14 Controversial TV Series Finales, Ranked
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Vote up the shows that ended on a sour note.
Few episodes can impact the long-term legacy of a TV series as much as the finale. After all, an unpopular ending can turn an otherwise successful series into something of an embarrassment, both among critics and among fans. As hard as it is to write a good TV show, it's even harder to stick the landing, so the history of television is filled with finales that have failed to live up to the expectations in one way or another. Sometimes this is because the characters behave in ways contrary to their established personalities, and sometimes it’s because the finale doesn’t manage to tie up the loose threads of the story. A few cases feature bizarre twists out of nowhere that seem to suggest the writers had no idea what else to do.
As the most notable examples like Dexter and How I Met Your Mother demonstrate, a wrong move at the end can spoil almost everything else that came before it, and even a reboot sometimes isn’t enough to save a finale from disaster. Not all series manage to stick the landing, but some stumbled worse than the rest among fans. Vote below on which finales were the most disappointing.
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The Premise: In the series finale, Daenerys at last stands triumphant, with all of King’s Landing and Westeros cowering at her feet. However, she has already begun to show signs of madness, and so Jon Snow reluctantly assassinates her, after which her loyal dragon, Drogon, takes her body away. This plunges the realm into yet another political crisis, which is only resolved when Jon is banished beyond the Wall and Bran is declared king, thus ending hereditary kingship as it has long existed on the continent.
Why It's Controversial: Even though the characters of Game of Thrones essentially ended up where they were supposed to, the finale suffered from the same problems as the rest of the season - in other words, it felt rushed, with several episodes’ worth of action crammed into one conclusion. The lack of coherence was reflected in numerous aspects of the finale, particularly when it came to character motivation. The weakest elements for many fans was the elevation of Bran to the throne and Tyrion’s rather heavy-handed speech introducing this idea, which lacked the subtlety and finesse viewers expected from Game of Thrones.
Behind The Scenes: As controversial as the finale ended up being, it could have been even more eyebrow-raising. Creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss had originally wanted to conclude the series with three feature films rather than a traditional TV season, but they received a great deal of pushback from HBO and so had to settle with the rushed final season viewers eventually got.
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The Premise: In this two-part finale to the long-running sitcom, viewers had to contend with several moving pieces, including numerous time jumps that followed the characters through various life events. Among other things, Barney and Robin end up getting married, only to very quickly get divorced. Meanwhile, Ted reveals how he met the mother, who dies off-screen, before ultimately getting his children’s blessing to finally pursue Robin.
Why It's Controversial: This finale is arguably one of the most polarizing in TV history. In no small part, the negative response stems from its inability to satisfactorily wrap up any of the stories it had been keeping in the whole show. It was particularly frustrating for fans to see Robin and Barney end up together, only to ultimately divorce (though an alternate ending on the DVD suggests they got back together). What’s more, it was frustrating for many to have the mother, Tracy, die off-screen right after they'd gotten attached to her as a character, only for Ted to end up with Robin shortly thereafter.
Behind The Scenes: However ill-received the finale was among many fans of the show, those involved in it have tended to stick by it as written. Among others, Josh Radnor, who played Ted, thought it was a fitting conclusion to his character’s story. In 2015, he noted in an interview:
When I read the finale script, I thought it was a beautiful, poignant way to say goodbye to these characters. I was a fan, and I think that a lot of people who stuck with the series from day one really got it. The people who didn’t - I hope this isn’t offensive - a lot of the young fans were offended by it. They were more upset with the idea of death than anything.
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The Premise: In the series finale of Dexter, the title character actually manages to get away and start a new life. Before he does so, however, Dexter takes his sister Deb off life support after she suffers a severe stroke. Dexter then manages to fake his own death and starts a new life in Oregon.
Why It's Controversial: Perhaps the most unsatisfying aspect of the finale is the fact that Dexter manages to get away, though it remains unclear just how happy he is with his new life. Moreover, many felt frustrated with the ambiguity of the finale, which was clearly intended to leave the door open for a new series following the character.
Behind The Scenes: Dexter got a new lease on life with the spin-off series, Dexter: New Blood, and Michael C. Hall believed the new iteration of the show would give fans some closure. As he put it:
[P]eople found the way that show left things pretty unsatisfying, and there's always been a hope that a story would emerge that would be worth telling. I include myself in the group of people that wondered, ‘What the hell happened to that guy?’
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The Premise: A lot happens in the final episode of ALF, the strange but fun sitcom about an alien who takes up life in suburban America. He finally gets the opportunity to leave Earth and take up residence with a couple of other aliens, but unfortunately, his plans are interrupted when he’s captured by the government.
Why It's Controversial: The finale is particularly vexing because it ends on a cliffhanger, leading audiences to believe (wrongly) that his adventures will continue. Making things even more frustrating is the fact the episode ended with “to be continued,” setting up yet another expectation of a fifth season. Unfortunately, the show was canceled instead.
Behind The Scenes: Even though fans were disappointed not to know what happened to ALF after the conclusion of the TV series, they at least got some comfort from the release of a TV movie, aptly titled Project ALF. In this movie, viewers learn his eventual fate (he becomes an official ambassador to Earth on behalf of his home planet).
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The Premise: As Lost draws to a conclusion, it provides users with a final explanation about the nature of the flash-sideways scenes throughout the final season: these are basically the afterlife. Moreover, these moments provide the various Oceanic survivors with the chance to make some sort of peace with their past. Ultimately, it’s revealed everyone has died at one point or another, including Jack, who perishes in the present, trying to save the island from the Man in Black.
Why It's Controversial: The controversy over the ending to the series was provoked in part by the nature of the Lost fandom, which had already become quite devoted to the series. Just as importantly, many took issue with the way the finale left too many narratives hanging without satisfying conclusions. Most vexing to many were the religious overtones conveyed throughout the episode, which struck many as phony and jarringly different from the rest of the series.
Behind The Scenes: According to series co-creator Damon Lindelof, the idea of having the series end with Jack’s death was in place very early on in the development of the show. He said:
[T]he symmetry of starting with his eye opening and ending with his eye closing felt really good to us.
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The Premise: The series finale to the long-running series Two and a Half Men teased viewers with the possibility Charlie might actually be alive (he had supposedly died several seasons earlier). This leads to all kinds of mayhem, as Alan tries to find evidence he's actually dead so he can claim an inheritance. In the episode's final moments, it seems Charlie is actually still alive - only for him to be crushed by a piano dropped from the sky. The series then breaks the fourth wall and shows none other than the series’ creator, Chuck Lorre, teasing the viewers through the fourth wall, before also being crushed by a piano.
Why It's Controversial: The series finale received a mixed reception, and many were dissatisfied by the constant teasing that Charlie Sheen would appear, only for this never to take place. Moreover, the constant use of meta-humor began to feel a bit forced as the episode went on, and the inclusion of Lorre himself was a bit jarring in a series that had largely kept itself self-contained throughout its run.
Behind The Scenes: Among other things, the finale included Chuck Lorre’s vanity card, which explained (from his perspective) why Sheen didn’t appear. In Lorre’s telling, the original intention was for the episode to end with Sheen going on a “maniacal rant” (right before a piano drops on him, of course), but the actor didn’t find this nearly as amusing as the writers. For his part, Sheen was, predictably, quite irate at this ignominious send-off of his character, stating in part:
To go that long, with that immature and that completely unevolved and that stupid, in my face, really? You must feel safe, motherf*cker. I’m just saying, you must feel safe where you live.
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