Summary

• A good season finale can elevate an average season and set the stage for future episodes.
• Finales often contain major plot points, such as character births and deaths, and are highly anticipated by viewers.
• Season finales should be memorable and make an impact because they attract a large audience.

When a television show has an average season, it can make audiences lose interest, but if the season finale is compelling enough, it will propel the series into the better episodes to come. While these seasons might not necessarily be bad, they’re considered average when stacked against the strong performance and creative choices of other seasons. The season might fall short for several reasons, including a transitional period for the show or the need for a change to make the stories feel fresh.

However, a good season finale can change the course of a show. Finales are important because they set up the arcs of future seasons and often are when the biggest plot points take place. Couples get together or fall apart, and character births and deaths are a frequent part of these episodes. This is for good reason, as finales are often the most watched episode of a season or an entire show. TV creators know they need to make their finales memorable because so many people will be watching.

Couples get together or fall apart, and character births and deaths are a frequent part of these episodes.

10 How I Met Your Mother (2005 – 2014)

Season 8, Episode 24, «Something New»

Though How I Met Your Mother should have ended before season 9, the show was already starting to flag in season 8. By this point, the formula of the show was starting to become repetitive, and audiences were tired of the love triangle between Ted (Josh Radnor), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), and Robin (Cobie Smulders). One of the biggest redeeming factors of season 8 was the commitment to Barney and Robin’s relationship. Though it was a divisive choice, finally letting both characters have enough dimension to grow and choose each other was compelling.

The finale of the season, «Something New”, is smart enough to comment on the fact that the show is reaching its limits and that the characters are very different from the people they were at the start of the show. Ted is considering a move away from the group now that his relationship with Robin is truly over, and each character faces a dilemma about where they are headed now that things are wrapping up. Seeing Ted grapple with the issues that his character faces throughout the series and accept that he needs to change is a satisfying end.

9 Lost (2004 – 2010)

Season 3, Episodes 22 & 23, «Through The Looking Glass» Parts 1 & 2

Season 1 was the best season of Lost, and almost every season after that tried to live up to the tight storytelling of that initial arc. Season 3 focuses on the conflict between the survivors and the Others who have sinister plans for the island. The finale is a stunning return to form for the series, utilizing multiple timelines and incorporating a shocking twist that the timeline thought to be a flashback is a flash-forward to life after some of the survivors escape the island. This ending is confirmation that the series still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

8 Once Upon A Time (2011 – 2018)

Season 3, Episodes 21 & 22, «Snow Drifts» & «Snow Drifts; There’s No Place Like Home Part 2»

By season 3 of Once Upon A Time, the number of fairy tale characters the show had explored was numerous, and the options for new developments were running low. The series introduces new characters that push the boundaries of what’s considered a fairy tale. In season 3, the flashbacks to the past become repetitive and no longer give the audience new information as they did in season 1. However, the finale takes the flashbacks and revitalizes them by combining them with time travel, allowing Emma (Jennifer Morrison) to gain true insight into what her parent’s lives were like.

7 The Vampire Diaries (2009 – 2017)

Season 3, Episode 22, «The Departed»

In some ways, the entire show comes to a head in the season 3 finale of The Vampire Diaries. Elena (Nina Dobrev) turns into a vampire following an accident where it appears she dies but comes back as a vampire. It’s a thrilling conclusion to a season that relies heavily on the love triangle between Elena, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), and Stefan (Paul Wesley). Additionally, the format of Elena getting captured, rescued, and captured again was growing old. The twist of her becoming a vampire was a great opportunity for her to gain strength and independence as a character.

6 Parks And Recreation (2009 – 2015)

Season 7, Episodes 12 & 13, «One Last Ride» Parts 1 & 2

The finale of Parks and Recreation saved the unfortunate final season of an all-around fantastic show. Parks and Rec season 7 nearly ruined the show through the time jump, the feud between Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ron (Nick Offerman), and the fan service throughout the episodes. It’s difficult to wrap up such a beloved show, but the series finale maintained its legacy. By using better time jumps, the episode flashes forward to the future of every character, giving a sweet conclusion to every story. In typical Parks and Recreation fashion, the endings are happy, which is what the characters deserve.

