Summary

video shows with pitiful finish can be hit or miss , butsome of them execute their conclusions so well that they ’re still eff geezerhood later . While happy , well - earned end can be satisfying for fans of a storey , tragic finales can have an equally powerful impact . Of course , they demand to make sense in term of the television series ; it ’s crucial that heartrending conclusions fit with the narrative , tone , and character arcs present in a given project .

Forshows likeBreaking Bad , which are dramatic and tense all the agency through , a devastating conclusion is the only kind that work . One would n’t carry a glad ending from a series steeped so heavily in tragedy , especially when the part are on a down spiral the whole way through . However , it ’s not just intense drama that successfully deliver sad conclusions . comedy and situation comedy also make this approach work , taking their net bow in a way that to the full drive home their impact . Their success largely depends on how well their finales plug in to and conclude the difference of the series , but it can work .

8Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Even The AMC Show’s Survivors Suffer

Cast

Breaking Bad ’s endingdrives home the price Walter White has done throughout the show , giving him one last chance to redeem himself — and doing so costs him his life . TheBreaking Badseries coda , " Felina , " image Walter reunite with Skyler and finally admitting his true motivations for shit meth . viewer get a firsthand look at how he ’s destroyed his family , and that ’s not even the saddest part . Jesse Pinkman ’s destiny is devastating , even if Walter sacrifices his life to absolve him . It ’s clear-cut the trauma will rest with Jesse long after the show . It ’s a fitting and activeness - packed conclusion that deserve its near - perfectIMDbrating .

7The Good Place (2016-2020)

The NBC Comedy Concludes With A Tearjerker

A sad end is n’t predictable for a show likeThe Good Place , butthe NBC drollery is experiential enough that it make believe its heartrending finale employment . After making it potential for humans to reach Heaven again , Eleanor and her friends must fix how they want to expend their time before moving " on . " When Chidi realizes that perhaps it ’s time to leave his biography and family relationship behind for good , Eleanor is course heartbroken . And this repeats itself as the other characters come to terms with death , makingThe Good Place ’s final episode , " Whenever You ’re Ready , " a literal tearjerker .

6This Is Us (2016-2022)

Rebecca Pearson’s Funeral Will Leave Viewers Sobbing

This Is Usprompts the water company long before its series closing curtain , but the funeral of Rebecca Pearson get forth all kinds of heartache — and it successfully hits both her family and longtime witness . Rebecca ’s death is the primary ground the conclusion ofThis Is Usis sad , though bidding leave to the other persona also prove bittersweet . Like the rest of the show , This Is Us’series finis manages to be implausibly heartbreaking . It work for the series ' overall themes and stop the NBC show on a strong note , even if it will leave audiences sob .

5Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

Better Call Saul ’s endingisn’t as tragical as other shows with sad last , but theBreaking Badprequel still does n’t pass on Jimmy and Kim in a good station . After call for responsibility for his actions , Jimmy McGill faces a life in prison . Fortunately , he ’s basically a famous person there . But it means he ’ll never see exemption again — and any chance of him reuniting with Kim is unlikely . Kim ’s still on the exterior , but her life after Howard ’s death is woefully mediocre . Their hereafter are n’t what either of them imagined , andthat makesBetter Call Saul ’s conclusion more or less heartbreaking . It ’s also the perfect way to wrap things up .

4Lost (2004-2010)

Lost ’s series finale is a divisive one , and it ’s not tragical for every character on the show . Some , like Kate and Sawyer , survive their take to the Island , while others are tasked with protect it in the future . However , Jack ’s death makesLost ’s ending a sorry one , as he ’s the beating heart of the ABC show . Losing him is enough to elicit tears from viewers , but saying goodbye to the Island and the cast for good is another cause the finale is a tearjerker . " The last " does n’t answer every question the show raises , but it does a self-colored line of work on the emotional front .

3Attack On Titan (2013-2023)

Attack on Titanis the eccentric of show that is clearly not going to have a happy ending , but the series finale is fulfil despite its tragical elements . The anime conclude with Mikasa killing Eren to stop the Curse of the Titans and The Rumbling , and its final moments reveal how kick downstairs up she is over the decision . The fact that Armin and the others flush it to make peace with the world outside Paradis makes Eren ’s and Mikasa ’s destiny even more tragic . The cycle of violence keep , suggesting Eren ’s sacrifice does n’t benefit the world for all that long . It ’s the stark ending given the Zanzibar copal ’s musical theme , but it ’s devastating nonetheless .

2Friends (1994-2004)

Nothing outwardly tragic materialise during theFriendsfinale , but the situation comedy ’s ending highlights the withering impact of growing up . “The Last One " seesFriends’main charactersgoing their separate way of life , with Monica and Chandler empty their flat , a set that had become home to many viewer and the central gang . There ’s the sense that the titular friends will see each other less after the closing curtain , as they ’re all go on to long - condition commitments with their families and wild-eyed married person . This is bittersweet , but it function for the core themes of the show — even if many lover would prefer they remain in the same place always .

1One Day (2024)

A raw show with a authentically heart - twist finish , Netflix’sOne Dayis the perfect example of a serial with a lamentable ending that still works . Theending ofOne Dayupends the narrative just as things are looking up for Emma and Dexter . The two are beginning to make hopeful programme for the future , but Emma ’s death redact a stop to their joy . It ’s a realistic depicting of grief , and it ’s one that hits even harder because of how optimistic the show seems just moments earlier . One Daymay leave spectator in tear , but it ’s a testament to the story ’s durability that it ’s able to do so .

Star Wars Stormtrooper

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Bella Ramsey as Ellie in the Last of us Season 2 Pointing a Gun in the basement of a hospital

Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad and Kristen Bell as Eleanor in The Good Place

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