10 Most Satisfying Sitcom Finales

It’s natural for sitcoms to run out of steam by the time they decide to wrap things up, but series finales offer them one last chance to provide a satisfying send-off. Good series finales often rank among a show’s best episodes, because they represent unique opportunities that make them stand out from the norm. While these episodes are usually judged by whether they can deliver a crowdpleasing ending, it’s important that they also deliver one last dose of what makes the show so popular.

The best series finales need to balance storytelling with the humor that fans love. It’s often best for a show’s final season to wrap up a few lingering storylines and mysteries along the way, otherwise the finale has too much work to do. While a disappointing series finale can leave a bitter taste – like with Seinfeld or How I Met Your Mother – a good send-off can elevate an entire show and make it much more enjoyable on a rewatch.

10 30 Rock

Season 7, Episode 13, “Last Lunch”

Tina Fey made the wise decision to wrap 30 Rock up while the show was still at its best. Season 7 therefore tries to provide satisfying conclusions for all the major characters. Liz Lemon gets married and adopts a child a little while before the series finale, so the show’s last episode doesn’t have to conform to the sitcom cliche of a wedding or a birth. 30 Rock still ends with a life-changing event, however, as the in-universe sketch show TGS airs its final episode.

30 Rock
isn’t a sentimental sitcom, but it grants itself a few meaningful moments in the finale.

The episode title “Last Lunch” comes from the intense debate over where the TGS writers should get their final meal paid for by NBC. This low-stakes storyline is a nice distraction from Liz’s fears that Jack is preparing to take his own life and Tracy and Jenna’s struggles to move on from their show. Ultimately, 30 Rock undercuts its emotional farewell in hilarious style, as Jack achieves true happiness by inventing a dishwasher with a glass door. 30 Rock isn’t a sentimental sitcom, but it grants itself a few meaningful moments in the finale.

9 Blackadder

Season 4, Episode 6, “Goodbyeee”

Each season of the British comedy classic Blackadder takes place in a different historical period. Season 1 takes place in Medieval England, and the show advances all the way to the First World War by the end. Season 4 is often cited as the show’s best, especially as the series finale is held in such high regard among fans of British comedy. “Goodbyeee” stands out for its somber ending, which is refreshingly poignant in such an irreverent show.

With such depressing thoughts in the background, it’s remarkable that the episode still has so many hilarious jokes.

“Goodbyeee” sees the characters faced with the grim reality of climbing above the trenches and marching into No Man’s Land. As soon as they get their orders, they understand that it’s essentially no better than a suicide mission. With these depressing thoughts in the background, it’s remarkable that the episode still has so many hilarious jokes, especially as Blackadder tries to have himself declared insane and therefore unfit for duty. “Goodbyeee” ends with a heartbreaking shot of the heroes charging into battle, which then dissolves into the image of a field of poppies.

8 Curb Your Enthusiasm

Season 12, Episode 10, “No Lessons Learned”

As soon as Larry David announced that Curb Your Enthusiasm would end with season 12, fans wondered if he would have learned anything from the controversial series finale of Seinfeld. The title of Curb‘s series finale seems to be a trite response to this commotion, and “No Lessons Learned” mirrors the Seinfeld finale in many ways, with the main character on trial, facing a barrage of character witnesses from past episodes.

“No Lessons Learned” is a satisfying ending for the 12 seasons of
Curb,
but it also provides some resolution for fans of
Seinfeld.

“No Lessons Learned” lets Larry David take a victory lap, reliving the show’s greatest hits. More importantly, it fixes the Seinfeld ending, as Larry is let off on a technicality before being thrown in prison. Naturally, it’s Jerry Seinfeld who proves to be his savior. “No Lessons Learned” is a satisfying ending for the 12 seasons of Curb, but it also provides some resolution for fans of Seinfeld.

7 The Office

Season 9, Episodes 24 & 25, “Finale”

The Office and its UK counterpart can be credited with the mockumentary sitcom trend, and the series finale puts a clever spin on the concept. One of the big questions that any mockumentary show faces is how being in a documentary affects the characters. Most shows simply ignore this step, but The Office ends after the fictional documentary becomes a big hit. The series finale takes place a year after the documentary airs.

The Office provides satisfying conclusions for each of the main characters, as Dwight marries Angela and Jim leaves to pursue his dream. The show’s final few seasons aren’t the same without Michael Scott, so it’s a joy to see Steve Carell making his long-awaited return in the finale too. The Office‘s pitch-perfect series finale ends with a sweet closing scene, as Pam sums up the show’s thoughts on human connection and life’s little moments.

6 Cheers

Season 11, Episode 28, “One For The Road”

Cheers is a great comfort show, as it recreates the feeling of walking into a friendly bar and seeing familiar faces. The series finale threatens to disturb this peace, but it ultimately provides a satisfying return to normalcy, and this reaffirms the simple joy of friendship. It’s normal for a series finale to end a show with a moment of huge change like a wedding or a move. For Sam, Cheers‘ series finale is about gaining a new appreciation for the everyday.

For Sam,
Cheers
‘ series finale is about gaining a new appreciation for the everyday.

The Cheers finale brings back Diane after six years to wrap up her notorious on-and-off relationship with Sam. Although they seem ready to finally be with one another, they eventually accept that they’ve both changed and that they should amicably go their separate ways. The other characters get happy endings in various ways, but Cheers ends with the most poignant storyline, of Sam alone in the bar simply taking it all in.

5 Friends

Season 10, Episode 17 & 18, “The Last One”

The Friends series finale attracted a lot of attention, and it largely played it safe by giving the fans what they would have liked to see. This can often be an overly cautious move, but Friends manages to deliver a finale that’s both funny and heartwarming. It doesn’t compromise on the show’s quick-witted humor just to shove the characters towards their happy endings, and there are plenty of memorable jokes.

All in all, it’s an immensely satisfying send-off for one of the great comfort shows.

“The Last One” sees Chandler and Monica finally welcoming their children – although they only expected one – and Chandler and Joey’s friendship is reaffirmed despite the fact that they are moving away from one another. The main drama comes from the conclusion of Ross and Rachel’s will-they-won’t-they relationship, as Rachel gets off her flight to Paris to be with Ross, seemingly for good this time. All in all, it’s an immensely satisfying send-off for one of the great comfort shows.

4 The Big Bang Theory

Season 12, Episodes 23 & 24, “The Change Constant” & “The Stockholm Syndrome”

The Big Bang Theory probably dragged on for a while longer than it needed to, but it still delivered a deeply satisfying series finale for fans who stuck with the show for 12 seasons. The Big Bang Theory‘s two-part finale focuses on Sheldon and Amy winning the Nobel Prize for Physics, and the whole group traveling to the ceremony in Sweden to support them. Meanwhile, Leonard and Penny try to conceal the news of Penny’s pregnancy, and Howard and Bernadette struggle with leaving their children for the duration of the trip.

Like so many of the most emotional episodes of The Big Bang Theory, the two-part series finale draws its meaning from the tension between Sheldon’s social awkwardness and his genuine love of his friends. It also hints at a happy ending for Raj, who often feels like the odd one out when the rest of the group have coupled up. Having recently become single once again, he has a chance encounter with Sarah Michelle Gellar, so The Big Bang Theory squeezes one more iconic cameo in before it signs off.

3 The Good Place

Season 4, Episode 13, “Whenever You’re Ready”

After The Good Place‘s unforgettable season 1 finale twist, the show transforms itself entirely, as the “Soul Squad” journey through the labyrinthine absurdist bureaucracy of the afterlife to uncover the deepest secrets of the universe. This is a huge shift, but The Good Place takes everything in stride, keeping up its snappy dialogue and some great character-based comedy so that nothing gets out of hand.

The series finale sums up the meaning of
The Good Place
, which often touches on the biggest philosophical questions of all.

The series finale sums up the meaning of The Good Place, which often touches on the biggest philosophical questions of all. Ultimately, The Good Place is about what it means to be a good person, what people owe to one another in a society, and how the random chaos of death factors into life’s steady, continual journey of self-improvement. The Good Place sends its characters off with some tear-jerking scenes, but there is also a lot of optimism about the miracle of daily life. This is especially evident as Michael finally lives his dream of being a Regular Joe on Earth.

2 Modern Family

Season 11, Episodes 17 & 18, “Finale”

Modern Family has a big cast of characters and 11 seasons full of stories, but the series manages to wrap things up in style. Each of the key characters get a meaningful and happy ending, with the main message that unites them all being that life goes on, but they will always have their family connection. “Finale” gives the sense that many characters are just at the beginnings of their new journeys, which is an optimistic way of ending things that naturally invites fans to imagine what the future holds.

“Finale” gives the sense that many characters are just at the beginnings of their new journeys, which is an optimistic way of ending things that naturally invites fans to imagine what the future holds.

After years of putting out fires for their children, Claire and Phil finally have some time to themselves, and they set out on an RV trip to enjoy a well-deserved break. Elsewhere, Jay and Gloria embark on a trip to Colombia so that Jay can repay Gloria for being so open to his family and his culture over the years. There were rumors about a Mitch and Cam spinoff for a while, but the Modern Family series finale ends with the couple moving to Missouri with Lily and their new son.

1 Schitt’s Creek

Season 6, Episode 14, “Happy Ending”

Over the course of six seasons, Schitt’s Creek shows that it can make fans laugh and cry in equal measure, and the series finale delivers on both fronts. “Happy Ending” stands out as one of Schitt’s Creek‘s best episodes, and it’s extremely rewarding for fans who followed the show in its entirety. Unlike some other sitcoms, Schitt’s Creek is all about how people change, but the show never loses sight of its humor.

Schitt’s Creek
wraps up some of its main storylines before the series finale, so there is room for a simple but intensely emotional goodbye as Moira and Johnny leave town.

The series finale focuses on Patrick and David’s wedding, which is a memorable scene for Moira’s most ludicrous wig yet, if nothing else. There are also a lot of laughs over David’s misunderstanding with the massage therapist and the hectic preparations for the impromptu town hall wedding. Schitt’s Creek wraps up some of its main storylines before the series finale, so there is room for a simple but intensely emotional goodbye as Moira and Johnny leave town.