The cast falls into place with their scripts for the last time. The writers explain the plot and the final outcome. Everyone thinks it will be a hit. Then it’s time for the premiere.
The big finish, the last dance, the finale – the last episode of any series can be the way it’s remembered for years. Some series make it past the fandoms’ criticisms and others crash and burn. Most writers push too hard for the big finish and end up putting too much in it.
A classic example of this is “Seinfeld”; the writers of “Seinfeld” ruined nine seasons of laughs and fun with a jam packed finale where the end result puts all the characters in a prison.
A more recent train wreck finale is “How I Met Your Mother”. The writers decided the outcome at the end of season two but didn’t reveal what that ending was. Although they had an ending, the writers didn’t keep a couple from season two together, instead putting them with other partners that fit them better. Then by the time the finale came around they hurried to break those couples that the fans had invested in to ultimately take everyone back seven years to season two.
Not all finales tank like these, however. Some rise to the occasion. A prime example of a great finale is “Friends”. The “Friends” writers kept it simple; they had a finale where big things were happening but not in a rushed and frantic manner.
Another reason finales seem to fail is that writers try and take things in a totally different direction that they’ve never tried before. The fans of “Lost” were infuriated when they watched the finale and found out that the whole TV series was just a dream.
Some writers forget that the fandom is who they are trying to please – without them there would be no show. This means that the writers shouldn’t write for how they want the show to end, but rather how the fans feel.
Pleasing so many people can be a tough job, so it’s good to give writers credit even if you don’t agree. So many people watch the finale of a show and are so disappointed that they forget about the nine or ten wonderful years of the show before the finale.
Everyone loves a good comedy series and wants the finale to live up to expectations but without the proper writing the show will be hit by the fandom with constant reminders that the finale didn’t make it.
Everyone sits on the edge of their seats hoping that their prediction will come true. The final scene rolls.
