Even after an otherwise great season of television, it is really important for a TV show to stick the landing with a strong ending. An excellent season finale caps off the season with a satisfying resolution to the main storylines, while also setting up the next season. Unlike series finales, ordinary season finales have the combined job of wrapping up the season while also setting things in motion for the next one.
The best season finales are typically the build-up of an ongoing storyline, where everything comes to a head in one episode. These are often explosive episodes, where either the physical or emotional stakes of the show finally boil over, and often permanently change things for the upcoming season. Excluding TV series finales, these are 10 TV season finales that were perfect from start to finish.
10
“That Went Well”
‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3, Episode 12
Each season of BoJack Horseman builds up to the penultimate episode, a gutting installment that usually shows BoJack (Will Arnett) continuing to hurt the people in his life in new and worse ways. In Season 3, that episode is “That’s Too Much, Man,” in which BoJack and Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal) go on a month-long bender together that ends with her dying from an overdose.
The following episode deals with the fallout, as BoJack is overcome with guilt and grief. He tries to make amends in his own way by doing Bradley’s (Adam Conover) Horsin’ Around reboot, but he ultimately runs away. This is a powerful episode that shows BoJack processing Sarah Lynn’s death by skipping town, all culminating in that stunning scene where he watches the horses run. The subplot is absolutely perfect as well, in which a number of season-long storylines come together for a pasta-related emergency where Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) saves the day.
9
“How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?”
‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 4, Episode 8
Season 4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) dealing with the fallout of being fired from Shy’s (Leroy McClain) tour. The combination of the disastrous tour and gendered discrimination that she continues to face leads Midge spending the season working at a burlesque club called The Wolford. Finally, in the season finale, Midge gets the reality check and confidence boost she needs after a powerful speech from Lenny (Luke Kirby).
This is a powerful episode that is framed by Moishe’s (Kevin Pollak) heart attack, which forces Midge to reevaluate her priorities. She and Lenny finally act on their feelings for each other during a snowstorm, but their happiness is short-lived when she discovers his drugs. This episode takes Midge to exactly the place she needs to go after she has spent the season hiding in a way, and that scene with her and Lenny at Carnegie Hall is the perfect final scene.
8
“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”
‘Yellowjackets’ Season 1, Episode 10
Yellowjackets always hinted at the horrors that occurred in the wilderness from the very start of the show. Laura Lee (Jane Widdop) was the first of the Yellowjackets to die after the plane crash, when her small plane exploded when she was trying to fly out for help. Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) death in the Season 1 finale is a real turning point for the past timeline, as it is an entirely preventable (albeit accidental) deathm for which the Yellowjackets are all at least partially responsible.
The rest of the episode reflects this as well, even in the adult timeline, which sees Misty (Christina Ricci) kill Jessica (Rekha Sharma) shortly after the Yellowjackets got rid of Adam’s (Peter Gadiot) body. The episode perfectly sets up the following season, in both the past and present timelines. In the past, the Yellowjackets are left to deal with Jackie’s death, which later sets the stage for their first act of cannibalism. In the present, Nat (Juliette Lewis) is abducted, and the show hints at Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) introduction in the adult timeline.
7
“Introduction to Finality”
The Season 3 finale of Community feels like a series finale in many ways, and that is because it was written that way in the case of the event that the show was cancelled. The series thankfully got three more seasons after that, and the episode works very well in the context of what follows. It shows Troy (Donald Glover) leaving his friends in order to join the AC repair school. The AC repair school is not everything that it seems, though, and this storyline ends in a murder.
This is an emotional episode where Jeff (Joel McHale) finally turns his back on his old life, and chooses his new friends over his old law career. Troy returns to his friends, Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and Pierce (Chevy Chase) open their sandwich shop, and Abed (Danny Pudi) manages to fight off Darkest Timeline Abed (also played by Pudi). It’s a perfect end to the season, resolving things on a hopeful note after Community‘s darkest installment yet.
6
“Day Twenty-Three”
‘The Wilds’ Season 1, Episode 10
Season 1 of The Wilds has a number of ongoing threads that all come together in the Season 1 finale. The previous episode has just revealed that Nora (Helena Howard) is the second informant who has chosen to participate in and help with the experiment. The season finale then reveals Nora’s motivation through emotional flashbacks that lead to the reveal that her ex-boyfriend, Quinn (Johnny Berchtold), died in a hazing incident.