5 BoJack Horseman (2014 – 2020)

Season 1, Episode 12, «Later»

There are no bad seasons of BoJack Horseman, but season 1 is still finding its footing in terms of the tone and themes of the show. Later seasons take more chances and have many episodes that aren’t afraid to experiment with story structure. Season 1 BoJack (Will Arnett) is only a shadow of the person audiences come to know by the end of the series. However, the season 1 finale is when viewers get the first real taste of who BoJack is, as well as who Diane (Alison Brie) is.

Once again, fame doesn’t fill the hole inside BoJack, and Diana fails to figure out what she wants out of life. The season ends with the two characters on the roof in a shot that will be mirrored in the finale of the series. They wax poetic about the meaning of life and their place in it, and the perspective they share here will come to define them for the remaining seasons until they’re forced to change.

4 Stranger Things (2016 – )

Season 3, Episode 8, «Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt»

Stranger Things used season 3 to introduce new characters, change the visual aesthetic, and expand upon the central conflicts of the series. That’s a lot of ground to cover in one season, and this newness can become overwhelming. The child actors aren’t so young anymore, so dealing with them as young adults can get uncomfortable. Despite this, the finale of season 3 is one of the best because it subverts the formula of earlier seasons. Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) saves the day again, but this time at the cost of her powers, which forces necessary changes in the narrative.

3 Gilmore Girls (2000 – 2007)

Season 4, Episode 22, «Raincoats and Recipes»

Gilmore Girls season 4 had the difficult job of making the transition from high school to college. This is something every TV series set in high school must face, and not every show can land the jump. The season does a good job of drawing attention to the fact that both Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) are uncomfortable with their new realities and realistically portrays how they both would react. However, their struggles become more depressing than interesting about halfway through the season.

The saving grace of season 4 comes in the iconic finale that sees Lorelai and Luke (Scott Patterson) finally get together. This relationship is what the show has been leading to since the beginning, and it’s a beautiful moment that comes at the perfect time. Lorelai’s inn is finally opening, and she’s on track to be with the best guy for her. Of course, it wouldn’t be a season finale without a bit of drama, and the blowup fight between Rory and Lorelai in the last moments of the episode foreshadows the struggles to come in their relationship.

The blowup fight between Rory and Lorelai in the last moments of the episode foreshadows the struggles to come in their relationship.

2 Gossip Girl (2007 – 2012)

Season 5, Episode 24, «The Return of the Ring»

Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) go through a lot in season 5, but audiences don’t get many good Chuck and Blair relationship episodes until the very end of season 5. The season is best known for the misguided relationship between Blair and Dan (Penn Badgley), a pair-up that felt entirely wrong and was quickly scrapped. However, in preparation for the final season, the series uses the finale to prep every couple for their inevitable conclusions and sets Dan up to write his tell-all about his scandalous friends, which will lead to the reveal of Gossip Girl’s identity.

1 Grey’s Anatomy (2005 – )

Season 9, Episode 24, «Perfect Storm»

Season 9 of Grey’s Anatomy is one of the saddest of the series, and that’s difficult since so many story arcs include tragic deaths and horrible accidents. However, the season is careful to take its time healing and grieving in the wake of the events of the plane crash in the season 8 finale. Many were lost in that episode, and more still throughout season 9. Though fans of the show are used to the drama, all the doom and gloom of the season was making it hard to watch.

Fortunately, the season 9 finale sticks the landing with an action-packed episode that returned to the hope and the medical miracles the series is known for. One of the biggest arcs of the season is Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) pregnancy. It has a lot riding on it, as Meredith had trouble conceiving in the past, and losing her baby would be unthinkable. Amid a storm, Meredith gives birth to a healthy child, expanding her family with Derek (Patrick Dempsey), and the rest of the hospital staff air their grievances while starting to get back to normal.