Do series finales have to be so big?

[Joe Washington]

Does a series finale have to so big in action or special effects or scope? Can it be low-key and end on an introspective note?

 

[Galileo7]

I think the primary goal of the finale must be the story first and resolving any loose ends that need to be finished.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'd say that Babylon 5 had a fairly low key and introspective finale. A finale certainly doesn't need to be a giant spectacle filled with action and FX, but if that's where the story has been leading, then that's what it should be. Ultimately, it just needs to provide resolution for the story and characters.

 

[Starbreaker]

Yes. Gotta get people to tune in with a giant marketing campaign.

 

[Jax]

Depends on the story for example Babylon 5 wrapped up all the big epics stuff beforehand so it was perfect for a small character piece . However if you have a big actiony theme take ENT season 3 for example then you gotta go out big .

Finales should always though wrap up the plot you've been telling.

 

[Galileo7]

Going out with a big bang or a whimper of special effects etc. is always secondary to telling a good final story.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I didn't see it myself because I hate the show, but my parents said the finale of "Everybody Loves Raymond" was pretty low-key. I imagine that may have been as a result of the negative reaction to Seinfeld's big extravaganza of a finale where they brought back tons of previous guest stars for a huge spectacle and the public wasn't that thrilled.

I think "The X-Files" made the same mistake with its trial featuring a parade of recurring characters. While "Everybody Loves Raymond" was a show I didn't much care for, if it starts a trend of more subtle and thoughtful series finales, I'll be grateful to it for that.

I would have considered "Futurama" season 5 finale "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" a good example of a perfect, touching series finale that didn't try so hard to be epic if the show hadn't returned from it later. I don't know if it was intended that way (after all, the show was cancelled), but the end of "Firefly" was pretty touching and subtle.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

It wasnt't a series finale, but a season finale. Buffy's season 4 was as introspective as it get's with the dreamsharing episode... and the man with the cheese.

 

[cardinal biggles]

NYPD Blue's series finale, hyped as it was, ended up being really low-key. Yeah, Andy's now a sergeant and the new boss of the detective squad, but otherwise it's another day at the office. And that was kind of the point. Sipowicz came full circle as a character, and life marches on.

 

[RandyS]

I'd say that Babylon 5 had a fairly low key and introspective finale.

Agreed, it was also one of that series' finest episodes.

The end of Cheers was also mostly a character piece, but that series stayed mostly in the bar anyway, so I'm not sure if it works as an example. it's just the only one I could think of.

 

[mr.peany]

For a show that prided itself on its big, flashy episodes, the finale of ER was fairly low key, despite the return of a number of former stars. As a result, it ended up being one of the better episodes of the last 6 seasons or so. The final scene being quite moving in particular.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I would say that it depends on the show and what's left to resolve and how much time you have to resolve it. For "Smallville" for instance I think most fans would want a two hour season finale with a big epic finish revealing Clark as Superman finally and maybe the return of Michael Rossenbaum. I don't think a finale has to be big in scope.