TV Series That Stuck the Landing

A great final episode is rarer than it sounds. These shows signed off on one of their best-rated episodes ever, ranked by the finale's own score. It is the happy opposite of the shows that fumbled the finale.

Ranked by the finale's rating · 79 series

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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 32 Adult 0 Adventure 24 Animation 20 Biography 1 Comedy 32 Crime 19 Documentary 0 Drama 49 Family 3 Fantasy 2 Game-Show 0 History 1 Horror 1 Music 1 Musical 0 Mystery 7 News 0 Reality-TV 0 Romance 8 Sci-Fi 0 Short 0 Sport 0 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 5 War 0 Western 0

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 6 2010s 41 2000s 17 1990s 9 1980s 5 1970s 1 1960s 0 1950s 0 1940s 0 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2022 1 2021 2 2020 3 2019 4 2018 6 2017 4 2016 2 2015 7 2014 5 2013 4 2012 1 2011 1 2010 7 2009 2 2008 4 2007 2 2006 2 2005 3 2002 3 2001 1 1999 2 1998 1 1997 1 1994 1 1993 2 1992 1 1990 1 1989 1 1988 1 1987 1 1982 2 1970 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 0 Stuck the Landing 79 Grew the Beard 11 Rock Solid 4 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 2

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 5 Gritty 9 Dark tone 13 Feel-good 12 Cozy 0 Wholesome 9 Melancholic 4 Tense 16 Unsettling 4 Whimsical 7 Campy 0 Cynical 9 Hopeful 10 Sentimental 6 Nostalgic 7 Bittersweet 9 Chaotic energy 1 Deadpan cool 2

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 6 Fast-paced 4 Episodic 17 Serialized 29 Procedural 4 Mystery box 6 Anthology 0 Cliffhanger-driven 4 Sprawling saga 8 Tight limited run 0 Puzzle plot 4 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 5 Absurdist 3 Satirical 2 Cringe comedy 1 Slapstick 2 Witty banter 18 Dark comedy 4 Warm humor 20 Raunchy 1 Parody 0 Ironic & meta 1

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 8 Detective mystery 3 True crime 0 Heists & cons 0 Legal 2 Medical 1 Political intrigue 4 Espionage 1 War & military 6 Family saga 6 Coming of age 14 Workplace 10 School & campus 3 Love story 3 Friendship 17 Found family 15 Survival 1 Post-apocalyptic 1 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 2 Space & sci-fi 5 Near-future tech 1 Time travel 3 High fantasy 3 Urban fantasy 1 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 1 Addiction & vice 1 Mental health 7 Faith & religion 1 Sports 0 Music scene 1 Food & cooking 0 Nature & science 0 Real history 2 Royalty & aristocracy 0 Small town 6 Big city life 5 Rural & frontier 1 Suburban underbelly 1 Class divide 3 Immigrant experience 0 Queer stories 3 Female perspective 6 Social commentary 3 Philosophical 7 Existential dread 6 Revenge 2 Redemption 5 Secrets & lies 11

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 18 Morally gray 19 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 28 Central duo 8 Strong female lead 9 Child's perspective 2 Outsider lead 5 Genius lead 5 Working class 4 Elites & privilege 1 Unreliable narrator 1 Character study 15 Banter chemistry 8

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 6 Adrenaline 8 Intellectual challenge 3 Comfort rewatch 16 Romantic yearning 6 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 4 Mounting dread 2 Warm glow 5 Gut punch 12

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 13 Visually striking 9 Stylized direction 5 Naturalistic 3 Big-budget spectacle 3 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 6 Distinctive score 5 Experimental 1 Deep worldbuilding 11 Tight writing 11

Format & audience

Sitcom 12 Adult animation 1 Anime 5 Kids & family 12 Young adult 2 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 0 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 0 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 5 Contemporary life 1 Long-runner 6 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters