Entertainment
Consider this scenario: You've spent hours, days, weeks, and probably months invested in some TV show. You've laughed, you've cried, you've over-analyzed episodes, but alas — all good things must come to an end. Some good things come to an end in a really bad way, though, like these six TV finale twists that fans are still mad over.
So, before we go any further, please be aware — although it may seem obvious — that this whole thing is going to contain some seriously major spoilers. OK, you've officially been warned. Now, there are a lot of reasons why fans might think their favorite show's series finale was bad: it was too predictable, or it left too many important questions unanswered, or it ended in a way that wasn't true to the characters or the show itself, or it was cliched, or it really and truly made absolutely no sense at all. To be fair, though, coming up with a creative way to end a beloved series can't be easy. There are so many ways for a finale to go so very wrong in the eyes of the fans, as evidenced above — writing one kind of seems like a lose-lose situation no matter how you slice it.
It's not that these six finale twists were just like, "meh," though. These twists were straight-up groan-worthy. They were frustrating AF. Revisiting some of these end-of-show moments might make you angry all over again, but that's just the risk you take when you're committed to T.V. Maybe just take a nice little walk around the block after you're done?
1
'Seinfeld'
It was a show about nothing, and in the end, that's what the characters from Seinfeld were left with. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander), and Kramer (Michael Richards) closed out the show from a jail cell, after failing to help a victim of a car-jacking.
The group had long-wronged more than a few folks throughout the years, and each and every one of them came to testify at their trial. Some fans thought it made sense — the return of fan-favorite characters, and the gang getting what they deserved — but others were like, "seriously?"
The show's creator, Larry David, has always stood by the ending he wrote, but even some of its stars have wavered in their opinions. One crucial question remains unanswered, though: What's the deal with frustrating finales?
2
'How I Met Your Mother'
Over the course of its nine-season run, How I Met Your Mother became one of the best-loved sitcoms of its generation — and then the finale happened. People were not pleased. Actually, they were beyond not pleased. They were enraged.
Here's why: Fans had been waiting nine years — nine years! — for the show to reveal the identity of "the mother," and how Ted (played by Josh Radnor) met said mother, with whom he fathered two kids. First of all, the "big reveal" wasn't very big at all. It was more of a passing comment, and the comment clarified that 1. The mother wasn't even a main character, and 2. The mother was dead. It was unnecessarily morbid, especially for a light-hearted comedy.
Not only that, but there were all these wild things that had to happen in the finale — revealing the mother's passing, among others — for Ted and Robin (Cobie Smulders) to end up together. It tied up way too many situations, way too quickly, and in ways that just didn't feel true to the show. There were also a ton of plotholes and questions left unanswered, too. Years later, fans are definitely still pissed.
3
'Girls'
In retrospect, many fans thought that the penultimate episode of Girls — titled "Goodbye Tour" — would have made a great finale. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, though, right? "Goodbye Tour" saw each of the girls — Hannah (Lena Dunham), Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke), and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) — finally embracing adulthood in their own, special way. It was neat and clean and actually pretty satisfying, as far as finales go. Except — oops! — it wasn't the finale.
The Girls finale — titled "Latching" — left a lot to the imagination, to say the least. Also, it was kind of ... boring? It was a day-in-the-life of the "new" Hannah, and the life of "new" Hannah was, well, boring. It would have made a lot more sense for the show if there were more episodes to follow, but there weren't. It was the finale. It definitely didn't feel like an ending, though.
4
'Lost'
In the words of the late Christopher Wallace AKA the Notorious B.I.G., "It was all a dream." That pretty much sums up the ending of Lost.
5
'Dexter'
Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall) was a blood-splatter expert by day, and a vigilante serial killer during his spare time. For eight seasons, fans watched him constantly struggle with the duality of his life: Killing made him feel good, but deceiving his friends and family made him feel bad. Would he get caught in the end? Get killed? Could he find a better balance between his inner darkness and inner light? Better yet, could he give up his serial killer side entirely for the sake of his loved ones?
The answer to all of those questions, as fans learned in the finale, was a resounding "no." The finale wasn't great for a lot of reasons (R.I.P. Deb), but the biggest reason boiled down to Dexter's fate. He basically abandoned everything and everyone and ... weathered a storm and turned into a hermit. Like ... what?
The Dexter finale was called "sloppy" and "terrible," among other labels. People were livid, and rightfully so. It was a really good show with a really upsetting ending — an ending that even made Hall, himself, feel pretty sad. Same, Dexter. Same.
6
'Weeds'
In the penultimate episode of Weeds — a show that primarily revolved around Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), a widowed, weed-slinging mom — Nancy and Andy (Justin Kirk), her late husband's brother, finally hooked up. After eight seasons of will-they-or-won't-they sexual tension, it was definitely a relief.
Alas, they weren't destined to be together forever, though, as fans learned in the finale. So, wait — what was the point of them having sex so late in the game, then? Watching Andy walk away from Nancy in the end was definitely bittersweet, but it was probably the right call for his character, in particular.
Shane's storyline, on the other hand, was a total bummer. Turns out he's still hot-headed, he still drinks too much, and — after enduring a childhood clouded by a supremely dysfunctional family — he didn't even end up with a cut of the big-money Botwin business. Basically, Shane deserved better.
Things panned out decently well for everyone else — Nancy included. Well, kind of. Sure, she struck it rich and never got busted, but she's pretty much alone in the end. To that end, she sort of got what she deserved — seeing as how she was responsible for a bunch of people's deaths, neglected her family, and was a generally terrible person — but ... not really.
7
It's never easy to see your favorite show come to a close. It's even harder when that show's finale leaves you feeling bitter, not better about the journey. Don't let a bad finale ruin all the good times you and your show shared, though. Besides, brighter days and better endings are undoubtedly ahead.
