Series finale is a promotional/advertising term used to describe the final episode of a television series, usually a sitcom or a drama.

The term came into use in American Television in the early 1990s, as a variation of the term season finale, which indicated the end of a television season. Prior to that, ending episodes were referred to simply as the final episode or last episode. As a common use term, the term "series finale" does serve to distinguish between a planned final episode (one which includes resolution) and the last episode of a show which was cancelled after the last show was filmed. The majority of television programs are cancelled with little advance warning, so the occurrence of a series finale is relatively rare in comparison. In some cases, (Jesse, for example) a network buys a show, puts it on a hiatus, and then decides to cancel it; if any remaining episodes from the original production order make it to air, the last one is billed as a series finale.

A planned series finale often occurs only for shows that have distinguished themselves, developed an audience, and persisted for at least several seasons. Shows cancelled after two or three seasons rarely get such honors. However in some circumstances, if an unexpected cancellation is announced long enough ahead of time, writers can rewrite the last episode scheduled for production to give the series some degree of closure, creating a series finale. A recent example of such would be the 2006 finale of The West Wing.

Finales started becoming popular in the 1970s, after The Fugitive's closing episode in August 1967 became one of the most highly rated episodes of all time. Prior to that, most series consisted of stand-alone episodes without continuing story arcs, so there was little reason to provide closure. Today, a series finale is an event for both fans and creators of the show and always draws higher ratings.

Usually, a series finale is a dramatic conclusion to the basic premise of the series. Final episodes frequently feature fundamental changes in the central plot line, such as the union of a couple, the resolution of a central mystery or problem, the separation of the major characters, or the sale of a home or business that serves as the series' primary setting. Indeed, in a final episode it is also possible to do things that would be considered jumping the shark at any other point in the series' run. (In fact, this is usually what happens when the show is continued in a continuation spin-off done after the finale of the original series.)

Another trend involves acknowledging the fundamental unreality of the series, as St. Elsewhere and Newhart did.

Final episodes often include looks into the future or detailed looks into the series' past, or sometimes both (as in The Next Generation's finale). Characters who have left the show often return. Characters may finally accomplish things they have never done, running gags are brought to an end, and unseen characters are revealed. There may also be allusions to other shows that have gone on into television history, and sometimes a character or two may be set up for a sequel series (i.e., Cheers begetting Frasier; or Friends begetting Joey) in which characters from the series being concluded just might show up from time to time for a visit. Shows that feature a character who confronts villains on a regular basis often build their finales around a final, no-holds-barred confrontation between the hero and the most notorious villain he or she has faced.

Series finales for shows that are cancelled suddenly are sometimes seen as making relatively haphazard or rushed conclusions, or sometimes having merely reflective feeling rather than tying up loose ends.

Some feature film series have had the equivalent of series finales in which the producers claim would be the final film. However, often times if that supposedly final film is particularly successful, the series will continue regardless.

Since the 1980s, series finales for especially popular programs are often much longer than a regular series episode, in anticipation of higher ratings as former viewers who may have stopped watching the show return one last time and people who never really watched do so.

Notable series finales

• Notable series finales (1960s-1970s)
• Notable series finales (1980s)
• Notable series finales (1990s)
• Notable series finales (2000s)

Notable animated series finales

• Notable animated series finales (1990s)
• Notable animated series finales (2000s)

Notable shows that ended without a series finale

The following is a list of de facto series finales for shows that ended prematurely. As such, these final episodes do not display the unique characteristics of a formal, planned series finale, in which the entire plot of the series is resolved or concluded in some manner.

• I Love Lucy (1957) – Lucy joins a community effort to establish a Revolutionary War monument. She manages to shatter any dreams she may have had of becoming a community leader when the statue is broken. Her efforts to undo the damage put her in a unique position when the time comes to unveil the statue.
• The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1960) – Ricky is depressed because he hasn't gotten any movie or television offers lately. Lucy wants to cheer him up, and remembers that Ernie Kovacs and his wife, Edie Adams, live nearby -- and they have their own television show. Lucy invites them to dinner, and Ernie ends up inviting Ricky to appear on his TV show. Little Ricky, that is. Trying to make Ernie invite Ricky to appear as well, Lucy goes to his home, but there she only makes herself unwelcome in his eyes. Desperate, Lucy dresses up as Kovacs' chaueffer. She finds, however, that Ernie and Ricky are now discussing their plans for what Big Ricky will do on the former's show. Lucy is happy, but Ernie gets a phone call (in the car) from Edie, who unknowingly tips him off to Lucy's scheme. The two men decide to have a little fun with Lucy. They decide it's too late to go all the way home, and so they'll stay overnight at a hotel. In one room....
• The Addams Family (1966) – Ophelia arrives in tears as usual, as she's been jilted again. Morticia thinks she should take up a career to distract her from her bad track record with men. Chemistry is a failure, so Cousin Itt offers to teach her singing. This doesn't work too well, and she sings like he talks. Gomez hires Signor Bellini to help with the effort. He gets furious with her and thratens to quit. Ophelia tries singing choral music, in a chorus of voices she is fabulous, which stuns Bellini. Six months later, she's audition ing for Signor Rudoipho, the great impresario. Fester tries to calm her nerves by giving her a throat tonic, which ruins her voice. Morticia tries to console her sister by writing a new opera for her, 'Afternoon In A Swamp'. Ophelia tries singing again and even cuts a record, which she sends the Family. She now has a two-tone voice...alto and bass.
• The Munsters (1966) – When Eddie reads a school composition entitled "My Parents - An Average American Family" to his class, his teacher believes the boy is exhibiting symptoms of an overactive imagination. The school principal suggests that Eddie's wild exaggerations might be motivated by an underprivileged home life. It is decided that a visit to the Munster home is in order.
• Gilligan's Island (1967) – King Killiwani searches the island for a White Goddess who will marry a volcano and be a sacrifice to it. To save the women, the men try out for White Goddess and Gilligan wins. "Gilliana", the new White Goddess in heels, can't take the charade and removes his dress and wig. King Killiwani thinks White Goddess evil, take henchman and leave island!
• The Monkees (1968) – The Monkees encounter a pulsing eye that freezes people to their television sets.
• The Original Series (1969) – A mind-swapping device causes Kirk and his former lover to switch bodies. The first six of the Star Trek films would continue the storylines of the crew, concluding with The Undiscovered Country. Generations, the seventh film, concludes the story of Captain James T. Kirk.
• I Dream of Jeannie (1970) - Tony's cousin comes to visit and convinces Jeannie to put Tony's face on cans of chili and market them so they can supposedly become rich.
• Petticoat Junction (1970) - Betty Jo starts a day nursery to augment the family income.
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1971) - Fortune hunter Dick Bremerkamp schemes to marry Elly May.
• Green Acres (1971) - Oliver is looking through his old Christmas Cards to find the return address of an ex-secretary of his who had moved to California. He wants to contact her because when his watch broke before, his secretary at the time found a repair shop that was able to fix it. The secretary, Carol now works for a realtor who she ends up saving from being coned out of $10,000 from a con man that her former boss, Mr. Douglas had tried to indict back in New York. By episode end, Carol remembers the name of the watch repair shop on Madison Avenue.
• Mayberry R.F.D. (1971) - A large company wants to buy the rights to Emmett's old invention.
• Bewitched (1972) - Endora tries to test out Darrin's honesty by giving him a pin with a spell that makes him tell the truth. Darrin learns that honesty is not exactly the best policy when he jeopardizes an important account. It seems as though he may have lost the account, but the client likes the honesty between Darrin and Larry and gives them a break. As the series ends, Samantha and Darrin tell each other how much they love each other, without the magic of the truth pin.
