We all have that show, the one we never miss and look forward to each week, a show that we invest our time, and often emotions into. Some television programs engulf us and make us feel like we are part of the family, while others give us all the mayhem, action, and adventure that we love to watch from the comfort of our homes. But what happens when these programs decide that it’s time to end?
Many TV programs have been with us through good times and bad, becoming part of our lives. When they decide to end, it can be disappointing. Many finales for long-running TV shows offer loyal fans an opportunity to say an often emotional goodbye to a beloved series, like watching a loved one finally pass on. The best finales sum up the spirit of the series, tie up loose ends deftly, and may provide resolutions for characters in conflict.
24/7 Tempo reviewed IMDb data on audience reception for television finales to determine the greatest TV finales in history. Series finales with at least 1,000 audience reviews were ranked based on average IMDb user rating as of October 2023. In the case of a tie, the show with more audience votes was ranked higher.
Every finale listed here pulled off the achievement of scoring at least 9.3 in the IMDb series finale rating. Each series closer also exceeded its full series rating on IMDb, some by as many as 1.9 points. Comedies and drama/crime series composed more than 60% of the shows on the list. All of the series aired in the 21st century.
There was one series that was clearly the favorite among IMDb voters. “Breaking Bad,” which aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013, was a series about a chemistry teacher stricken with cancer who chooses to provide for his family by making home-grown crystal meth. The final episode of “Breaking Bad” tallied the most show finale votes (2,049,821) and full series votes (134,615) of any show on our list. It had twice the number of finale votes than No. 2 “Friends” and more than 80,000 full series votes ahead of its series progeny, “Better Call Saul.” (Also See The Most Memorable Career Criminals in TV History.)
50. Veep, “Veep”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (1,893 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (61,071 votes)
- Original airdate: May 12, 2019
49. White Collar, “Au Revoir”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (2,159 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.2/10 (137,730 votes)
- Original airdate: December 18, 2014
48. Schitt’s Creek, “Happy Ending”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (2,366 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (136,960 votes)
- Original airdate: April 7, 2020
47. Downton Abbey, “Christmas Special”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (2,408 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (217,609 votes)
- Original airdate: March 6, 2016
46. Mad Men, “Person to Person”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (4,549 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (253,477 votes)
- Original airdate: May 17, 2015
45. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Chosen”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (4,691 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.3/10 (155,353 votes)
- Original airdate: May 20, 2003
44. Fleabag, “Episode #2.6”
- Series finale rating: 9.3/10 (5,777 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (185,217 votes)
- Original airdate: May 17, 2019
43. Psych, “The Break-Up”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (1,811 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (103,156 votes)
- Original airdate: March 26, 2014
42. Forever, “The Last Death of Henry Morgan”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (1,936 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.2/10 (60,667 votes)
- Original airdate: May 5, 2015
41. The Spectacular Spider-Man, “Final Curtain”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (2,068 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (18,406 votes)
- Original airdate: March 18, 2009
40. Atlanta, “It Was All a Dream”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (2,132 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (83,756 votes)
- Original airdate: November 10, 2022
39. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “What We’re Fighting For”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (3,085 votes)
- Full series rating: 7.5/10 (223,185 votes)
- Original airdate: August 12, 2020
38. Star Wars Rebels, “Family Reunion – and Farewell”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (3,357 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.1/10 (54,920 votes)
- Original airdate: March 5, 2018
37. Suits, “One Last Con”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (3,569 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (454,389 votes)
- Original airdate: September 25, 2019
36. Futurama, “Meanwhile”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (4,414 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (255,000 votes)
- Original airdate: September 4, 2013
35. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “The Last Day Pt 2”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (4,805 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (344,394 votes)
- Original airdate: September 16, 2021
34. Homeland, “Prisoners of War”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (5,252 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.3/10 (354,442 votes)
- Original airdate: April 26, 2020
33. Community, “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (6,353 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (283,992 votes)
- Original airdate: June 2, 2015
32. Star Trek: Picard, “The Last Generation”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (6,628 votes)
- Full series rating: 7.5/10 (91,575 votes)
