Best and worst tv series finales

Best and worst tv series finales

Best and worst tv series finales. "Friday Night Lights" fans -- the ones who've managed to avoid spoilers, anyway -- have high hopes for the upcoming NBC series' finale. While we wait with clear eyes and full hearts, let's take a look back at shows that ended on a high note as well as the episodes remembered for all the wrong reasons.

'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: March 19, 1977

Synopsis: The groundbreaking series about a single female TV producer ended with a tearful group hug after everyone at the station lost his or her job.

'The X-Files'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 19, 2002

Synopsis: The sci-fi series faltered in its last season after losing one of its leads, and his much-hyped reunion with his co-star couldn't save the finale.

'M*A*S*H'
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: Feb. 28, 1983

Synopsis: The tearful 1983 series finale -- directed by one of its stars -- was the most-watched TV program ever.

'St. Elsewhere'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: April 25, 1988

Synopsis: The '80s medical drama starring a future Oscar winner and a green-living advocate enraged fans with its "it was all a dream" ending.

'Newhart'
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 21, 1990

Synopsis:Bob Newhart's second successful TV series delighted viewers with its version of "it was all a dream" with the return of a familiar face.

'Roseanne'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 21, 1997

Synopsis: The ABC sitcom, starring a standup comedian and a beloved actor, aired a finale that threw fans several curveballs, but it was this shocker that left viewers with a hole in their hearts.

'Six Feet Under'
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: Aug. 2005

Synopsis: The HBO drama about a family-run funeral home -- starring a future serial killer and a Golden Globe winner -- served up a heart-wrenching last episode that gave fans the closure they needed.

'Dallas'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 3, 1991

Synopsis: The nighttime soap aired one of the most-watched TV episodes ever, but the possible suicide of a main character in its last episode angered some viewers. A 1996 reunion movie tied up some loose ends.

'The Cosby Show'
Ranking: One of the best

Original Air Date: April 30, 1992

Synopsis: After eight hilarious seasons, Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad broke the fourth wall by dancing out of their living room and into their place in TV history.

'Seinfeld'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 14, 1998

Synopsis:Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer gave us some of TV's most memorable moments, but even the show's biggest fans would rather forget those last 75 minutes.

'Cheers'
Ranking: One of the best

Original airdate: May 20, 1993

Synopsis: The Boston-based sitcom ended the show the way it began -- ex-baseball player Sam Malone standing alone in his beloved bar.

'Quantum Leap'
Ranking: One of the worst

Original airdate: May 5, 1993

Synopsis: The novel time-travel series, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, was unexpectedly canceled, causing producers to disappoint fans with this depressing note on the main character's fate.

Source:specials.msn