• Bonanza (1973) – Little Joe tries to elude a war-deranged soldier, who plays a human hunting game for his amusement. In the end, Joe — whose supplies and horse have been stolen by his adversary — must rely on his wits to overcome his predicament (which he does in the end by locking the villian in a ghost town jail).
• The Brady Bunch (1974) – A non-FDA approved hair dye turns Greg's hair orange just hours before graduation; of course, Greg is able to get the tonic washed out before graduation. Robert Reed refused to appear in the episode because he thought the plot was unbelievable (an in-joke in the final scene has Carol telling Greg that it was too bad "Dad had to miss graduation," alluding to Reed's absence).
• Here's Lucy (1974) – When a middle aged waitress is fired solely based on her age, Lucy and Kim scheme to cause chaos for the restaurant manager.
• Gunsmoke (1975) – Festus does his best to help a sharecropper farm his land.
• Phyllis (1977) – Feeling that he cannot support Bess with his struggling singing career, Mark leaves. Phyllis then runs after him, and tells him to return because Bess has a surprise -- she's pregnant.
• Rhoda (1978) – When Benny starts to feel down-and-out, Brenda tries to cheer him up by catering to his every whim.
• Fawlty Towers (1979) - The hotel staff are frantic to prevent a snooping health inspector from finding out that Manuel has been keeping a pet rat at the hotel.
• The Ropers (1979) - Mother Roper holds a wake at Stanley & Helen's house to discuss her will, complete with presents.
• Lou Grant (1982) - It may be routine for Charlie when he has to fire two incompetents, lend a sympathetic ear to Donovan and consider assignments for Billie and Rossi, but for a cub reporter, the story he's working on is anything but routine.
• Laverne & Shirley (1983) - Rhonda enters Cowboy Bills to tell Frank that she suspects Carmine is about to commit suicide. She tells Frank that he's packed all his stuff, turned off the gas, and disconnected his phone. Just as the two of them are about to run to try to save Carmine, he walks in and tells them that he's decided he's getting nowhere fast and that he wants to move to New Yrok to try his luck on Broadway. Rhonda and Frank lend him money as he doesn't have quite enough to get there yet. He says his goodbyes to Frank and Rhonda and he goes to tell Laverne. When he walks into Laverne's apartment to tell her his news, Laverne tells him that after weeks of saving she can finally afford to buy a water bed that she's been after. Carmine then tells her that he's sick of being a singing telegram boy and that he's moving to New York but he's $100 short. At this point Laverne offers to loan Carmine the $100 from her bed money. Eventually he takes it and says goodbye to her, too. Carmine arrives in New York and attends a casting call for the musical Hair. He makes friends with a black man who he goes "halfsies" with on a room, so they now become roomies. A large part of the remainder of the show is taken up with Carmine and the rest of the dancers doing their musical number for the show. In the end we see them both checking the part list to see if they got the jobs, which they both did.
• Archie Bunker's Place (1983) - Billie and Gary agree to be friends, but this is tested when Billie falls for Rick Baxter who unknowing to Billie is an old friend and childhood rival of Gary's. Billie and Rick start dating neither knowing about others relationship with Gary, nor Gary knowing that they are dating. All is let out in the open when Archie tries to clear up the situation.
• The Jeffersons (1985) - George is eyeing to win the Dry Cleaner of the Year award but finds he's short on the community service portion. This leads him to take over as "nest mother" of Jessica's Red Robin troop where he gives the girls irresponsible tips on how to sell candy.
• Three's a Crowd (1985) - Jack has stardom go to his head when Vicky is chosen to be in a Trans-Am commercial with him as a passenger in the commercial. Turbulence occurs on the set when the commercial's tempermental director and Jack get into a fight.
• Yes Prime Minister (1988)
• M.A.S.K (1989)
• The Hogan Family (1991) – David does a documentary film on the last months of his friend Rich, who has AIDS.
• The Critic (1995) - The last episode was titled I Can't Believe Its a Clip Show. Terrorists strap a time bomb to Jay Sherman, who passes the time with movie clips from previous episodes.
• Rocko's Modern Life (1996) - The last episode titled Turkey Time/Floundering Fathers was aired as a Thanksgiving Special in 1996. The show was put on hiatus for a week and then cancelled.
