The 10 Best Final Seasons of Television from the 21st Century (original) (raw)
Published Apr 30, 2023, 9:00 PM EDT
Adam Lowe is a husband, father, and author living in Southern California. With a degree in writing and an advanced degree in leadership, he strives to bring his educational background into his passion of writing and making a difference in the world.
Adam has also spent extensive time working in the field of Artificial Intelligence, on the ins and outs of determining how to best utilize the system and integrate it into daily activities and has coupled with teams in helping promote accuracy and greatness.
Additionally, Adam has written and published multiple works, including two authored books, a half dozen co-authored books, a few books as an editor, along with various articles, essays, and blogs. In November of 2023, Adam will be releasing his first audiobook, which is an expanded adaptation of a 2016 authored book about his walk through Childhood Leukemia within his family.
More of his writing can be found at his personal website.
Sometimes, television shows are great, through and through. Sometimes they are great, but end on a disappointing note. But then there are some, the quaint few, that are truly phenomenal from their very first introduction to their final farewell. To go into the final episode of a series feeling utterly and completely satisfied is rare, but it happens.
These incredible shows from the 21st century, demonstrate that it is possible to not only be successful, but to also go out on a high note. Each of these wonderful shows demonstrate the sheer greatness of that high note. Each in their own way, they have shown how a television series should be wrapped up.
10 ‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005-2014)
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Josh Radnor's Ted sitting and reading bedside to Cristin Milioti's Tracy, who is laying in a hospital bed in How I Met Your Mother
Image via CBS
While some were possibly irritated with the ultimate ending of the show and who the lovably quirky, Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), ended up with, the final season of How I Met Your Mother did not disappoint. We were finally able to meet the mother (Cristin Milioti) that had been spoken of for nine seasons, and she was absolutely everything that we could have ever asked for!
Despite the letdown of what happened with the mother in the end, all loose ends were tied up and wrapped in a nice bow. Marshall and Lily (Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan) continued to have children and advance in their careers. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) became a loving father. And Robin (Cobie Smulders)… well, she got to end up right where she belonged, blue French horn and all.
9 ‘The Leftovers’ (2014-2017)
Image via HBO
In this intriguingly unique series, we see as the world struggles with “the departure”, an event that had 2% of the world population simply disappearing. While The Leftovers does not explain it as such, this event could be a creative telling of the Biblical event known as the rapture, wherein Christ followers are taken to Heaven in a similar sort of disappearance.
As the series ended in its third season, while not all mysteries were solved, there was beautiful closure brought to Kevin (Justin Theroux) and Nora (Carrie Coon). In the final season, we were able to see the marvelous reality of learning to let go and move forward. Whether it is letting go of friends and loved ones or letting go of dreams, this finale showed us that letting go doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
8 ‘The Good Place’ (2016-2020)
Very few shows on television have really attempted to explain the various tenets of the afterlife. In The Good Place, we see a fresh perspective on this idea and get to watch as the mysteries of eternity and the afterlife all unfold – sort of, anyway. With an incredible cast, including Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and William Jackson Harper, the show is filled with vast amounts of talent.
The show focuses mainly on Eleanor (Bell) as she navigates the Good Place, this show’s version of Heaven. After multiple seasons of grappling with the ideas of morality and death and faith, the show closes out with the idea that humanity needs more than a grade, it needs morality to be able to improve and make an impact.
7 ‘Bates Motel’ (2013-2017)
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While he might currently be known as The Good Doctor, Freddie Highmore was not always the lovable lifesaver that we see there. In Bates Motel, Highmore stars as the infamously twisted Norman Bates, murderer and hotel manager. This magnificent show serves as a prequel to the 1960 Hitchcock film, Psycho.
Along with Highmore is Vera Farmiga, Max Thieriot, and Olivia Cooke. And while this series ended in a truly wonderful and surprising way, veering off the path of what Hitchcock fans might expect, it leaves viewers with a lovely sense of peace. Knowing each character’s journey has been completed is true joy.
6 ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ (2014-2017)
Halt and Catch Fire
Image via AMC
Despite lingering issues of viewership, Halt and Catch Fire was beloved because it was real in how it portrayed situations and characters. Following the excitement of the growing computer race of the 1980s and the internet craze of the 1990s, it is a relatable and recognizable story for all.
The ever-amazing Lee Pace stars as a quirky entrepreneur, Joe MacMillan, along with his computer programmer, Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy). The start-to-finish hustle and bustle of the series leaves viewers, at the end, finally able to breathe again and give a sigh of relief as things return to what it is believed "normal" should be.
5 ‘Friday Night Lights’ (2006-2011)
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Image Via NBC
In what be one of Peter Berg’s greatest projects, Friday Night Lights follows a high school football team in West Texas, led by head coach, Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife, Tami (Connie Britton). While it struggled for viewership throughout its five seasons, it ultimately became a favorite with high praise.
With the final season wrap up, critics and audiences agree that it turned out being one of the best sports shows to have ever been on television. The show went on to win over a dozen awards of recognition and acclaim as well as landing several list spots, including number twenty-two on the Writers Guild of America’s “101 Best Written TV Series of All Time” list!
4 ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014-2020)
Image via Netflix
What started as just a goofy-go-lucky animated show about a world in which people and animals walk and talk to each other, ended up being a deep commentary on life. With Will Arnett at the helm, and the help of Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, and Amy Sedaris, BoJack Horseman is non-stop fun and wisdom.
The final season not only answered the greatest lingering questions of the show, but it provided truly incredible insight and wisdom into some very significant issues in life. Addressing depression, alcoholism, family and relationship woes, this final season gives hope and courage to keep going.
3 ‘Person of Interest’ (2011-2016)
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In what is maybe one of the most interesting concepts in recent television, Person of Interest follows a billionaire computer engineer (Michael Emerson) and former Special Forces soldier John Reese (Jim Caviezel) attempt to protect the innocents of New York City. Their use of a highly intelligent surveillance system is reminiscent of the likes of Minority Report.
Throughout each of the five seasons, there are topics of government overreach, vigilantism, and personal responsibility touched upon. In the final season, to save the world from the ultimate overreach, Reese decides to sacrifice himself (like Caviezel’s role as Jesus Christ from The Passion of the Christ), and the show ends with a beautiful signal of hope and peace.
2 ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013)
While some might have been disappointed with the way that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) experienced his final moments, ‘Breaking Bad’ really did close all outstanding storylines for their characters. One of the most talked about shows of the last decade, Breaking Bad ended well.
The way that things were left provided an opportunity for a one-time spinoff to learn the fate of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). The series brought about the equally successful series Better Call Saul, based on Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), Walter and Jesse’s unscrupulous attorney. While the final season left some disappointed, it is among the highest rated final seasons in TV history.
1 ‘Friends’ (1994-2004)
The cast of Friends in the final episode
Image via NBC
For an entire decade, the world fell in love with getting coffee at Central Perk with our best Friends from New York. The charming on-again-off-again relationship with Ross and Rachel (David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston) kept everyone guessing up until the very last minute. This wonderful show did one of the greatest jobs ever of wrapping up all storylines, character arcs, and leaving viewers truly satisfied.
With the rest of the truly talented cast of Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and Lisa Kudrow, Friends proved to be a miracle for television. Over the decade-long run, the seasons experienced an average of 25 million viewers! Since ending almost a decade ago, it has spawned a reunion on HBO Max, and has stayed in our hearts as one of the best shows ever!