The twists become even more shocking and horrifying, as Gretchen’s (Rachel Griffiths) motivations are revealed as well. Her son was one of the main participants in the incident that killed Quinn, which led her to plan this experiment and recruit Nora in the process. On the island, Leah (Sarah Pidgeon) tries to expose the truth about Nora, which ends in a shark attack that leads to Nora’s disappearance. In the flash-forward to after, Leah escapes from the room where she’s being held to investigate the facility, where she learns about the boys’ island in the perfect cliffhanger.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2021
- Network
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Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Amy Harris
- Directors
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Sophia Ali
5
“Mac Finds His Pride”
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Season 13, Episode 10
Many of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s season finales could be any other episode, as they show the gang continuing to come up with and participate in their usual outrageous schemes. This is why it is especially impactful when the series delivers especially emotional and game-changing episodes. The best example of this is the Season 13 finale, “Mac Finds His Pride.”
In “Mac Finds His Pride,” Mac (Rob McElhenney) is hesitant to participate in the gang’s pride float, so Frank (Danny DeVito) takes him on quest to find pride in his identity as a gay man. Most of the episode is particularly silly and over-the-top as it builds up to the moment where Mac comes out to his father, Luther (Gregory Scott Cummins). Mac performs a stunning dance at the prison where his father is incarcerated, which ends with the heartbreaking scene where Luther walks out, but Frank stays and supports Mac.
4
“Can Josh Take a Leap of Faith?”
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Season 2, Episode 13
Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) goes on a whirlwind of a journey throughout Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s second season, which builds up to her wedding with Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) in the Season 2 finale. The entire show, up until then, has been building up to the moment where Rebecca gets exactly what she wants, only to realize that it isn’t about Josh. “Rebecca’s Reprise” is absolutely perfect, especially because she still insists on going through with the wedding, believing that it will solve all of her problems.
Everything about this episode is absolutely brilliant. Just as it seems like there is no way Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will be able to stop this doomed wedding, Josh leaves Rebecca at the altar when he impulsively decides to become a priest. Rebecca’s emotional journey in this episode is heartbreaking and very fitting for her character, all ending with the moment where she gets through the pain by setting her mind on ruining Josh’s life.
3
“Michael’s Gambit”
‘The Good Place’ Season 1, Episode 13
The Season 1 finale of The Good Place has one of the best plot twists in TV history. The first season centers on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), as she gets sent to The Good Place by mistake, and tries to become a better person in order to avoid getting caught. Eleanor actually succeeds with Chidi’s (William Jackson Harper) help, which leads to her confessing the truth to the whole neighborhood.
In the season finale, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani (Jameela Jamil), and Jason (Manny Jacinto) have to choose which two of them will be sent to the Bad Place. This is when Eleanor realizes that they are already in the Bad Place, and that the entire neighborhood is a fake Good Place neighborhood designed to torture these four humans. It’s the perfect twist to end the season and set up the next one, as the episode ends with Michael (Ted Danson) erasing all of their memories of the afterlife.
2
“The We We Are”
‘Severance’ Season 1, Episode 9
Even with just two season finales under its belt so far, it is clear that Severance knows how to end a season. The Season 1 finale, “The We We Are,” picks up right after Dylan (Zach Cherry) has activated the OTC. In the final episode of the season, the rest of the innies have one evening to try to find someone that they can trust with the truth of what life is like on the severed floor.
In the process, a number of bombshells are revealed. Helly (Britt Lower) learns that she is an Eagan, Irving (John Turturro) learns that Burt (Christopher Walken) is married, and Mark (Adam Scott) learns that Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is actually his outie’s wife. “The We We Are” is an intense episode that ends the season perfectly, while also setting up a number of major plotlines for Season 2.
1
“I Live Here Now”
‘The Leftovers’ Season 2, Episode 10
The Season 2 finale of The Leftovers sees Kevin (Justin Theroux) wake up after dying, only to be killed once again when John (Kevin Carroll) shoots him. In an excellent and surprisingly emotional twist, Kevin’s task to escape the afterlife this time is much simpler than what he had to do in “International Assassin.” All he has to do is sing one song for the hotel’s karoke night, which Kevin doesn’t take seriously at first. Ultimately, though, it ends with a gut-wrenching rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.”
In the world of the living, the Guilty Remnant prepares to bomb the bridge to Miracle, and Erika (Regina King) tries to get through to Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown). This episode expertly combines the speculative element of Kevin dying again with the real-life return of the Guilty Remnant for a haunting and heartbreaking season finale. In spite of the GR’s destructive attack on Miracle, the episode ends with a hopeful moment where Kevin reunites with his family.
