After the finalé of How I Met Your Mother left its audience (and us!) deeply disappointed, we couldn’t help but think of other shows that said goodbye so much more elegantly. Warning: spoilers aplenty!
SEINFELD
Ran from: 1989 to 1998
Plot: Famously known as ‘a show about nothing’, it followed the life of Jerry Seinfeld, best friend George Costanza, ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes and crazy neighbour Cosmo Kramer.
Finale: The four leads are put on trial for not helping a person in need. They end up in prison for a year and Jerry performs his standup routine for his prison inmates.
Closure lesson: Don’t take yourself too seriously.
FRIENDS
Ran from: 1994 to 2004
Plot: The show followed the lives of six friends, Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Joey and Chandler as they lived, laughed and loved in Manhattan. Finale: The finale was a perfect end to a tenyear long tale. The characters grew, changed and moved on to live their own lives.
Closure lesson: Don’t go back and ruin years’ worth of character development.
THE OFFICE
Ran from: 2005 to 2013
Plot: A mockumentary about the everyday lives of employees at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
Finale: All the employees come together for Dwight Schrute and Angela Martin’s wedding. Then follow final interviews and goodbyes. *sniff*
Closure lesson: Allow your characters to say goodbye in a way that is true to their personalities.
30 ROCK
Ran from: 2006 to 2013
Plot: The life and trying times of Liz Lemon, the head writer of a sketch comedy series, as she deals with her boss and grapples with the difficult stars of her show.
Finale: Liz’s show TGS comes to an end, but Liz finds a way to keep working in television. Jack quits as CEO to find true happiness, and Tracy finally relieves Kenneth of his duties. Closure lesson: Letting go should not be followed by backtracking.
Volume 3 Issue 11
