Rating TV Show Endings

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I love TV shows. For me, television is about connecting with characters and engaging storylines. As a writer and viewer, I love analysing character behaviour and getting engrossed in well-written dramas. On this blog I have written a lot about my favourite TV shows. I have discussed characters who touched me and written about why I like/dislike them. Here I’m going to talk about some popular TV show endings with ratings out of five for them. (To be clear, these are my PERSONAL subjective opinions.)

Spoiler alerts for endings of Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Jane the Virgin, Orange is the New Black, The Sopranos, The Big Bang Theory, Sex and the City, The Good Place, and Dexter.

Game of Thrones – 4.5/5

A very controversial opinion I thought I’d get out of the way. I loved the Game of Thrones ending. Understandably it wasn’t flawless, although I do have a blog post saying it ended perfectly. However, the build-up to the ending was rushed, and the white walkers plot was poorly handled. But I loved the Starks winning out and the other members of Westeros having an elective monarchy, even though it would probably become nepotistic over-time.

Mad Men – 3.5/5

The ending for Mad Men was nicely wrapped up. Don found inner peace, and wrote the coca-cola ad. I loved Peggy and Joan’s endings. But it didn’t ‘grab’ me as one of the most memorable endings ever. Although I loved this show, I guess I didn’t feel the same heart-stopping passion I did for some of the others.

Breaking Bad – 5/5

Hands-down the best TV finale of all time. Game of Thrones, Dexter, Mad Men and The Sopranos are fellow dramas with anti-heroes as protagonists. All amazing shows, but non of them had an ending as amazing as Breaking Bad. I think what made the BB ending so great was that the show only lasted five seasons. It was the perfect length. BB is also a show where the first two seasons were good, the third season was better, and the fourth and fifth seasons were fantastic.

This TV show ending had all the ends tied up. Walt stopped lying to himself about making the meth for the family and admitted he did it for himself all along. Jesse went free. Jack and his gang were all epically taken out. Walt even left his kids the money in a brilliant way. His death was inevitable and bittersweet. He didn’t walk happily into the sunset, but he died peacefully, in his meth lab.

Jane the Virgin – 4.5/5

This was just a nice sweet happy TV show ending. I didn’t really like the whole bringing-Michael-back-to-life thing, but ultimately the Jane the Virgin ending with Jane and Raph was cute and fitting. Put a giant smile on my face. Only question is, are we watching the telenovela based on Jane’s book with the characters from her book playing themselves, or with actors playing the characters who are the characters? #Mindblown

Orange is the New Black – 4.5/5

This amazing show was rich in character development and had overall satisfying endings for most of the characters. I loved that Piper and Alex stayed together and that Piper moved up to be with her, as I wasn’t sure they would. I ADORED Taystee’s ending of helping disfortunate young women. Some of the Orange is the New Black character endings were heartbreaking, like Penstuckey dying, but the overall arcs of all the characters was excellently done and did the show justice.

The Sopranos – 4/5

I think this show had a conceptually brilliant tv show ending. The sixth season of The Sopranos was the most philosophical season. I’ve seen this show several times so really can’t remember how I reacted/felt when I first saw the ending. But I do think it’s very clever and fitting.

The Big Bang Theory – 5/5

This ending brought tears to my eyes. The latter seasons of The Big Bang Theory were not great. It’s not the ‘best’ show ever, it’s a comedic sitcom. But the ending was deeply moving and redeeming. Sheldon winning his Nobel Prize, Leonard and Penny expecting a child with a call-back to the first episode, and Raj finally comfortable as a single-man (save for his non-date with Buffy).

When Sheldon announced ‘Astronaut Howard Wolowitz,’ it was one of the best lines. Sheldon has always been a dickhead, but he redeemed himself beautifully, and wrapped them all up. The show isn’t perfect but the ending was.

Sex and the City – 3/5

Sex and the City ended well for Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. They all ended with men who were good for them and treated them well. Charlotte got her happy marriage with an imperfect man, and adopted a child. Miranda became less emotionally rigid and compromised into a healthy family relationship with a loving family AND a successful career. And Samantha, the all-time commitment-phobe, ended up in a wonderfully committed relationship. They had lovely wrapped-up arcs.

And then they spoilt it by having Carrie go back to her toxic relationship with Mr Big. Having Carrie move back from Paris to New York, happily single, would have been much better. Or give her a man who was suited to her. Not the country family-man like Aidan, or some toxic emotionally unavailable man. A writer who had self-respect, like a much more mature and better version of Berger.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t ‘hate’ Mr Big. But it felt a bit of a cop-out to tell us that this show was about how being single can be empowering and self-fulfilling and then having them all end up in relationships. It would have been much better to just have Charlotte and Miranda end in relationships. Charlotte ended in an unexpectedly happy and healthy marriage and Steve and Miranda were wonderful together. But Carrie and possibly Samantha should have stayed the happily single ladies, telling us that some women can be happily single and some can be happily married. Ah well.

The Good Place – 4.5/5

There aren’t really any words for the ending to The Good Place. It was beautiful, rich, and full of heart.

Dexter – 2/5

So here’s what prompted me to write this post. Thought I’d save the best worst for last. I’ve spent the last six months watching Dexter with my partner on DVD. It has been an incredible ride. I’ve absolutely adored the show. It is right up there with these other amazing dramas.

The ending really did us all dirty. It was poorly handled and underwhelming. Apathetic. Dexter’s son is sent off with Hannah McKay, who is one of my least favourite TV characters of all time. Debra is killed off at the last minute. Her death was shown beautifully but it was still awful to have that done right at the end. And I thought Dexter died in the storm too, an act of noble sacrifice, a beautifully sad and poetic ending.

BUT THEN HE BECOMES A FUCKING LUMBERJACK. He somehow survives that storm and becomes a lumberjack.

A much better ending would have Dexter going to prison or dying. That’s what I hoped for/expected. Deb finds out about Dexter and is the one who grimly brings him to justice. Bittersweet, but fair. Unfortunately, Deb’s love for Dexter is supposed to cloud this. Having her suddenly be ‘in love’ with him was another thing I hated about the show, and was a terribly stupid and pointless plot point. But that’s all for another blog post.

What are your most and least favourite TV show endings? Let me know below!

About Post Author

zarinamacha

Zarina Macha is an award-winning independent author of five books under her name. In 2021, her young adult novel "Anne" won the international Page Turner Book Award for fiction. She also writes contemporary romance as Diana Vale. She is releasing "Tic Tac Toe" in 2023, a young adult dystopian satire of identity politics and social justice.

info@zarinamacha.co.uk

http://zarinamacha.co.uk

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