Star Trek The Next Generation has one of the best, if not the best, finale to an ongoing episodic tv series ever. I don’t want to compare it to the kind of shows that are just one big story split up into hour long chunks, because that’s a totally different style of show and many have good endings. But for shows that are mostly separate, TNG did it better than any show I can think of.
It did a fair, but not gratuitous amount of fan service, and it was all in service of the actual plot. And it still somehow felt like a good episode of the show. But it also perfectly bookended the show back with the very first episode of the show. It was as close to perfect as you can get.
Just watched the first episode of Justified and it was ok but not phenomenal. I've seen so many recommendations for the show - when does it hit the sweet spot that makes you say "Ooh yes, this is goooood?"
Justified is all about the amazing characters more than the story. Which is pretty much in line with its source material. The first episode adapts a short story and then it flies on its own and it is amazing.
I'm so looking forward to the sequel "Justified: City Primeval".
The ending of Quantum Leap was not supposed to be the final episode, they changed Al's destiny and added a text over a back background. That qualifies as a "good finale"?
No, I totally agree! A standard "happily ever after" would have been so boring. The ending we got gave context to why Ted was sharing the story with his kids. I was "surprised" at first, but really I think if people consider how the alternatives they wanted would have played out, it wouldn't have been meaningful.
Claes Bang was the MVP of that show. The performances were all great, but he was just so perfectly 'the prick' that the entire show held together. If he hadn't nailed that character we'd have felt a whole lot more shitty about cheering on attempted murder.