15 Best TV Show Finales of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb (original) (raw)
Updated Apr 9, 2024, 8:00 AM EDT
Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.
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Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers.When a TV show ends, it tends to be a huge event. It's the conclusion of stories of sprawling character arcs and complex storylines usually spanning years, which typically means that the series finale becomes a cultural phenomenon that all fans are excited to see unravel. From Friends to Better Call Saul, there are a good variety of shows with outstanding finales that bring their stories to a resounding close.
Of course, fans have been sure to head to IMDb to show their love for these endings, leading some to be among the highest-rated episodes on the platform. There are plenty of things that can define whether an episode is remembered as one of the best series finales of all time, from a game-changing plot twist to a satisfying character arc payoff. Whatever the case, if the episode is highly rated on IMDb, it's bound to be a fulfilling conclusion.
15 'Succession': "With Open Eyes" (2023)
IMDb Rating: 9.5/10
Jeremy Strong in the Succession series finale.
Image via HBO
When it was announced that Succession, which explores the conflicts of the Roy family and the media conglomerate they control, would be ending with its fourth season, fans were as shocked as they were excited to see how the story would wrap up. Perhaps it was for the best that it didn't go on for longer, because the final season of the show happens to be among the highest-rated seasons of television on IMDb.
Full of unpredictable surprises with exquisite payoffs to arcs that had been set up years before, and the kind of exquisitely tragic character moments that fans of the show had come to expect, the finale was lauded for how tense, funny, and emotionally crushing it was. Though some IMDb reviewers found the open-endedness of the finale a little underwhelming, most thought that it was perfectly in line with all that Succession had proved to be up to that point.
Release Date
June 3, 2018
Seasons
4
14 'The Shield': "Family Meeting" (2008)
IMDb Rating: 9.6/10
Image via FX
The best TV show endings are always exciting, surprising, and satisfying. "Family Meeting," the ending of The Shield, is all of those things and more. Masterfully closing off one of the best crime TV shows of the 21st century, this intense episode was everything that fans could have possibly hoped for.
With the perfect blend of shocking tragedy and satisfying suspense, the finale brings most of the storylines and character arcs that the show had spent seven seasons constructing to an emotionally shattering breaking point. It's hard for TV show endings to find the balance between closure and ambiguity, but that doesn't seem to be an issue here.
Release Date
March 12, 2002
Seasons
7
13 'Dark': "Das Paradies" (2020)
IMDb Rating: 9.6/10
Dark, an enthralling German mystery drama, follows the supernatural family saga sparked by the disappearance of two teenagers in a German town. From the moment it was released, fans fell in love with its mind-bending story full of jaw-dropping twists and turns.
The highest-rated episode of the whole show on IMDb, which happens to be one of the highest-rated TV episodes on IMDb in general, is the finale, "Das Paradies". Users on the platform praise the suspense and excitement generated by the episode and the grandiosity of its themes, and how it brings such a challenging story to finish to such a satisfying close.
Release Date
December 1, 2017
Seasons
3
12 'Friends': "The Last One" (2004)
IMDb Rating: 9.6/10
The cast of Friends in the final episode
Image via NBC
The cultural phenomenon that was Friends will probably never be matched. It remains, even all these years later, one of the most fun and influential sitcoms that television has ever seen. It explores the lives of six 30-something friends living in Manhattan throughout its ten seasons, and fans got to mature and grow up alongside these six endearing characters played by six immensely talented actors throughout most of the '90s and well into the 2000s.
Part of the magic of Friends is watching the characters evolve and grow. By the time the tenth season came around, they were all at a point where it was clear that it was time to say goodbye. Fans of the show on IMDb perfectly encapsulate how joyful yet emotional it always is to say goodbye to characters you've come to know and love for years, and this finale was no exception, making it one of the greatest series finales of all time.
Release Date
September 22, 1994
Seasons
10
11 'The Wire': "-30-" (2008)
IMDb Rating: 9.6/10
Image via HBO
Despite having a few ups and downs throughout the course of its run, The Wire is, and deservedly always will be, remembered as one of the most important and high-quality television shows of all time. It had some of the best season finales of all time, but many would argue that its best episode is its power finale, "-30-."
