All Good Things... Episode 06: Red Dwarf

[Neon Ignition]

Whether it comes early due to a cancellation or at the end of a very long successful run, for every TV show there is a time when the credits play for the last time and the viewer is left with some form of farewell from the experience. In this thread we'll take a look at different shows endings and discuss the various outcomes and levels of success.

Before we do though, what show has had your most favourite ending?

[Atticus]

The Sopranos has my favourite ending (and is my favourite tv show - currently on my 4th watch-through). When the final ep first aired I interpreted it one way and then when I saw it again a couple of years later I interpreted it completely differently. There's no right or wrong ... both make sense ... and David Chase has never been drawn into calling it one way or another. But I see it very much one way now. Really clever writing though. The perfect end to a perfect show.

I also thought the end on Six Feet Under was very well done. Brilliant idea. Really emotional and thought provoking too.

[Dogg Thang]

I probably need some time to think about this. I feel like not a lot of shows deliver on an ending but that's really because endings are hard when it's a long format.

I think Orphan Black jumps to mind, mainly because it didn't try to be clever with the ending. Didn't try to throw any curveballs. Didn't subvert any expectations. Instead, it pretty much wrapped the story halfway through the episode so that it could spend the rest of the episode giving each of those characters an ending and largely in a way that you'd like for those characters.

[Asura]

I recall being satisfied with the end of Bojack Horseman.

[Mayhem]

The Prisoner, because it still left you guessing...

[charlesr]

Fringe. It actually wrapped up. Amazing. I was sure it was going to be rubbish.

Twin Peaks. OG series. Wonderful way to end a wonderful journey. Still not watched the more recent series though.

[Dogg Thang]

You should really watch season 3, Charles. It’s crazy and frustrating and self-indulgent but it has some brilliance in it and I think managed to find an even better ending.

The Prisoner left us guessing because the writers clearly had no idea what was supposed to be happening. It was a great last episode though.

[charlesr]

Ok will do

[Neon Ignition]

Battlestar Galactica - 2004
The acclaimed series ended in 2009 on a somewhat muted and slightly divisive note as the show leaned in harder on its religious undertones.

->Open Spoiler<-

The show wrapped up with the crew of the fleet settling on New Earth after destroying the ships. Thousands of years later the descendants of the crew are shown to be modern day Earth humans but in telling that tale wrapped characters like Starbuck and later Six and Baltar into being Angels that oversaw and at times interacted with humankind. Up until this more heavy handed symbolism the show had primarily remained tied to its human vs machine cycle storyline.

Were you happy with the finale of Battlestar Galactica or is there another way you feel it should have gone?

[Dogg Thang]

I thought the end was a bit rubbish but it's hard to lay the blame at the finale itself. Battlestar Galactica lost its way and wandered all over the place for quite some time before getting to the end. So what the finale was wrapping up already didn't really make a lot of sense and I don't think there existed any kind of satisfying solution to it. I guess it did okay given what they were working with at that point.

[MartyG]

Prisoner: Cell Block H

After all the years of prison guard Joan Ferguson abusing the inmates, "The Freak" is unable to resist the lure of money and becomes the criminal - but it's all a setup and Ferguson ends up on the inside - it's a perfect ending to a long running series.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I thought the end was a bit rubbish but it's hard to lay the blame at the finale itself. Battlestar Galactica lost its way and wandered all over the place for quite some time before getting to the end. So what the finale was wrapping up already didn't really make a lot of sense and I don't think there existed any kind of satisfying solution to it. I guess it did okay given what they were working with at that point.

Yeah it's a shame too because I think the opening pilot and first couple of series are some of the best TV I've seen.

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah it's a shame too because I think the opening pilot and first couple of series are some of the best TV I've seen.

Totally. As it got towards the end of season 1 and then the beginning of season 2, that was absolutely incredible television. I did stick with it and I enjoyed it but, once it got into visions and stuff like that, it just lost itself in a mess of stuff that didn't really make any sense.

[MartyG]

The first episode of season 1 (the one after the mini-series) is some of the greatest TV SciFi out there - the tense wait for the cylons to arrive after every jump, seeing the stress and anxiety the crew had, played out just as you imagined it would.

The finale episode was the complete opposite, drab, lacking feeling and emotion, almost as if the writers had gotten bored with it all. I'm not sure how much the writing team changed over the series arc (I've not looked it up), but it definitely felt like it change at season 4.

[Atticus]

As it got towards the end of season 1 and then the beginning of season 2, that was absolutely incredible television.

Yes, it was epic. Really loved that. But also lost interest during the final season so never did make it to the end. Chances of watching it all again are slim too as those 20odd ep seasons would be hard work to get through ... esp the filler eps. At its best though the show was fantastic.