September 27, 2013

Indianapolis TV fans Reflect On Their Favorite Series Endings

Indianapolis TV fans Reflect On Their Favorite Series Endings

First off, this entire article is a bit of a spoiler for televisions series past. If you haven’t caught up with "Six Feet Under," "The Sopranos," or "Breaking Bad" – you may want to read this at a later date.

That being said, "Breaking Bad" is appointment television in a time where Netflix, TIVO, and other systems of watch on demand TV have become the norm. As the series ends, I asked Indy area TV junkies to comment on their favorite series finales via social media. Many of the comments mentioned legendary TV shows like "MASH," "The Sopranos," and "The Bob Newhart show." I heard from fans of "Battlestar Galactica," "The Office," "Sex and the City," "The Golden Girls," the PBS series "I, Claudius" and even "Full House." One thing is clear – television viewers become incredibly attached and connected to their favorite shows.

Jim Mueller from Indianapolis mentions "MASH" and added -  "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". David Monroe agrees. “I guess emotionally, it would be the 'MASH' finale - but I would put 'Star Trek: The Next Generation’s' 'All Good Things,'" he says. "As far as closure and fan-service, for me, one of the most satisfying finales was for 'Cheers.' They knew those characters and they knew their audience. It did just about everything right.”

Jessica Benge is of the Millennial generation, and missed the "MASH" era of television but says she thinks the "Seinfeld" finale was “perfect.” She found it fitting that the characters ended up in jail, contemplating their empty lives and comically meaningless choices.

Erin Masterson lists "Seinfeld" as well and adds, “I liked the last two episodes of Seinfeld. I appreciate that they incorporated all the characters and revisited each memorable episode. I was much younger at that time, and in my mind, that was how you should end a series.”

Several others that I talked with, mentioned the HBO series, "Six Feet Under."

“I would say the end of 'Six Feet Under' stands out a lot to me as a truly stellar finale of a great show," Chris Spears says. "Seeing all of those people I had felt like I had grown to know coming to their ultimate end, just as the show had been presenting in every episode for years. Really hit that sweet spot.”

“'Six Feet Under,' no question," adds Niki Riggan Staggs. "Good or bad, it let you know what happened to everybody. I sobbed through the entire episode, but absolutely loved it!”

Heather commented via twitter to say that she thought "Gilmore Girls" was a contender for best series finale. “The final scene of the series finale is almost identical to the final scene in the series premiere,” she says.

Stacey and Eric Stuteville have a very personal connection to finale of the British version of "The Office." They thought the series finale was so awesome, that they ended up with the song, "Only You" as their wedding song.

One thing is very clear – television viewers become very attached and connected to their favorite shows. If you’re a "Breaking Bad" fan, where are you planning on watching the finale? Are you planning a viewing party with friends? No spoilers!

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