Favorite (or Least Favorite) Series Finale

[Nathander]

I really can't think of a season finale I particularly like because, as Mr. M has said, most series are cancelled before being allowed to well and truly end. One of the series I really had wished we'd gotten a chance to see an end to was the Disney cartoon series Darkwing Duck, which I've recently gotten into again after so many years for some reason. I guess the reason I'm stating this is because there had been a definitive ending planned for the last season, and the show was cancelled right before that season.

Other than that, the series finale to irk me the most was the finale for the original TV series of Hellsing. Of course, in all honesty, the show somewhat irked me to begin with due to how untrue it was to the source material and how poorly some of the characters were handled (specifically Alucard, Anderson, and Integra), but I sat through it to the end to see if it would've paid off. Sadly, it really didn't.

[Mr. Marshmallow]

I actually loved the anime series Hellsing and actually they did have a much better ending in mind, but the thing is despite the fact the show is so extremely popular and successful, the original anime series was in fact extremely expensive and they had practically exhausted their budget by episode 13.

It had been planned to go on longer but again, money nixed those ideas. Darkwing Duck in my opinion truly deserved a proper ending because I firmly believe it is the greatest cartoon show they have ever created, it's high up on my Disney favorite list along with Rescue Rangers, Kim Possible, and Gargoyles.

Darkwing Duck DID have a future beyond what we received, evidence of this is very CLEAR in "The Steerminator" when they bring back Taurus Bulba. Plans were to make this the true final season of DW and have Bulba replace Negaduck as the head villain. They also had plans to bring back two other old villains.

Paddywhack, a skeletal ghoulish clown like villain who was voiced by the late (and great) Phil Hartman, and the FIRST Negaduck (the one composed entirely of energy). This also explains why the old Negaduck was killed in the "Negaverse" episode, to make way for all the new bad guy resurrections.

Sadly Darkwing, Tale Spin and all other classic disney toons were replaced with the nauseating likes of Doug, Recess, and Pepper Anne. No offense to anyone who likes those shows, I just feel replacing shows like Darkwing and Gummi bears with those is kind of an insult but that's just my personal view.

[Nathander]

Originally Posted by Mr. Marshmallow

I actually loved the anime series Hellsing and actually they did have a much better ending in mind, but the thing is despite the fact the show is so extremely popular and successful, the original anime series was in fact extremely expensive and they had practically exhausted their budget by episode 13.

I'm not necessarily saying it was bad, I was simply saying that I think it paled in comparison to the work it was based on. It was a great show on its own merits, but when compared to Hirano's original work, it's hard to look at it favorably. And actually, from what I heard, they had never planned for it to go over 13 episodes. But I could be wrong.

Darkwing Duck DID have a future beyond what we received, evidence of this is very CLEAR in "The Steerminator" when they bring back Taurus Bulba. Plans were to make this the true final season of DW and have Bulba replace Negaduck as the head villain. They also had plans to bring back two other old villains.

Paddywhack, a skeletal ghoulish clown like villain who was voiced by the late (and great) Phil Hartman, and the FIRST Negaduck (the one composed entirely of energy). This also explains why the old Negaduck was killed in the "Negaverse" episode, to make way for all the new bad guy resurrections.

That's the thing; I had known that when Taura returned that they had a final confrontation genuinely prepared, which genuinely irritated me when we didn't get to see it. However, I hadn't known that Paddywhack and the original Negaduck were intended to return.

Sadly Darkwing, Tale Spin and all other classic disney toons were replaced with the nauseating likes of Doug, Recess, and Pepper Anne. No offense to anyone who likes those shows, I just feel replacing shows like Darkwing and Gummi bears with those is kind of an insult but that's just my personal view.

I agree half and half. While I miss those shows, I at least liked Recess. I can, however, give you Doug and Pepper Anne as being correct with your analysis. And Gummi Bears....wow, it's been years since I've watched that show. That brings back memories.

[Mr. Marshmallow]

Originally Posted by Nathander

That's the thing; I had known that when Taura returned that they had a final confrontation genuinely prepared, which genuinely irritated me when we didn't get to see it. However, I hadn't known that Paddywhack and the original Negaduck were intended to return.

And Gummi Bears....wow, it's been years since I've watched that show. That brings back memories.

I've read this info on several TV websites so unless it's a big lie everyone's spreading around, I'm assuming there is truth to this. Supposedly there was a lot of confusion when the energy Negaduck appeared and his relation to the "true" Negaduck. Especially since one of the VHS tapes is called "Birth of Negaduck".

Of course that birth is of the energy one. They wanted to bring him back to make it clear that they were 2 separate villains and because the electric Negaduck was a much more formidable enemy since he has super powers practically on the verge of rivaling DW's other big bad guys like Megavolt and Busrhoot.

The Paddywhack thing I hear a lot about, they even had an episode title for it called "Pranks for the memories". Weirdly enough My Gym Partner is a monkey used that title for an episode of theirs. Sadly though, even if DW were to come back Paddywhack's VA Hartman was killed and a lot of people don't know he voiced Paddywhack.

