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Jul 4, 2011

Best and Worst TV Series Finales

Best and worst tv series finales
Best and worst tv series finales. "Friday Night Lights" fans -- the ones who've managed to avoid spoilers, anyway -- have high hopes for the upcoming NBC series' finale. While we wait with clear eyes and full hearts, let's take a look back at shows that ended on a high note as well as the episodes remembered for all the wrong reasons.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: March 19, 1977
Synopsis: The groundbreaking series about a single female TV producer ended with a tearful group hug after everyone at the station lost his or her job
The X-Files
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 19, 2002
Synopsis: The sci-fi series faltered in its last season after losing one of its leads, and his much-hyped reunion with his co-star couldn't save the finale.
M*A*S*H
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: Feb. 28, 1983
Synopsis: The tearful 1983 series finale -- directed by one of its stars -- was the most-watched TV program ever
St. Elsewhere
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: April 25, 1988
Synopsis: The '80s medical drama starring a future Oscar winner and a green-living advocate enraged fans with its "it was all a dream" ending.
Newhart
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 21, 1990
Synopsis:Bob Newhart's second successful TV series delighted viewers with its version of "it was all a dream" with the return of a familiar face.
Roseanne
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 21, 1997
Synopsis: The ABC sitcom, starring a standup comedian and a beloved actor, aired a finale that threw fans several curveballs, but it was this shocker that left viewers with a hole in their hearts.
Six Feet Under
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: Aug. 2005
Synopsis: The HBO drama about a family-run funeral home -- starring a future serial killer and a Golden Globe winner -- served up a heart-wrenching last episode that gave fans the closure they needed.
Dallas
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 3, 1991
Synopsis: The nighttime soap aired one of the most-watched TV episodes ever, but the possible suicide of a main character in its last episode angered some viewers. A 1996 reunion movie tied up some loose ends.
The Cosby Show
Ranking: One of the best

Original Air Date: April 30, 1992
Synopsis: After eight hilarious seasons, Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad broke the fourth wall by dancing out of their living room and into their place in TV history.
Seinfeld
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 14, 1998
Synopsis:Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer gave us some of TV's most memorable moments, but even the show's biggest fans would rather forget those last 75 minutes.
Cheers
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 20, 1993
Synopsis: The Boston-based sitcom ended the show the way it began -- ex-baseball player Sam Malone standing alone in his beloved bar.
Quantum Leap
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 5, 1993
Synopsis: The novel time-travel series, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, was unexpectedly canceled, causing producers to disappoint fans with this depressing note on the main character's fate.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 22, 1992
Synopsis: Many think this iconic TV moment was part of the last show, but the actual finale ended with the longtime host sitting center stage on a stool – alone – bidding viewers a "heartfelt good night."
Little House on the Prairie
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: Feb. 6, 1984
Synopsis: After the original series ended in 1982, the cast returned for a made-for-TV movie and blew up their beloved Walnut Grove.
Friends
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 6, 2004
Synopsis: Of course, the highlight for many fans was the show's most famous couple reuniting one last time. But the six best friends -- along with two new additions -- turning in their keys and heading out for coffee one last time was a simple yet satisfying ending.
The Prisoner
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate (U.S.): Sept. 21, 1968
Synopsis: The short-lived British series about a mysterious, secret village were a former spy is imprisoned confounded viewers with a series finale that included a creepy trial, Beatles music and a character in an ape mask.
The Sopranos
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: June 10, 2007
Synopsis: The abrupt ending led some viewers to think their cable service had gone out, but the final moments of the mob-centric series are still talked about four years later.
Felicity
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 22, 2002
Synopsis: Time travel -- yes, we said time travel! -- took a show whose biggest controversy had been the lead actress's haircut in a totally wrong direction.
Lost
Ranking: One of the best/one of the worst

Original airdate: May 23, 2010
Synopsis: Sure, the emotional aspects of the finale were TV at its finest, but many fans were left complaining about six seasons' worth of unanswered questions.

Source: msn