We’re only halfway through the 2020s, but the decade has already delivered some jaw-dropping TV finale episodes. This includes season finales, like when Carmy got locked in the walk-in fridge inThe Bearseason 2, and series finales, like when Jimmy McGill finally came out of hiding to face the music inBetter Call Saulseason 6.
15Fear No Mort
Rick and Morty Season 7, Episode 10
After being underwhelmed by an otherworldly haunted house, the title characters are invited to a truly terrifying spectacle inRick and Morty’s season 7 finale, “Fear No Mort.” Morty steps into a “fear hole” in a Denny’s bathroom, where he’s promised he’ll confront his worst fears.
The episode isa fascinating examination of Morty’s worst fears, from the literal to the abstract, and it forces him to overcome them before he can escape the hole. “Fear No Mort” ends on an unusually sweet moment, as Rick proves he really does love his grandson.
14The Hope That Kills You
Ted Lasso Season 1, Episode 10
WhenTed Lassofirst dropped, it turned out to be much, much better than a series based on a character from TV commercials had any right to be. Yes, it was a fish-out-of-water sitcom about an American football coach joining a British football team. But it was also an uplifting tale of the power of optimism.
Ted’s refreshingly good-natured philosophy was put to the ultimate test at the end of season 1, when Rebecca confessed that she’d only hired him to sabotage the team. In one of the decade’s most inspiring TV moments, without missing a beat,Ted forgives her. In the aftermath of that, the finale acts as a touching coda jam-packed with closure.
13Chapter 16: The Rescue
The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 8
The Mandalorian’s season 2 finale was so perfect, it arguably should’ve been the final episode of the entire series. “Chapter 16: The Rescue” delivered the ultimate fan-service moment —beast-mode Luke Skywalkerslaughtering a hallway full of Dark Troopers — but it alsoended Mando and Grogu’s relationship on the perfect note.
The Mandalorian’s season 2 finale was so perfect, it arguably should’ve been the final episode of the entire series.
As their journey comes to an end, Mando defies his Mandalorian creed to remove his helmet and look his surrogate son in the eye. It was a tearful ending to their story, and so fitting that it felt disingenuous to reverse the finality of it and keep the story going shortly thereafter.
12No Lessons Learned
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12, Episode 10
More than two decades after dividing fans with one of the all-time most controversial series finales, Larry David decided to lean into that controversy with the final episode of his next hit sitcom.Curb Your Enthusiasm’s finale is a tongue-in-cheek reimagining ofSeinfeld’s finale, as Larry stands trial with familiar faces showing up as character witnesses.
ExceptCurb Your Enthusiasm’s version of theSeinfeldfinalehad the extra meta element of having Jerry Seinfeld himself appear on-screen to save Larry from meeting the same controversial finale fate as his fictional alter ego.
11Nice While It Lasted
BoJack Horseman Season 6, Episode 16
The grimmest cartoon about talking animals ever made, BoJack Horseman, reached its absolute darkest point in the penultimate episode, “The View from Halfway Down,” which saw BoJack stuck in limbo following a suicide attempt.BoJack Horseman’s series finale, “Nice While It Lasted,” brought us back to the light.
BoJack isn’t let off the hook for his mistakes, but he is given a path to redemption. He gets one last moment with all the other characters, who are each left in a good place, before his bittersweet final scene with Diane — the perfect note to end the series on.
10A Great Or Little Thing
The Penguin Episode 8
Colin Farrell’s Oz had been a scene-stealing secondary villain inThe Batman, but his own self-titled miniseries turned him into one of the most three-dimensional adaptations of a comic book character ever put on screen. After the show had turned Oz into a well-rounded, sympathetic human being, the finale revealed he was a monster.
Oz had spent the whole series mentoring an aimless young orphan named Victor, and after everything they went through, they seemed to be thick as thieves. But after Oz inadvertently showed Vic some vulnerability, he callously murdered him. This shocking endingrecontextualized the character and his story.
9Wow
Barry Season 4, Episode 8
All throughoutBarry’s run,Bill Hader and his team of writers had a knack for coming up with plot developments that no one could predict, but somehow felt inevitable. InBarry’s series finale, they did that several times over.
The final sequence is a perfect thesis statement, mocking the kind of vapid, sensationalist action-adventure that some audiences wanted Barry itself to be.
It felt just that Gene would be the one to kill Barry, but painfully ironic that Barry would be remembered as a hero and Gene would take the blame for all his crimes. The final sequence is a perfect thesis statement, mocking the kind of vapid, sensationalist action-adventure that some audiences wantedBarryitself to be.
8Jedha, Kyber, Erso
Andor Season 2, Episode 12
WhenAndorended its two-season run, it had to wrap up all the storylines and character arcs from the series itself while connecting to the beginning of its feature-length predecessor,Rogue One. And, as usual, Tony Gilroy and co. knocked it out of the park with “Jedha, Kyber, Erso.”
The finale bid an emotional farewell to all the show’s beloved characters andled intoRogue Oneso seamlessly that it made the movie feel like another three-episode block ofAndor. Audiences went intoAndorknowing the title character would meet a grim fate, but the finale still ends onStar Wars’ signature hope withthe reveal of Bix’s baby.
7Green Queen
The Curse Episode 10
In its first nine episodes,The Cursewas an aggressively realistic look at the cringiest corners of human existence. But in its finale, “Green Queen,”it takes a sharp left turn into full-blown supernatural horror. Just when things are going well, Asher wakes up on the ceiling and can’t get down.
Not even the titular curse could explain what happens to Asher in the finale, and that’s what makes it so terrifying. There are many different ways to interpret it, but no solid answers. “Green Queen” is easily the most surprising finale of the decade thus far.
6Cold Harbor
Severance Season 2, Episode 10
The long-awaited second season ofSeverancemight not have been quite as flawless as season 1, but it ended with a perfect finale episode.“Cold Harbor” delivered all the payoffs that audiences had eagerly anticipated throughout the season, and they did not disappoint.
With its dark twists, graphic violence, and downer cliffhanger ending, “Cold Harbor” feels like a dystopian thriller from the ‘70s.
Mark’s innie and outie get on the same page, he’s finally reunited with Gemma, and his feud with Lumon management escalates into violence. With its dark twists, graphic violence, and downer cliffhanger ending, “Cold Harbor” feels like a dystopian thriller from the ‘70s.
