My pick for the best series finale ever made is Breaking Bad’s “Felina.” Six other finales come close, and two classics I love are, honestly, a slog to sit through.
Updated November 11, 2026.
I’ve watched this happen in my own living room: the last ten minutes of a finale start, and nobody touches their phone. That’s rarer than it sounds, since most shows don’t stick the landing. These seven did, or came close enough to argue about, ranked by how they actually feel to watch.
Best TV series finales at a glance
| Show | Finale | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Bad | “Felina” | 2013 | Vince Gilligan |
| Six Feet Under | “Everyone’s Waiting” | 2005 | Alan Ball |
| Cheers | “One for the Road” | 1993 | James Burrows |
| M*A*S*H | “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” | 1983 | Alan Alda |
| The Good Place | “Whenever You’re Ready” | 2020 | Michael Schur |
| The Sopranos | “Made in America” | 2007 | David Chase |
| Lost | “The End” | 2010 | Jack Bender |
Breaking Bad, “Felina”
This is the finale I’d put on for someone who wants to know what the fuss is about. Every loose thread gets tied, and none of it feels forced. Walt gets exactly the ending he built for himself, not the one he wanted, and the show lets you feel both at once. The scene everyone brings up is Walt alone in the lab, finally at peace with a machine instead of a person.
Put it on if you want an ending that actually answers the question the whole show asked. Skip the full rewatch if you only want this one episode; it needs the five seasons before it to land. 2013, written and directed by Vince Gilligan, AMC.
Six Feet Under, “Everyone’s Waiting”
This is the one that gets people who’ve never seen the show to watch all five seasons for its last few minutes. A montage shows how each of the main characters eventually dies, decades out, set to Sia’s “Breathe Me.” It sounds like a gimmick on paper. On screen it turns a show about a funeral home into the calmest, least afraid look at death I’ve seen on TV.
It’s the crowd-pleaser nobody expects, because the premise sounds heavy going in. Put it on when you want to feel better about getting older, not worse. Skip it if you’re grieving something recent; the tears here are earned, which is why it can hit too close some weeks. 2005, written and directed by Alan Ball, HBO.
Cheers, “One for the Road”
Eleven years in a Boston bar, and the finale never oversells the goodbye. Sam and Diane almost leave together, then don’t, with no speech explaining why. Everyone goes home, Sam tells a late knock at the door that they’re closed, and he straightens a picture on the wall. That’s the whole ending, and it still gets me.
Put it on with anyone who thinks old sitcoms can’t land an emotional scene. Skip it if you want a big swing; this one goes quiet instead, on purpose. 1993, directed by James Burrows, NBC, as an extended episode.
M*A*S*H, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”
The quiet part first: this one’s a slog in the middle. It runs about two and a half hours, and the pacing shows its age. Sit through it anyway, because the ending earns every minute. Hawkeye’s breakdown over what really happened on that bus is one of the hardest scenes a sitcom has ever aired, and the chopper-pad goodbyes land exactly as hard as they should after eleven seasons.
Put it on if you grew up with reruns playing in the background, like I did. Skip ahead to the goodbyes if you’re pressed for time. By most counts it’s still the most-watched scripted episode in American TV history. 1983, directed by Alan Alda, CBS.
The Good Place, “Whenever You’re Ready”
Most finales try to solve the show. This one solves the afterlife instead, and makes it feel small and personal rather than huge. There’s a door in the woods, and each character walks through it once they’re finally, truly done, not rescued from an ending but allowed one. Jason’s goodbye to Janet is the scene I’d show anyone who doubts a sitcom can be this gentle.
Put it on when you want to cry a little without being wrecked for the night. Skip it only if you haven’t finished the series; it’s built entirely on four seasons of setup and gives away the ending if you watch it cold. 2020, written and directed by Michael Schur, NBC.
The Sopranos, “Made in America”
The diner scene still starts arguments at parties. Tony sits with his family, Journey plays on the jukebox, a man in a Members Only jacket heads into the restroom, and the screen cuts to black mid-scene. No gunshot, no final line. Plenty of viewers thought their cable had gone out.
I didn’t get it the first time either. Watch it knowing the cut is the point, not a mistake, and it plays like the only honest ending this show could have had: Tony’s life just continues, unresolved, the way everyone’s does until it doesn’t. Put it on for an argument with friends who all think they’re right. Skip it if you need closure; this show was never going to give you any. 2007, written and directed by David Chase, HBO.
Lost, “The End”
Here’s the one I have to call a slog, and I watched every season live. ABC gave it two and a half hours, and a good chunk of that is island plot that never solves the mysteries the show spent six years piling up. By the time it reaches the church, I’m usually checking how much is left.
The church scene itself works anyway. Jack and Christian’s conversation, and the reunion that follows, is genuinely moving once you get there, which is exactly the problem: you have to get there. Put it on if you’ve finished the series and want the ending the writers actually intended. Skip it if you’re hoping the smoke monster and the numbers get a real answer, because they mostly don’t. 2010, directed by Jack Bender, ABC.
How to pick which finale to watch tonight
If you only have one evening, match the finale to your mood instead of its reputation. Want to feel good about the people in your life? Cheers or The Good Place. Want a gut punch you’ll think about for days? Six Feet Under. Want to argue with someone afterward? The Sopranos or Lost. Want an ending that just plain works? Breaking Bad, every time. The Good Place and Lost are the two exceptions here; both need the whole series behind them to make sense.
We’ve argued about endings before. Our roundup of TV endings that split the audience covers finales nobody has settled on, not even us. If sitcoms are more your speed, our pick of the five best Friends episodes is the lighter version of this argument, and fans of the HBO entries above might like our look at the dramas that built that network.
Frequently asked questions about TV series finales
What is the most-watched TV series finale of all time?
By most counts, M*A*S*H’s “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” in 1983 is still the most-watched scripted episode in American television history, decades later. It helps that it ran as a single two-and-a-half-hour event instead of a normal half hour, so almost the whole country tuned in at once.
What is the best series finale ever, honestly?
I’d say Breaking Bad’s “Felina.” It answers the exact question the show spent five seasons asking, and it does it without a speech. Six Feet Under’s finale is right behind it for me, and it might be the better cry.
Which series finale on this list is the hardest to sit through?
Lost’s “The End,” by a clear margin. It filled two and a half hours on ABC, and a long stretch of it is island plot that leaves the show’s biggest questions open. The ending itself is worth getting to. Getting there is the slog.
Do I need to watch the whole show first?
For most of these, yes, though a first-time viewer won’t be totally lost. The Good Place and Lost are different: both lean on everything before them, and watching the finale cold spoils the show more than it explains it.
Tell me where I’m wrong. If your favorite finale isn’t here, or you think I ranked one of these backwards, say so in the comments. I’d rather argue about it than pretend everyone already agrees.