9 Series Finales That Provided The Perfect Closure And 8 That I Wish I Could Erase From My Mind

"I was feeling epic."

🚨WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! 🚨

1. Yay: The Good Place

NBC

I'll take PERFECT FINALES for $200, Alex. Seriously, this has got to be one of the best finales of all time. I BAWLED. It was funny, heartwarming, and meaningful and provided an amazing arc for every single one of our characters. The lessons about what happens after we die and what brings our lives meaning were never as strong as in the finale. Even thinking about it makes me want to cry.

2. Nay: Lost

ABC

If The Good Place is the best of the best, then Lost is the worst of the worst. Lost was such an amazing show that really went downhill in its last few seasons, but its finale was still worse than expected. There was no way they possibly could have answered all of the questions the show had raised, but they could've tried a little harder. The ending with everyone in the church made no sense, though it was fun to see familiar faces. I'm still mad that Hurley stayed on the island!

3. Yay: Breaking Bad

AMC

Another great finale. Breaking Bad really never went downhill — it stayed consistently good, and the finale was no exception. It was a satisfyingly final ending to the story (well, technically it wasn't THAT final, since El Camino came a few years down the road), and it was so cathartic to see Walt die and Jessie get away in the last minutes of the show.

4. Nay: Game of Thrones

HBO

Is there any surprise here? Game of Thrones' last season was a colossal disappointment. It was rushed and did not provide a satisfying end for any characters, with the exception of Sansa, Arya, and the Hound. Cersei's, Jaime's, and Dany's deaths were all disappointing, and Bran becoming king literally made me roll my eyes. I guess we'll just have to wait for the books to give a better ending.

5. Yay: The Vampire Diaries

The CW

The Vampire Diaries finale is really a master class in how to balance action and closure in a finale: I really felt that it dedicated enough time and drama to both. The finale made full use of Nina Dobrev's return, and it was so nice to see Elena and Katherine again. My only complaint is that Damon and Elena got no dialogue together. But the episode was filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments centered on the main friendships and relationships, and that final scene made me bawl my eyes out.

6. Nay: Pretty Little Liars

Freeforrm

This finale was somehow rushed, even though it also felt as if it came years too late. The reveal that Spencer's British twin was A was utterly bonkers, and there was an 11th-hour pregnancy storyline featuring Ezra and Aria that was just a mess. There was no part of me that enjoyed seeing an Ezria wedding, and honestly, I had hoped that Mona was doing something better with her time than keeping Mary and Alex hostage in France.

7. Yay: Friends

NBC

Friends wrote the book for sitcom finales. It truly felt like saying goodbye — we'd gone through this journey with this group of friends and this chapter of their lives that was coming to a close. It fit the rest of the show perfectly, providing a bittersweet ending. I get chills just thinking about those final shots of the empty apartment.

8. Nay: Sherlock

BBC

The last season of Sherlock was really a miss. Mary's death (which John blamed Sherlock for) and then the secret-sister storyline felt like too much, even for Sherlock. The finale sort of felt forced, where they tried to re-create the drama of the games Moriarty played with Sherlock but with Sherlock's sister, and it didn't work as well. We never actually believed that Sherlock would kill John or Mycroft. It felt like a sort of twisted fanfiction: a bit of fun, but not how the show actually should've ended.

9. Yay: Parks and Recreation

NBC

I wasn't the biggest fan of Parks' last season, though it was very cool that it was in the future. But the finale really hit home for me. Ann and Chris came back, and it felt like we got closure on every storyline. AND LESLIE WAS POTENTIALLY PRESIDENT?! We need another reunion.

10. Nay: Teen Wolf

MTV

This is definitely the worst teen drama finale, mostly because of how forgettable it is. What even happened this season? There was way too much focus on the new characters, whom I liked but who fell flat alone. We got basically zero Stydia, and Derek and Stiles were barely in it. The show should have ended after 6A, which would've been a much better finale.

11. Yay: One Tree Hill

The CW

One Tree Hill's ninth season was honestly really good, and the finale was no exception. There wasn't much to wrap up, but I feel like they really took the time to reminisce and stoke our nostalgia in a loving goodbye to characters who had really started to feel like family. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was super nostalgic and sweet — the characters all singing "I Don't Wanna Be" at Tric still brings a tear to my eye.

12. Nay: 90210

The CW

I know I said that Teen Wolf was the worst teen drama finale, but this one is pretty close. Maybe it's just that I was never that into Liam and Annie, but the whole storyline felt sort of stupid. I was also mad that Max and Naomi didn't reconcile. And then Silver — I didn't even LIKE Silver, but I still think they just did her so dirty in this finale. She had just lost her baby, and then in the finale, she discovered that she had cancer, then considered suicide. It just felt so dark and depressing.

13. Yay: Schitt's Creek

Pop!TV

Schitt's Creek just got better and better as it went on, and the finale really was one of the best episodes of the show. It showed SUCH character growth while still capturing the heart and humor of the ridiculous characters and their relationships. David and Patrick's wedding was the perfect way to close the show, and it just made me so, so happy.

14. Nay: Gossip Girl

The CW

This one hurts me to write, because I WANT to put it in the good column. There were parts of it that I liked. (The actual scene of the Gossip Girl reveal was a lot of fun! And that very last scene!! Plus, we got a Chuck-Blair wedding, though the proposal fell flat.) But that Gossip Girl reveal...not only was it impossible that Dan was Gossip Girl, but the way the characters reacted was simply so out of character and honestly insulting to the fans. It still makes me mad to think about.

15. Yay: New Girl

Fox

Was it the BEST finale I've ever seen? Not exactly. The last season fell a little short for me. But it was sweet enough, and it was saved by this final moment, where we saw the gang playing a non–drinking game version of True American with their kids. It just brought everything full circle and caused me to burst into tears. All of our faves got such a happy ending, and all of our ships were canon — what more can you ask for?

16. Nay: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Netflix

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt really went downhill in its later seasons, and although I loved Kimmy's feminist book and theme park, the humor fell flat. Plus, this wasn't even really a finale — the choose-your-own-adventure episode came a year later, which also, for me, fell flat. Was anyone really rooting for Kimmy and Daniel Radcliffe as a couple?

17. And finally, yay: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Netflix

A Series of Unfortunate Events followed the books SO CLOSELY that I was very curious what they were going to do with the last one. In the end of the books, the Baudelaires leave the island in a boat, and it's left up in the air whether or not the boat sinks (though an accompanying book spells out the secret message that it did). It's a bleak ending that isn't a surprise, considering that the narrator has been telling us from the start that this story doesn't have a happy ending. The show managed to respect this premise and the books while still injecting a bit more hope. In the very end, Lemony meets Beatrice Baudelaire II, named after the love of his life, who confirms that the Baudelaires have survived and kept on having adventures in a really sweet moment that filled my childhood self's heart with joy.

Am I totally wrong or spot-on? Let me know in the comments below!

NBC

Note: This list is in no way comprehensive, since it's only based on the shows I've seen. Let me know which ones I missed!