Yes, it sucked...but what sitcom finale didn't

First of all, Seinfeld was a great show...but, the final show sucked.

My observation is this...what final episode of a great sitcom hasn't sucked.

1. MASH- BJ refuses to say good-bye to Hawkeye, spells out good-bye in rocks as Hawkeye's helicopter flies away. Talk about stupid 2. Cheers- Sam Malone says, "I'm the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the face of the earth" Boy was that a disappointment. One of the best parts of a sitcom is the half hour format. When writers of a sitcom are forced to do longer show, the shows often fall short of expectations. Such is the case with Seinfield, Cheers, MASH etc.

If it wasn't such a cash cow for NBC to do 2 hours, the best thing Seinfeld could have done was a great 30 program and call it a day.

But hey, as the writers of the Simpsons are so quick to point out...who are we to judge a program after they have given us so many hours of great FREE entertainment.

One of the Newhart shows had a fabulous ending, though I don't remember which one it was. At any rate, he (Newhart) wakes up to his wife from his first series and says something to the extent of "it was all a bad dream..." Very original.

n.scott kozyra rosewicked (erik gloom)

I love "AYBS."

That was the episode they all sang backup for the Daft Boy. Mr. Humphries looked hilarious.

Chakravorty Somendra wrote:

I agree: best season finale's I've seen

In order -

• St. Elsewhere - blew me away
• Newhart - totally unexpected and clever

In article ,

How about the ending of each season of BlackAdder? (All or most of cast is killed) Those were well done each time (IMHO) but the way they ended BA4 was the same, yet played for drama rather than laughs. I really liked it.

sucked.

Lemme think about this one...

I liked the Newhart finale with the flashback to the Bob Newhart Show at the last scene. Roseanne had a very interesting finale (one which fit, because it was one of those semi drama/comedy shows).

Maximoff (will probably think of more later)

St. Elsewhere was the best finale. The autistic child looking at the show in the snow globe- the entire show existed in his imagination. Dave

I always thought Mary Tyler Moore had a good final episode where everyoen gets fired from WJM except for Ted!

"Newhart," when the Daryls finally talked:

Dick: "Your brothers can talk! Why didn't they say anything until now?" Larry: "I guess they was never suitable P.O.'d!"

Then, Dick/Bob waking up next to Suszanne Pleshette. I never saw it coming!

Ben Okuly wrote:

Yeah, that was THEE BEST and MOST original finale I can remember. If Seinfeld had just played a long "clip" show and/or a long bloopers tape, it would have been immeasurably more entertaining. I kept laughing and laughing at that first segment of old clips, remembering the good old days, but when the finale started, I didn't even utter a giggle for the whole show, (well, except for the Soup Nazi and Babu...the "low-talker" cracked me up too--causing everyone to lean forward to hear her -- I had forgotten that character), BUT overall it royally SUCKED, was a TERRIBLE show.

One Day at a Time was a great finale. Schneider in a suit, proclaiming his love to Romano...I cried like a little girl.

Boo freaking hoo, WT

In <[email]

The Night Court finale was one of the best ones I've seen, simply because it was one of the few finales which remained true to the series. The final episode had the same look and feel to it as any other episode in the series, and it was funny without being overly sentimental.

Dennis ([email]) wrote:

I don't think it all fit. Bull going to Jupiter? Please. And Dan became nice. I know that his character had changed near the end, but it would have been best with a sex-hungry Dan chasing Christine the politician (isn't she a bit naive to be a politician?). I was a bit disappointed with this one.

And we all know that the M*A*S*H finale was the best. What was one of the first things the media brought up when Seinfeld announced its end? Everyone wondered if it could beat M*A*S*H. After all, didn't the media even interview M*A*S*H actors re: Seinfeld? Yep, it did. No disputing it for me, folks. M*A*S*H reigns supreme. M*A*S*H achieved longevity b.c it never stagnated. Constant character transitions, constant changed in character relationships, and always the right balance of humor and drama.

-David

i'd have to say the X-Files season finale (check the spelling, so sue me :)) was pretty damned good...who'd guessed THAT

-ME

David Vincent Halpern wrote in message ...

Whatabout the last St. Elsewhere?

MAXIMOFF wrote in article ...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Newhart, Barney Miller, Cheers, Ellen

In "Dixon Hayes" writes:

sucked.

hasn't

I thought the Cheers finale was terrible

I liked it at the time. Saw it a few years later and it seemed pretty sappy. Is this the finale that started the "we need to really END this" mentality?

Excellent!!! Weird, special and still managed to be FUNNY.

Never saw a single episode.

Very disappointing considering what a good show it was. The VERY end was poignant though (a reference to Coach).

Wouldn't waste my time.

As previously stated within this thread, both "Newhart" and "St. Elsewhere" had classic finales, ending with a bang as opposed to the "Seinfeld" whimper. Although I don't recall the "Elsewhere" finale in great detail, that show was truly a classic which deserved far better ratings than it got throughout its run. I do remember the last moments of "Newhart", man what a great finish.

Also, was "Cheers" really that bad at the end? I rather liked it, and found the final episode to be far more entertaining than what passed for TV last night. Sure, it was at its best in the Shelly Long years, but I didn't think the writing ever lost too much, and when it ended it was still one of the more entertaining shows on TV. Can that be said of "Seinfeld"? Unless you watched season 9 through rose-colored glasses (as a disturbing number of people in this NG apparently did), then I think you have to say "no".

Tucker

People's opinion of the last Seinfeld show as a "whimper" may be more of a reflection on their expectations than on the real quality of the show. With all of the hype surrounding the last show, it is easy to raise your expectations to unrealistic levels only to be disappointed by reality.

I liked the finale. It kind of left the door open for a possible return at some later date. The courtroom scene also reminded me of the Albert Brooks movie, Defending Your Life, from a few years back. Anyone else draw a similar parallel?

Jim

Rob wrote in message ...

Agreed, alot of Seinfeld was really terrific, and the final sucked long and swallowed hard.

The end of MASH certainly did not suck. Was it the best MASH episode? Of course not. But it was clearly superior to the Seinfeld ending. Of course, the show was superior too...

Not a very good ending at all. But better than the nonsense that aired last night...

It's not free. They are using public airwaves, and charging advertisers money that is passed on to consumers. It ain't pay per view, but I retain my right to discern what is quality and what is not. A free loaf of shit still stinks.

Venger

MASH CHEERS MARY TYLER MOORE DICk VAN DYKE

even my mother the car last episode was better then that crap.

Must agree that the Newhart finale was GREAT!

Hated the end of Seinfeld -- was boring, poorly executed.

To my mind, the essence of the show was in the truckload of commercials. The show was about NBC making a mint. I'm sure their take off this episode was probably twice normal. And by the time we knew it wasnt funny, the network had pocketed the cash.

The plane crashed on some remote island, and the four found remnants of grass huts from Gilligans Island...

Rob wrote:

Couldn't agree more...

Eran, Israel

I can think of one: Newhart's final episode was one of the best of the series. --Andrea

Free?? heeheehahaaaHAAAAhAAAAA you think TV is free??? HEHHEHEHAAAA