The ending to any TV show is one of the scariest parts of a series’ story; if done wrong, it could absolutely decimate the reputation of everything that came before. However, if it is done right, it can be a perfect send-off for beloved shows. Much of the time, the ending of a TV show is due to untimely cancellations, with shows having a much better chance of ending properly when the writers are given time to properly set up and execute a finale.
However, even if the creatives are allowed to end their shows on their own terms, that doesn’t mean that the endings aren’t going to be weird. These four TV shows each had wildly unexpected endings that surprised many, but in hindsight, they were perfect.
A prequel to Breaking Bad never seemed like a great idea, as it was deemed impossible to meet the high standard set by the near-perfect crime series. Luckily, Better Call Saul did it. The prequel explores the life of Jimmy McGill up to the events of Breaking Bad, and while the new reveals were exciting, many viewers thought they knew where it was going. However, the last few episodes of Better Call Saul abandon the prequel format and instead jump to a point in the timeline after Breaking Bad. The final four episodes of the show take place in 2010, following Jimmy as he is in hiding in Omaha, Nebraska. Unable to resist the temptation of another scheme, an unfortunate series of events leads Jimmy to be arrested and face a trial and time for his actions throughout both shows.
The decision to spend the last quarter of the final season of Better Call Saul in 2010 was a shocking one, as it seemingly moves away from the timeline that the rest of the show had been set in. However, it wound up being a perfect way to juxtapose who Jimmy was with who he became, creating the conclusion to a character story arguably better than the one seen in Breaking Bad.
Most sitcoms aren’t well-known for their endings, as viewers often care more about the episodic comedic situations rather than the overarching stories. However, as Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s legendary run continued into its later years, it focused more on season-long arcs, something that was rare for sitcoms at the time. The twelfth and final season spends much of its time in Atlanta, Georgia, rather than its traditional Los Angeles setting, with Larry David accidentally becoming a Civil Rights icon after unintentionally breaking a Georgia election law. The finale “No Lessons Learned” focuses on Larry David’s trial, which requires multiple character witnesses from throughout the show’s history to testify for and against Larry.
The best part about the Curb Your Enthusiasm finale is also why it was so unexpected: it is an homage to the controversial Seinfeld finale. Both finales highlight the horrible things that the main characters have done throughout the series, leading to them getting a year-long sentence in jail. However, in the Curb finale, Jerry Seinfeld brings forward information that leads to a mistrial, freeing Larry from prison. The series ends with the duo discussing that this is how they should have ended Seinfeld, giving the entire season a perfect punchline. Since so much of Curb is about Larry living in the shadow of Seinfeld, giving him another shot at ending the show was the perfect way to cap off the HBO series.
To an even greater extent than sitcoms, finales of reality shows often don’t matter all that much, as most of these unscripted programs aren’t too concerned with a satisfying conclusion to whatever overarching stories they may have. However, in the case of Nathan for You, the unexpected finale wound up turning into one of the most beautiful documentaries ever. The feature-length episode tells the story of a previously-featured 78-year-old Bill Gates impersonator named Bill Heath, who tells Nathan Fielder about a woman he loved in his youth before losing touch with her. So, Nathan decides to help Bill reunite with this lost love, named Frances, kicking off their quest.
“Finding Frances” is a beautiful season finale, with it being far more introspective than what fans of Nathan for You had come to expect from the show. The finale explores profound themes of regret and lost love, highlighting the types of ideas that Fielder would go on to explore in his next reality show, The Rehearsal. “Finding Frances” works as a standalone documentary as well as it does a series finale, highlighting how incredible the wild episode actually is.
HBO’s The Sopranos is one of the shows that kicked off the Golden Age of Television, yet it also has one of the most controversial finales of all time. The series famously has an open ending, with Tony Soprano attending a family dinner while warily examining everyone who enters the restaurant. In the middle of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” the series cuts to black, leaving Tony’s fate and many of the show’s storylines ambiguous. At the time, tons of fans were distraught about the finale, with the controversy surrounding it making it one of the most well-known series finales of all time.
In retrospect, however, The Sopranos finale is perfect. Tony’s actions throughout the show have earned him the fate of forever being paranoid as he slowly fades away, and the final scene captures the horror of that fate perfectly. We don’t know if Tony lives or dies, yet we are left to always wonder, much like how Tony will have to forever wonder if the person over his shoulder has been sent to kill him.
