Schitt's Creek and 3 Other Cult TV Series With the Most Uplifting Finales
These are shows that were able to give their viewers a truly satisfying ending.
Many people can come up with an interesting plot, but not everyone can finish it well. Unfortunately, the modern TV industry is too dependent on viewer ratings, and writers' dedication to the original story is increasingly being questioned.
However, every rule has its exceptions.
1. Schitt's Creek, 2015-2020
Broke and forced to live in a motel, David, Johnny, Alexis, and Moira learn to be poor. While the main characters are initially presented as careless and lazy snobs at the beginning of Schitt's Creek, by the end of the series, each of them has gained a sense of humanity.
After living in a cramped hotel for several years, the parents and children grow close. Money once gave them security and comfort but took away the value of simple family relationships.
The final message of Schitt's Creek is simple yet relevant in a world where people increasingly build walls instead of learning to understand each other.
2. Friends, 1994-2004
Although Friends has received more criticism than praise in recent years, Marta Kauffman and David Crane are still so good at building strong connections between their characters and the audience.
The final episode of Friends is a warm farewell. Ross and Rachel choose each other, Monica and Chandler move into their own home, Phoebe gets married, and Joey remains the most spontaneous person in the group.
In real life, people are usually just passing through each other's lives, but the Friends characters decide to stay together forever.
3. The Good Place, 2016-2020
The final episode of The Good Place leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason atone for their sins and conclude their afterlife journey by transforming into a new form of existence.
Meanwhile, Michael, who was initially immortal, suddenly decides to become human. Throughout its four seasons, The Good Place explored the cyclical nature of the universe, and the final episode confirms this idea more accurately than ever.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003
Series creator Joss Whedon planned to end Buffy the Vampire Slayer after the fifth season. In the final episode, Sarah Michelle Gellar's character sacrifices herself to save the world and dies.
What seemed like a worthy ending to Whedon was not particularly well-received by the producers. Consequently, the series was extended by two controversial seasons, focusing on the relationship between Buffy and Spike.
In hindsight, the seventh season finale of Buffy seems much more optimistic than the fifth: the main character exterminates all the vampires of Sunnydale, leaving the town in ruins, and removes the burden of responsibility for the future of the world from herself.