: Monster. Just absolute perfection all the way through, and one of the stories that cemented Naoki Urasawa as my all-time favorite mangaka and one of my favorite storytellers. Recently got my mom to begin watching Monster with me, and while we're going slowly and far from the end, it got me realizing that I don't trust this show to have a good live action adaptation. While more grounded in reality than most anime, this series deals with incredibly delicate emotions that not many writers can handle well. It would be so easy to mess it up if it's not a 1:1 adaptation, and with all the changes that are usually made in adaptations... Yeah.
Finally, on the western animation side: Kipo and the Wonderbeasts. A fun series, and the ending wraps up a majority of plot threads. My desire for more is more from wanting to see more of the world and characters' responses to the changes brought on by the final act than dissatisfaction.
Throwing in a vote for 12 Monkeys (the TV show, not the movie). The show seemed to kind of fly under the radar for most but is one of the most tightly written shows I've ever seen. It has a pretty complex plot but ties it completely together in a satisfying way. True to the theme of the show, pretty much everything in all 4 seasons is connected to everything else and not necessarily in chronological order. Like, you might see a brief aside or scene in season 2 that seems completely random and like the script is wandering off the rails, but becomes a critical plot point in season 4. And vice versa.
But at heart it's still a good sci-fi time-traveling adventure story and you don't have to catch every detail to enjoy it. Easiest analog I can draw is the movie Inception, where there's a lot to read from it if you're looking for it but you don't have to, you can just enjoy the ride.
Odd Taxi is the perfect anime, only 13 eps, satisfying and creative ending. Every plot is solved even though you will be wanting more after finishing it.
While most of the shows mentioned are -beside the satisfying ending- also satisfying or conventionally good in their entirety, I’d like to offer a show that’s really rescued by its ending. Well, in my humble opinion at least.
Dollhouse is a show with such an interesting premise. Its episodes differ a bit in quality. And it was cancelled halfway season 2. The epilogue Epitaph One, which is considered kind of the finale, really wrapped everything up in an amazing way. Actually the best part of the show.
I really enjoyed Reign, and I was impressed that the writers planned the ending they wanted from the start, no matter how many seasons the show would run. When the series was cancelled, they were still able to film the ending they wanted.
Star Trek TNG and Voyager were already mentioned, but I’ll mention DS9. It was a great bittersweet ending that perfectly fit the tone of the show, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It’s not easy wrapping up a show that lasts 173 episodes, especially one with so many ongoing story arcs, but they did it.
Band of Brothers and The Pacific both had fantastic endings (not so much for Masters of the Air).
Come to think of it, many shows I watch either have bad or forgettable endings, I’m trying to comb my brain for what TV I’ve watched in the last 10 years and it’s either all ongoing or the endings were shit (cough game of thrones cough), with some exception. I should really start logging what movies and tv I watch so that I can remember what I think about them.
I mentioned this in the other thread, but I really enjoyed the ending of Fringe.
EDIT: added imdb link
#Gurren Lagann
Cyclical / spiral structure of story telling that just keeps ramping up. Come what may, burst through the ceiling and keep going! It's the series that makes me feel the greatest about myself, civilization, and Life itself.
I'd say second place Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad+El Camino leaves no loose ends. It has a satisfactory ending in the sense that it is a very classic, "by the book" ending that doesn't play with vagueness. It gives as much answers and emotional closure as one could expect from that kind of show.
I've seen a lot of shows already mentioned, but I'm add Mad Men &
Cheers.I thought both of these shows stick the landing.
The Last Airbender.
Tokyo Vice.