We've talked about this in the past, but I want to get into it a little bit more: I don't trust streaming services anymore...especially Netflix and Max. Maybe it's my OCD, maybe it's the fact that I've been let down too many times before, but it's getting harder and harder for me to want to commit my (not exceptionally) precious time into a series that might never have an ending. I'm not sure there are many things worse for me than becoming emotionally invested in a story that ends on a cliffhanger.
Like, I get that there are much, much worse things in this world, but as a struggling screenwriter and attempted maker of motion pictures, unfinished art feels like swallowing something down the wrong tube: you still get some sustenance but you kinda wish you could go back to before you tried consuming the thing and maybe take a second before swallowing.
Shows like "Pushing Daisies," "Westworld," "The OA," "My So-Called Life," "GLOW," "The Santa Clarita Diet," "My Name is Earl," "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "ALF," "I Am Not Okay With This" and literally hundreds more ended just as a big question was answered or some twist landed, changing the entire unrealized future of the show. Hell, "Hannibal" got canceled with two characters literally going over a cliff with no resolution.
Obviously, some shows are such conversation pieces that it's worth taking the chance and watching week to week (cancellation-proof shows like "Succession" and "Game of Thrones"), but I've been burned so many times now that I'm tempted to only watch shows that have already ended on their own terms with an actual, planned series finale.
If you're like me and have trouble trusting, here are a few currently streaming shows that have genuinely satisfying endings that don't betray your investment.
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One of the most underrated shows of the 21st Century is "The Leftovers," a puzzle box family drama from Damon "Lost" Lindelof that tickles the brain and the heartstrings in equal measure. Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon star as two regular people in a world where 2% of the world's population mysteriously disappeared and everyone left is just not handling it very well. What's pretty incredible about this show is that across its three seasons and 28 episodes it never stops evolving and telling emotionally intimate stories inside an epic and unpredictable thriller. Plus, the ending of this show is so beautifully done that it remains a series you can watch over and over while never getting tired of the characters and world building. This is probably in my top five shows of all time.
Speaking of top five shows of all time: Can we even forget to talk about the perfection that is "Six Feet Under?" Following the Fisher family (who put the "fun" back in dysfunctional) as they deal with love, death and everything in between while living their lives running a struggling funeral home, "Six Feet Under" has what is inarguably one of the best endings of all time. Over the show's five seasons and 63 episodes, The Fishers end up feeling like real people, wringing every tear and bit of laughter out of its audience one deeply affecting episode at a time. If you haven't seen this, you won't regret taking the journey. In fact, just watch the first episode and if you're not hooked by the end, you never will be.
If you want something a little lighter there are the obvious comedy classics like "The (UK or U.S.) Office," "Parks and Recreation" or the extremely underrated "New Girl," but the sitcom I personally get the most rewatch value out of is "Superstore." Over six seasons and 113 episodes, "Superstore" wasn't just consistently funny, weird and completely obsessed with its own lovable characters, but it managed to tell stories about being a middle-class, big-box store worker that felt authentic and sometimes touching. Their personal and financial struggles weren't always easily forgotten about after a perfectly timed joke or a "will they/won't they" romantic arc; instead, led by the insanely talented America Ferrera, these characters were relatable and lovable until the perfect final episode.
While the list isn't bottomless, there really are so many shows that stick the landing beautifully and actually reward your time commitment. From the brutal irony of "The Shield," the goofy, big-hearted warmth of "Chuck," the cerebral and thought provoking "Halt and Catch Fire," the sneakily haunting "Mad Men," the life-affirming perfection of "Reservation Dogs," the gut-punch of "The Americans," the tears and laughter of "Schitt's Creek" or the absolute cartoon insanity of "30 Rock," when a creator is given a chance to follow their vision through to the end, most of the time it's pretty special.
I mean, not all the time. Sometimes the creator forgets what made the show special in the first place and then poops the bed so loudly, publicly and violently that everyone forgets why they loved the thing in the first place. I'm looking at you "Game of Thrones," "Dexter" and "How I Met Your Mother." Be better. I mean, it's too late now, but, you know, keep it in mind for next time.