The episode gets pretty much everything right. It's ambitious, moving, unafraid to tie storylines and character arcs up in a nice ribbon, and the perfect way to end a series like The Wire. Though the show's fifth and final season was probably the most divisive of the bunch, one would be hard-pressed to find fans who weren't satisfied with the way the whole thing concluded in the end.
Release Date
June 2, 2002
Seasons
5
10 'Hannibal': "The Wrath of the Lamb" (2015)
IMDb Rating: 9.7/10
Image via NBC
The Hannibal TV show is a dark, gripping crime drama about the relationship between the iconic villain and a young FBI profiler. Thanks to elegantly polished writing and an outstanding powerhouse performance by Mads Mikkelsen as the title character, it only got better and better as it went along, until it was tragically canceled after its third season.
Although the series deserved a proper ending, audiences loved this finale. Gruesome and poetic, the episode is easily the show's best one, perfectly balancing a dark and elegant tone with a few strangely beautiful scenes loved by all fans of the Hannibal mythos. Thanks to this, the show's sudden cancelation was made to feel all the more tragic.
Release Date
April 4, 2013
Seasons
3
9 'Person of Interest': "Return 0" (2016)
IMDb Rating: 9.8/10
Image via CBS
One of the most consistent crime dramas that ever aired on television, as well as one of the most creative and, frankly, underrated sci-fi thrillers the small screen has seen, Person of Interest is about an ex-CIA agent and a programmer who save lives via a surveillance AI.
Person of Interest is more relevant today than it ever was, and that's reflected in its phenomenal finale. An emotional roller coaster with a beautifully fitting conclusion, it was all that fans could have wanted and more, offering plenty of the show's punchy commentary and nail-biting suspense to make it one of the best series endings of all time.
Release Date
September 22, 2011
Seasons
5
8 'Chernobyl': "Vichanya Pamyat" (2019)
IMDb Rating: 9.8/10
Jared Harris and Emily Watson with suits sitting at a table, from Chernobyl
Image via HBO
Chernobyl, an HBO original miniseries about the tragic 1986 explosion in the titular Soviet city, is generally counted among the best miniseries ever made. All of its episodes have outstanding ratings on IMDb, including one of the best-ever TV pilots and an equally flawless finale to bring it all to a resounding clsoe.
"Vichanya Pamyat," the series' final episode, is not only very educational and insightful, but also boasts a super impactful dark tone and one of the best trial scenes that television has ever been graced with. The acting performances are absolutely incredible, the production values are genuinely stunning, and the character work feels surprisingly intimate for a historical drama show.
Release Date
May 6, 2019
Seasons
1
7 'The Office': "Finale" (2013)
IMDb Rating: 9.8/10
Image via NBC
Perhaps the funniest and most beloved sitcom of the 21st century thus far is The Office, about the everyday work life of a small paper company office in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Although the series' final two seasons received much more criticism than those that had come before, fans were more than satisfied with the way the show ultimately ended.
Of course, like most other episodes in the show, the finale is delightfully creative and laugh-out-loud funny. It's also incredibly touching, sweet, and emotional, the perfect way to say goodbye to the iconic ensemble of characters. Character arcs receive closure, plot points come full circle, and the laughs never stop coming.
Release Date
March 24, 2005
Seasons
9
6 'Better Call Saul': "Saul Gone" (2022)
IMDb Rating: 9.8/10
Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman in a garbage dumpster
Image via AMC
Better Call Saul, the prequel spin-off to Breaking Bad that tackles the years leading up to lawyer Jimmy McGill becoming Saul Goodman, started off slow. By the time it ended, though, many dedicated fans felt that it was on the same level of quality as the original show, if not sometimes even a little bit better.
The show's final season was a breathtaking experience, which took a very unexpected tonal shift in its last few episodes. This shift solidified itself as the best possible way to end the series in "Saul Gone," which gives closure to Saul and Kim's arc in the most fitting and beautiful way possible.
Release Date
February 8, 2015
Seasons
6