Series finales are pretty hard to get right. Comedian Paul Scheer has recently opened up to which TV Finales were the most disappointing, with some surprising results. So, what were worse finales ever? According to Scheer, they were The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Alias. Let’s explore his reasoning, which I think is more than debatable.
The X-Files is one of those finales that most people aren’t fond of. The sci-fi TV series went on for a bit too long, and struggled to keep audiences engaged in the later seasons. Additionally, David Duchovny backed out of his leading role after Season 7, making the final two a bit disjointed from the magic that made Fox viewers so happy originally. The series finale has been panned for providing few answers, despite Duchovny’s Mulder returning to finish the series. That all might change soon, as the reboot will be coming back to TV.
Another series finale that Paul Scheer disliked was the action drama Alias which ran from 2001-2006. Scheer’s reasoning? He simply doesn’t remember what happened in the finale. He states this lack of memorability speaks volume as to how much of a failure Jennifer Garner’s TV finale truly was.
Paul Scheer’s third worst finale is the 90’s megahit Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Although, his criticism was more about the quality of Buffy’s seventh season, rather than how satisfying the actual finale was. Afterall, “Chosen” had an army of vampire slayers fighting a gargantuan mass of uber-vampires which resulted in the entire town of Sunnydale sinking into the ground. And, we got two epic main character deaths. What more do you want Mr. Scheer?!
I have to say that, while I love Paul Scheer’s on-screen work, I don’t necessarily think that he is the best judge for finales. While The X-Files and Alias were universally loathed, Buffy wasn’t. Additionally, his taste seems suspect as he listed his favorite finales in the same Yahoo article and some of them were awful.
A few of the finales that Paul Scheer really loved have been rated on lists as the most disappointing series finales ever. For instance, he seems utterly smitten with The Sopranos controversial finale. He actually enjoyed the infamous cut to black, citing not wanting closure for the HBO show. On a similar note, Scheer loves the finale of Lost which most fans of the series have bashed since its airing. Once again, Scheer doesn't require closure; rather, he enjoys how visually stunning the church flash-sideways was.
Series finales are a tricky thing. Few shows have delivered an episode that are satisfying for the viewers who have spent years watching their favorite character’s plots move forward. Although, isn’t finding out which finales rocked and flopped part of the fun?
