"The last word on TV endings."—Matt Zoller Seitz, television critic for New York Magazine
"Finales are in many cases the high points of iconic television series. This carefully compiled and well-researched compendium provides a definitive explication and assessment of finales through the half century and counting of television, and will become a classic text in the field."—Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies, Fordham University
"This book is about much more than television finales; it shows us how the final episode illuminates the entire series. David Bianculli’s work is historically informed, showing his mastery of the subject. With contributors representing some of the leading lights in television studies and impressive contributions by new scholars as well, the approximately seventy essays span the scope of television."—Rhonda V. Wilcox, author of Reading Joss Whedon
"An invaluable resource for those studying or researching popular culture. . . .Highly recommended"—Choice
Description
Today more than ever, series finales have become cultural touchstones that feed watercooler fodder and Twitter storms among a committed community of viewers. While the final episodes of The Fugitive and M*A*S*H continue to rank among the highest rated broadcasts, more recent shows draw legions of binge-watching fans. Given the importance of finales to viewers and critics alike, Howard and Bianculli along with the other contributors explore these endings and what they mean to the audience, both in terms of their sense of narrative and as episodes that epitomize an entire show. Bringing together a veritable “who’s who” of television scholars, journalists, and media experts, including Robert Thompson, Martha Nochimson, Gary Edgerton, David Hinckley, Kim Akass, and Joanne Morreale, the book offers commentary on some of the most compelling and often controversial final episodes in television history. Each chapter is devoted to a separate finale, providing readers with a comprehensive survey of these watershed moments. Gathering a unique international lineup of journalists and media scholars, the book also offers readers an intriguing variety of critical voices and perspectives.
Table of Contents
Contents by Year
Contents by Genre
Acknowledgments
Introduction, Douglas L. Howard
1. As the World Turns, Sam Ford
2. Ashes to Ashes, Karen Hellekson
3. Babylon 5, Ensley F. Guffey
4. Barney Miller, David Scott Diffrient
5. Battlestar Galactica, Martha P. Nochimson
6. Boston Legal, Barbara Villez
7. Breaking Bad, K. Dale Koontz
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Elizabeth L. Rambo
9. Carnivàle, Erika Johnson-Lewis
10. Cheers, Mitchell E. Shapiro
11. The Colbert Report, Keith Brand
12. Dark Shadows, Jeff Thompson
13. Dawson’s Creek, Lori Bindig Yousman
14. Dexter, Sue Turnbull and Renee Middlemost
15. The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mark Dawidziak
16. Downton Abbey, David Hinckley
17. ER, Stephen Spignesi
18. Family Ties, Alice Leppert
19. Friends, Shelley Cobb and Hannah Hamad
20. Fringe, Stacey Abbott
21. The Fugitive, Douglas L. Howard
22. Gilmore Girls, Katheryn Wright
23. Girls, Eric Gould
24. Hill Street Blues, Ronald Wilson
25. Homicide, Jonathan Nichols-Pethick
26. House, M.D., Douglas Snauffer
27. How I Met Your Mother, Clinton Bryant and Katheryn Wright
28. Howdy Doody, Michael Donovan
29. Jericho, Jeffrey Bussolini
30. Justified, Stephanie Graves
31. The L Word, Teresa Forde
32. The Larry Sanders Show, Dean DeFino
33. Life on Mars (UK), Trisha Dunleavy
34. Lost, Nikki Stafford
35. Mad Men, Douglas L. Howard
36. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dana Heller
37. M*A*S*H, David Scott Diffrient
38. Moonlighting, Karin Beeler
39. Newhart, Cynthia Burkhead
40. Nichols, David Bianculli
41. Nurse Jackie, Joanne Morreale
42. The Office (UK), Asokan Nirmalarajah
43. The Office (US), J. Jeremy Wisnewski
44. Oz, Bill Yousman
45. Prime Suspect, Deborah Jermyn
46. The Prisoner, Joanne Morreale
47. Quantum Leap, Lincoln Geraghty
48. Rectify, Eric Gould
49. Roseanne, Michele Byers
50. Seinfeld, Zeke Jarvis
51. Sex and the City, Kim Akass
52. The Shield, Douglas L. Howard
53. Six Feet Under, Eric Gould
54. Smallville, Stan Beeler
55. Sons of Anarchy, Amanda Potter
56. The Sopranos, Gary R. Edgerton
57. Spaced, Lynne Hibberd
58. St. Elsewhere, Robert J. Thompson
59. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jason P. Vest
60. That Was the Week That Was, David Bianculli
61. 30 Rock, Amy M. Damico
62. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Bill Brioux
63. Torchwood, Lynnette Porter
64. True Blood, Teresa Forde
65. Twin Peaks, Adam Ochonicky
66. Veronica Mars, Joseph S. Walker
67. The West Wing, Gary Gravely
68. Will and Grace, Brett Mills
69. The Wire, Paul R. Wright
70. Xena: Warrior Princess, Amanda Potter
71. The X-Files, Lorna Jowett
Conclusion, Douglas L. Howard
Contributors
Index
About the Author
Douglas L. Howard is academic chair of the English Department on the Ammerman Campus at Suffolk County Community College. He is the editor of Dexter: Investigating Cutting Edge Television and a coeditor of The Essential Sopranos Reader.
David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, currently runs the website TVWorthWatching.com, and serves as guest host for NPR’s Fresh Air. He is the author of The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific.
November 2018