THE WINNIPEG SUN
Top 5 best TV finales
MAY 19, 2012
Let’s face it – there have been a lot of TV shows that went out with a whimper, but here are five that closed it out with class and left viewers satisfied.
Twin Peaks (1990-91):
The creepy drama’s finale definitely had the stamp of its surreal director David Lynch. In the last episode, ‘Beyond Life and Death,’ “Peaks” fan favourite Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, turned evil after becoming possessed by the demon that haunted the small Pacific-coast town.
Cosby Show (1984-1992):
The biggest sitcom of the ”˜80s was first and foremost about family, so when the show drew to a close in the early ”˜90s, Bill Cosby and co. chose to focus on the Huxtables moving on and growing up. Flaky daughter Denise called with news she was pregnant, whiny daughter Vanessa hinted she was in a serious relationship and even son Theo was acting more like an adult. In the final scene, Claire (Phylicia RashÄd) and Cliff (Cosby) danced off the set to applause.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77)
The best TV writers can make viewers laugh and cry at the same time. This is what happens in the final scene of “Mary Tyler Moore” when the gang learn nearly all of them have been laid off after their station is taken over by new management. The beloved characters join together in a group hug in the middle of the newsroom and Mary is finally able to tell her co-workers how much they mean to her.
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992):
Legendary “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson was serenaded by Bette Midler on his farewell episode. Congrats to Midler for making the notoriously shy and composed comedian sniffle at the end of her rendition of One For My Baby.
Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Judd Apatow’s groundbreaking comedy only lasted one season on NBC, but that didn’t make the finale any less memorable. In the episode, goody-two-shoes-turned freak, Lindsay Weir pretends to go to an academic summit but instead leaves with her friends to follow the Grateful Dead on tour. Considering all the drama she’d been through over the course of the season, she deserved a real vacation.