To me, The cartoons featured on the Disney afternoon were the culmination of the greatest cartoon shows Disney ever created. Duck Tales, Gummi Bears, Darkwing Duck, Tale Spin, Rescue Rangers, (and to a lesser extent) Goof Troop. It wasn't a bad show but it wasn't my absolute favorite either.

I loved those shows, they were absolutely perfect, they were unique, funny, creative, and had excellent characters that you could never get tired of seeing week after week. Gummi bears has been a LOOOOONG time since I've seen, and while I have only bought the new DVD sets of Darkwing, Tale Spin, and Rescue Rangers, I'm seriously thinking about buying the Gummi sets.

Here's also some interesting trivia for ya, although I think I said this before, Gargoyles, Duck Tales, and Gummi bears are the ONLY Disney shows that ever got a true finale.

[taranchula]

Bringing this thread back to life...(Because thread resuscitation is what all the cool kids is doing these day.)


Anyways time to chime in with some of my favorite finales


Freakazoid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY45YOaXwVk

The cast singing "We'll Meet Again" (From the film Dr. Strangelove) is a strangely touching (and very fitting) ending to an animated series that constantly rewrote the definition of cartoon zaniness on a weekly bases.

Newhart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwYw2i2icNg

Bob Newhart had one of the greatest sitcoms of the 1970's (The Bob Newhart show) and he followed that up with another hit in the 1980's with another self titled show which played host to one of the greatest finales in television history which had something for fans of both of his series'

M*A*S*H

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL5CdvUf56o

One of the most watched television shows in history, and with very good reason this was one of the most heart felt and emotional finales ever as the nation said goodbye to a true TV classic. And would actually be the most touching ending to comedy set during a major world conflict if not for...

Blackadder Goes Forth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1_brCfTPHw

Blackadder was one of the funniest shows ever and no more so then the forth series which took place during world war 1. However despite all the mirth and fun poked at the politics and bureaucracy behind the first world war, the message that war is serious business is still lurking the background and is no more apparent then in shows final moments when Captain Blackadder and his men face their destiny. The emotion is captured so perfectly that you totally forget that up until the final minuets you were watching a comedy farce, and if that's not bloody good acting, writing and directing then I don't know what is.

[frankie_fan]

My all-time favourite is Spin City, the Michael J Fox one. I just loved how they kept the humour going throughout the two part finale.

Animated wise, Avatar: The Last Airbender. While I've still yet to see it, seeing some of the clips (not to mention one at the very end that I won't spoil! =D) has already convinced me at how brilliant and imaginative the series has become!

[jekylljuice]

Originally Posted by Mr. Marshmallow

Here's also some interesting trivia for ya, although I think I said this before, Gargoyles, Duck Tales, and Gummi bears are the ONLY Disney shows that ever got a true finale.

Not exactly. Pepper Ann (which I note has received a fair bit of dissing in this thread, but which I always unashamedly enjoyed, and I know that Lynnie was also a fan of it) received a proper finale too. Additionally (and in fairness, I will acknowledge that the more recent was only screened after the quoted post was written), Kim Possible wound up receiving not just one, but two series finales, thanks to a sudden change of heart on the Disney Channel's part.

[Lynnie]

Yay, another Pepper Ann fan! I never saw the finale, and in fact, I'm sure I never saw most of the episodes, but I absolutely loved what I did see. That show was soooo funny!

Anyway, to keep the discussion going, I'm going to say that I loved the "Roswell" finale. It really pleased the fans, and was kind of exciting thinking the show's characters are "still out there somewhere", doing what they can to make up for all the problems they caused by doing anonymous good deeds. And although it's just a show, the thought of our paths crossing one of these days was also fun to entertain.

And I mentioned in another thread how I didn't like so much the "Friends" finale, nor the few episodes before it. They were trying way too hard to make things unpredictable, and it ended up exhausting to watch the characters keep changing their minds about things. It was disappointing and blah to most of us avid Friends fans. It was far from the best way to send the show off.

[jekylljuice]

Originally Posted by Lynnie

Yay, another Pepper Ann fan! I never saw the finale, and in fact, I'm sure I never saw most of the episodes, but I absolutely loved what I did see. That show was soooo funny!

Oddly enough, I never actually saw the finale myself, despite seeing just about every other episode the series had to offer, which leads me to suspect that Toon Disney didn't have it in syndication. The name of the episode is simply "Finale", and it's apparently set at a school reunion fifteen years into the future. I guess it'll take a DVD release before I'm finally able to see it.

[Mr_Bloo_Veins]

I think my all time favorite series finale is the last episode of Beavis and Butt-Head. While most of the episode was just a clipshow, there were some genuinely funny moments, like Stewart's flashback (THAT WOULD BE SWELL! UH-HUH-HUH-HUH!) and Spoiler Below

Principal McVicker having a heart attack when he finds out Beavis and Butt-Head aren't dead.

It was perfect right down to the end credits.
Another all time favorite is the Home Movies series finale. At first you're not sure whether it's supposed to be the last episode or not but during the last few minutes it becomes clear that the show is ending and it's never coming back. I think one of the most heart-wrenching moments is when Spoiler Below

Brendon accidentaly drops his camera out of a moving car and smashes it

Sad




As for the worst, I'd say St. Elsewhere. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.