Last night the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals and what a fitting end to one of the great rivalries in sports. Next year, the NHL is realigning their conferences and the Red Wings move to the Eastern Conference which will limit the number of times these two teams meet in the regular season and eliminate any further playoff match-ups unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Final. In the spirit of such an epic finale, let’s take a look back at some other memorable series finales.
M.A.S.H.
The last episode of M.A.S.H. in 1983 was the most widely watched television show in history at that time, granted, the world only had four channels to watch. After eleven years, the beloved characters of the 4077 M.A.S.H. Unit got to go home. Once home, I’m sure they were pissed that they stayed in Korea eight years too long. While the show had some tender moments over the years, Hawkeye and crew made Korea look like quite the party, full of booze, hijinks and an endless supply of eligible women. (Correction: the Korean War was not a party, apparently it was an actual war).
BLOSSOM
After five not-amazing seasons, Blossom said goodbye in 1995. Who could forget that final episode? Apparently IMDB could, since there was no description or summary available. But what a launching pad for some young stars? Joey Lawrence would go on to star in such classics like Rest Stop (2006-straight to DVD) and The Dog Who Saved the Holidays (2012). And almost twenty years later, Mayim Bialik has barely aged. I guess that awkward-looking teenage girl wasn’t just a phase.
CHEERS
After eleven seasons, Cheers said goodbye in 1993. Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelly Long) finally ended up together. Rebecca (skinny Kirstie Alley) found love too. Woody became a politician and hired Norm. It was a nice little happy ending for a group of people who spent every day in a bar for eleven years. I’ve spent my fair share of time in bars over the years, so the series finale raises some interesting questions. Who was driving these people home? Why were there never lines for the bathroom? How did not one of the main characters go eleven years of drinking and not bang Carla (Rhea Perlman) at least once? I mean there was alcohol being served.
SAVED BY THE BELL
Screech gets into porn, Jessie sluts it up and rides a pole and AC Slater becomes some sad wannabe celebrity, oh wait, this is what happened in real life. To be accurate, I don’t think this series has ever actually ended. The original series was followed shortly by Saved By the Bell: The New Class, Saved By the Bell: The College Years and Saved By the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. What could be next for the lovable crew from Bayside High? Saved By the Bell: Depressing 20 Year Reunion. In this episode we find out which of our favorite characters is divorced, bald or dead (or all of the above).
LOST
One the most criticized series finales in television history. Apparently, people wanted some actual answers after six years of unexplained events. SPOILER ALERT: The finale reveals that the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 were not stranded on an island after all, but were actually just lost in a Bass Pro Shop for six years. I know the finale left me with some questions. With all these characters banging and no regular access to shower facilities, what was nether-region hygiene like? Unless a Summer’s Eve cargo ship also crashed on the island, I can’t imagine it was too pleasant. How shitty did you feel if you were one of those nameless, faceless survivors in the background every episode and not part of the cool group? Reminds me of high school. How did Hugo Reyes (Jorge Garcia) not lose any weight after six years with limited food and lots of walking?
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