Parting is such sweet sorrow, and this goes double if you’re a fan of a really, really great TV series. Still, before cast and crew head off into the sunset (or on to their next gig), at least many of them have the good grace to furnish fans with a final blowout. And of all the explosive, heart-wrenching finales out there, Digital Spy readers have crowned the finale of Friends as the greatest final episode of television from the past 20 years. As in, The One Where Ross Got Rachel Again… And That’s About It.

Far be it for us to quibble when the readers have spoken, but this is the golden age of TV we’re talking about. Some series have ended with a lot more oomph than Rachel Green leaving a plane seat. And in a bid to sear themselves on to the minds of viewers (and into the televisual canon), some TV makers have taken a tumble right at the very last hurdle. Whether they’re good, bad or downright WTF?, you’re not likely to forget these standout finales (eh, spoiler alerts a plenty)…

1. Love/Hate

When it came to the demise of Nigel Delaney, it was only a question of ‘if’ and not ‘when’? Nidgey spent much of the final season of Love/Hate looking menacingly into the side-view mirror of his car like some kind of haunted mongrel in a tracksuit, because even he knew that a certain gun-for-hire was hell-bent on finishing him off. And when the show’s final minutes did careen around the corner with all guns blazing, boy, we were not expecting that bloodbath. And as for Nidge’s trainers facing heavenwards? Mmmmffff, promised I wouldn’t cry….

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2. The Sopranos

Opinion is squarely divided on the final moments of The Sopranos. To some, it’s a moment of absolute genius soundtracked to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin”. The Sopranos are having an uneventful dinner in a diner, like any other, when the scene stops at a random moment. Most of the world began banging the TV set thinking that the telly clapped out at a crucial moment, but no, writer David Chase gave some strong hints as to the ending before leaving the audience to deduce the rest.

3. Mad Men

Aired in 2015, the finale of Mad Men certainly sees Don Draper exit to a higher plane of being after drinking, sloganeering and shagging his way through the 50s, 60s and even some of the 70s. The ultimate New York ad exec finds himself blissed out in California, deep in meditation. He appears to have come upon a moment of pure inspiration, as a nod to the iconic Coca-Cola ad hints. An emotional and surprising ending to one of the best series of the era.

4. Breaking Bad

By the time Breaking Bad rolled around to its final episode in 2013, expectations of the show were sky high. And what a send-off Walter White got in the end. Suspenseful, heartfelt and shocking, the finale had everything. Sirens, blood, a rigged machine gun and a barely there smile of victory on Walter’s face before the cops bust in. There was nary a dry eye, nor a disappointed soul, in the house.

5. Six Feet Under

To the soundtrack of Sia’s ‘Breathe Me’, Six Feet Under’s finale counts as one of the most staggering payoffs in TV history. Each show began with the death of someone whose body would eventually roll into the Fisher funeral home, and so too the series ended with death. Specifically, we see the deaths of every main character, from the tragic and shocking to the natural and peaceful. Claire Fisher, the youngest in the family, dies of natural causes well into her second century, and only after achieving all that she wanted in life. If you didn’t pump the air in jubilation, you’re probably made of stone.

6. Sex And The City

Moving much of the SATC finale from New York to Paris was something of a gamble, but one that worked handsomely. After realising her dream to move to Paris and sit around galleries all day in fancy dresses, Carrie realises she and her Russian beau are not meant to be. The finale also gives Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda their happy endings, and ones they seemed very far from at the show’s outset.

7. Catastrophe

In another change of scenery, Rob and Sharon make their way to Massachusetts for the funeral of Rob’s mother (played by the late Carrie Fisher, who died during filming). After arguing for much of the day, the couple, with their children in the backseat of the car, make for the beach. Sharon dives into the ocean and finds herself in water full of rip currents. Rob uncertainly joins her, and then the camera pulls up and out as the two swim together, surviving and thriving in equal measure. Find me a better on-screen metaphor for married life. I’ll wait.

8. Fleabag

Who’d have thought that three minutes at a bus stop would bring the brilliant Fleabag to a masterful close? Fleabag never got to sleep with Andrew Scott’s ‘Hot Priest’ in the end, despite her declaration of love. “It’s God, isn’t it?” she asks. She begins to walk home, dejected, but there’s time for a final break of the fourth wall. With a small shake of the head, she continues. And yet, in that small moment, we know she will be absolutely fine.

9. Game Of Thrones

Much as people like a happy ending, the neat (or lazy) sew-up Game Of Thrones offered its main characters was absolutely at odds with the tone of every other episode. Some fans were so incensed with the plot decisions that they demanded HBO remake a more fitting finale.

10. House Of Cards

Somewhat oddly for a groundbreaking, taut and suspenseful series, House Of Cards did indeed flop at the final furlong. At the start of the show’s sixth and final series, Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood had died somewhat unexpectedly, leaving Claire Underwood free to take the reins of power. An Oval Office showdown with Doug Stamper made up much of the last episode, as did a weird and unnecessary twist. The ultimate ‘Is that it’ TV moment.

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