- Original airdate: April 20, 2023
31. Ted Lasso, “So Long, Farewell”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (11,418 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.8/10 (313,290 votes)
- Original airdate: May 31, 2023
30. The Sopranos, “Made in America”
- Series finale rating: 9.4/10 (12,359 votes)
- Full series rating: 9.2/10 (443,049 votes)
- Original airdate: June 10, 2007
29. Superstore, “All Sales Final”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (2,318 votes)
- Full series rating: 7.9/10 (65,307 votes)
- Original airdate: March 25, 2021
28. Angel, “Not Fade Away”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (3,517 votes)
- Full series rating: 7.9/10 (74,057 votes)
- Original airdate: May 19, 2004
27. How to Get Away with Murder, “Stay”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (3,655 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.1/10 (161,880 votes)
- Original airdate: May 14, 2020
26. Banshee, “Requiem”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (3,698 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (118,147 votes)
- Original airdate: May 20, 2016
25. Parks and Recreation, “One Last Ride”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (5,180 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (278,279 votes)
- Original airdate: February 24, 2015
24. The Good Place, “Whenever You’re Ready”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (6,173 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.2/10 (179,843 votes)
- Original airdate: January 30, 2020
23. BoJack Horseman, “Nice While It Lasted”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (7,524 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.8/10 (177,988 votes)
- Original airdate: January 31, 2020
22. Sons of Anarchy, “Papa’s Goods”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (8,477 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (314,202 votes)
- Original airdate: December 9, 2014
21. The Big Bang Theory, “The Stockholm Syndrome”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (10,181 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.2/10 (844,024 votes)
- Original airdate: May 16, 2019
20. Daredevil, “A New Napkin”
- Series finale rating: 9.5/10 (10,322 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (462,343 votes)
- Original airdate: October 19, 2018
19. Friday Night Lights, “Always”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (1,212 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (70,603 votes)
- Original airdate: February 9, 2011
18. 12 Monkeys, “The Beginning Part 2”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (1,902 votes)
- Full series rating: 7.7/10 (47,506 votes)
- Original airdate: July 6, 2018
17. Justified, “The Promise”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (2,859 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (114,199 votes)
- Original airdate: April 14, 2015
16. The Shield, “Family Meeting”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (3,552 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (85,477 votes)
- Original airdate: November 25, 2008
15. Friends, “The Last One”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (16,101 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.9/10 (1,049,512 votes)
- Original airdate: May 6, 2004
14. Dark, “Das Paradies”
- Series finale rating: 9.6/10 (24,141 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (423,101 votes)
- Original airdate: June 27, 2020
13. Adventure Time, “Come Along With Me”
- Series finale rating: 9.7/10 (4,121 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.6/10 (106,672 votes)
- Original airdate: September 3, 2018
12. The Americans, “START”
- Series finale rating: 9.7/10 (4,568 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (107,474 votes)
- Original airdate: May 30, 2018
11. Spartacus, “Victory”
- Series finale rating: 9.7/10 (8,266 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (251,357 votes)
- Original airdate: April 12, 2013
10. Regular Show, “A Regular Epic Final Battle”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (6,107 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (53,682 votes)
- Original airdate: January 16, 2017
9. Code Geass, “Re;”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (9,569 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (76,106 votes)
- Original airdate: September 28, 2008
8. Person of Interest, “Return 0”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (10,897 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (185,000 votes)
- Original airdate: June 21, 2016
7. Mr. Robot, “Hello, Elliot”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (20,512 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.5/10 (407,235 votes)
- Original airdate: December 22, 2019
6. The Office, “Finale”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (20,782 votes)
- Full series rating: 9.0/10 (671,355 votes)
- Original airdate: May 16, 2013
5. Better Call Saul, “Saul Gone”
- Series finale rating: 9.8/10 (54,169 votes)
- Full series rating: 9.0/10 (610,453 votes)
- Original airdate: August 15, 2022
4. Six Feet Under, “Everyone’s Waiting”
- Series finale rating: 9.9/10 (11,494 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.7/10 (141,624 votes)
- Original airdate: August 21, 2005
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang”
- Series finale rating: 9.9/10 (14,494 votes)
- Full series rating: 9.3/10 (344,743 votes)
- Original airdate: July 19, 2008
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “Victory and Death”
- Series finale rating: 9.9/10 (17,371 votes)
- Full series rating: 8.4/10 (114,246 votes)
- Original airdate: May 4, 2020
1. Breaking Bad, “Felina”
- Series finale rating: 9.9/10 (134,615 votes)
- Full series rating: 9.5/10 (2,049,821 votes)
- Original airdate: September 29, 2013