• Space Cases (1997)
• Now and Again (2000) - The Eggman Cometh - For a brief period, Michael Wiseman is without a tracking device and he is now more determined than ever to flee and take his family with him. Meanwhile, the Eggman (from the series' earliest episodes) is plotting to escape from prison and start his threats on the city again. Lisa discovers more information than she expected about Dr. Morris and Michael Newman (a.k.a. Michael Wiseman) and, determined to prove what she believes, decides to confront Michael. Michael escapes from government custody, reunites with his wife and daughter in their home, and flees with them, with Dr. Morris and the military only minutes behind them.
• Sports Night (2000) - Continental Sports has been sold to Quo Vadimus. At the end of the episode, Dana discovers that the company's head, one Calvin Trauger, fully intends to keep Sports Night, saying that "Anyone who can't make money off of Sports Night should get out of the money-making business". Delirious with joy, Dana runs out of the bar shouting "my show is ON!"
• 2001) - Tammi Takes a Dive Barry throws Tammi off an airplane. As Tammi is hurled--and screaming--to her possible death, Barry yells, "Goodbye Tammi Tyler!"
• The Lone Gunmen (2001) - although was later ended as part of the X Files run.
• 7 Days (2001) - The last episode of the series was titled "Live: From Death Row" and was advertized as a season finale and not a series finale. It did not in any way act as a closure for the plot of the series. In this episode, Frank Parker put the backstep project's actual mission on hold to save a friend of his who was falsely accused of murder and is on death row.
• Popular (2001) - The season starts with Jane going in to labour. It consisted with an argument between Nicole and Brooke, Brooke's father abusing Nicole, Mary Cherry finding out she has a sister,B.Ho, who was in an orphanage and resulting in her mother deciding she likes B.Ho more sending Mary Cherry to the orphanage, Lily and Josh finding out living together is harder than they thought and Brooke and Sam forcing Harrison to choose between them. Although it was never revealed who he picked Brooke ran out of the restaurant on to the road crying. While she is on the road Nicole purposely runs over Brooke. This is one of the few shows that ended with a cliffhanger.
• Firefly (2002) was cancelled half-way its first season with "Objects in Space", but was revived in the feature-film Serenity in (2005).
• The Big O (2003) - Angel seemingly transforms into the Fourth Big and resets everything except herself and Dorothy to before the first episode. It should be noted that the true "ending" is simply an Unfinished Cliffhanger.
• John Doe (2003) John is nearly captured by the conspirators of the Phoenix Organization. In a cliffhanger, the leader of Phoenix is revealed.
• Samurai Jack (2004)While peacefully enjoying a snack of peaches, Jack hears a baby cry and races to find out what's the matter. He rescues Baby from a crew of hungry (baby-eating) monsters. The two then set off to find the baby's mother. Jack makes a great temporary parent, finding food, shelter, dealing with diapers. He tells Baby a bedtime story of Momotaro (Peach-boy, an archetypal Japanese folk-tale). When sick, Baby wants peaches; when they return to the peach orchard, the monsters find them again. After the final defeat of the monsters, Baby's mother is found. When she notices a surprising change in her child, Jack explains the baby has achieved "sakai", the spirit of the samurai.
• Boston Public (2005) - The last season was the 2003-04 season of 15 episodes. The 13th episode was aired January 30, 2004, and both the 14th and 15th were not aired until March 1, 2005, more than a year later. The last episode aired was not intended as a closure for the series.
• Joan of Arcadia (2005)
• ¡Mucha Lucha! (2005)
• Carnivàle (2005)
• Tru Calling (2005) - cancelled early into production of Season 2 (what would have been the final episode did not even air), leaving many plot threads hanging unresolved and questions unanswered.
• Yes, Dear (2006) - Discovering that Kim listens to Christine and Jimmy listens to Greg, Greg and Christine take advantage and ally themselves to help each other get what they want.
• Joey (2006) - Gina and Jimmy get married.

It is notable that the vast majority of shows do not get to have a series finale and often end on either a cliff-hanger or a generally unremarkable episode. Producers rarely get enough notice of a shows cancellation to produce a specific 'finale'.

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