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I can’t say I am one of those people who got all worked up over the “Lost” series finale. I tuned in out of curiosity, but actually stopped watching the show three years ago at least. It is always difficult for the fans when a beloved show ends, but I don’t really see where the “Lost” finale was one of the best or one of the worst finales of a long-running series. In face, because this week is absolutely chock-full of season finales as well as series finales, I began thinking about some of the best, worst, and most controversial series finales that I can remember, the finales where years – or even decades – later they are still discussed with passion and even awe.
So here are my picks for some of the most talked about, memorable series finales ever. What would you add to the list? Would you “Buffy” fans care to speak up? How about you “X Files” experts? Let’s hear from all of you on what finales you remember the most!!!
The Shield : Some viewers wanted bad cop Vic to get what he deserved – a brutal death like the ones he inflicted on so many others. Instead he was forced off the streets and into a desk job leaving viewers to debate if that wasn’t a punishment worse than death for adrenaline junkie Vic.
M*A*S*H* : Until this year’s Super Bowl, the highest rated moment in T.V. history was this show’s finale. It was controversial partly because the ending moment was leaked in the press, ruining the moment for many fans and partially because some thought it was too sappy for a show that had maintained an edge for eleven seasons.


Seinfield: One of the greatest sitcoms ever had one of the worst finales ever with the series regulars landing in jail after being on trial and having characters from episodes past testify against them. Still a few die hard critics and fans swear it was comedic genius to have Elaine, George, and Jerry suffer such a well-deserved fate.
The Sopranos: Though some longtime fans were outraged at the cut to black ending of the series, I think this is probably the greatest of any series finale ever-even if I did not watch the show regularly. Did Tony get whacked? Did Meadow live? We can analyze the clues, but we will never know for sure.
Newhart: Only a few naysayers thought that Bob Newhart’s “it was only a dream” conceit was a cheap way to end things on his second hit series “Newhart.” Parodying “Dallas”, Bob Newhart woke up back in his old world of “The Bob Newhart Show” with his T.V. wife, Suzanne Pleshette claiming he had a nightmare about running an inn in Vermont. In a show that mixed straightlaced sensibility with sheer goofiness, it was a truly surprise ending that also made perfect sense.

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