TV opinion: The best and worst sitcom endings - From ‘Gavin and Stacey’ to ‘That ‘70s Show’

Sitcoms consistently prove to be the kind of TV show I gravitate towards. 

The ease of watching, the lack of attention required, and an ensemble cast - these are all factors that appeal to me. 

Here, I break down for Film News Blitz the best and worst sitcom endings.

Beginnings and endings

The start of a sitcom is very important; it draws people in and has them coming back for more. 

But arguably, the ending of the show is just as important.

Nothing beats when a show, however long, finishes in a concise and satisfying way. 

And when it doesn’t, well, it’s almost as though the things I did enjoy about the show disappeared. 

I’ve thought about the dozens of sitcoms I’ve watched and narrowed it down to my three favourite and three least favourite endings to sitcoms. 

‘Gavin and Stacey’ 

I rewatched Gavin and Stacey only last week, and the final Christmas episode from 2024 delivered exactly what it did when it originally aired. 

The ending of Gavin and Stacey is satisfying in every sense of the word. 

Obviously, the show spanned across 17 years, so is the first episode similar to the final? Not by a long shot. 

We still have the almost mundane lives of these characters, which is what made it so appealing in the first place. 

We saw our favourite characters receive a happy ending, which is really the only way we want to see characters that we watched grow for so long. 

After the last episode before the finale in 2019 ended on a cliffhanger, Ruth Jones and James Corden took the audience on an emotional rollercoaster before we saw what we all wanted to see happen, finally happen. 

The ending of Gavin and Stacey brought tears to my eyes the first time, and it seems to have the ability to do that every time after.

‘New Girl’

The ending to New Girl divides fans, but I think it works great.

The entire final season takes place four years into the future, which is already controversial.

We see the characters finally start to grow up, move on from their late 20s and early 30s and start families. 

They’ve still got their quirks, like Nick being so anxious and indecisive that he just can’t choose when to propose to Jess. 

The final scene jumps even further into the future, showing everyone and their respective families just having a great time. 

Did the ending seem slightly rushed? Yes, but as a viewer, if the show had continued any more, it would arguably be worse. 

So this ending worked for me, but maybe that is slightly biased from me, having watched the show maybe a dozen times. 

‘The Big Bang Theory’

One of my favourite sitcoms, The Big Bang Theory is definitely both loved and hated. 

I will admit, at the start of this show, it was definitely a tough watch.

As the series progressed, so did the characters, and I think the finale of this show really showcased the growth in a lovely way.

Sheldon sets out to do what he aspired to do, win a Nobel Prize, with his wife, showing us and himself that he is not the loner he once thought he was. 

Penny finally gets over her commitment issues and starts to build a family with Leonard.

We saw Raj get over his fear of being alone, satisfied that he chose the right path.

All in all, I am a big fan of this show and thought it ended beautifully. 

‘How I Met Your Mother’

Arguably one of the most disappointing sitcom finales, fans of How I Met Your Mother purposefully disregard this finale as the real ending of the show.

It was rushed, messy and all in all, made no sense. 

When being told to watch this show, my friend who suggested it told me not to bother with the final episode. 

The most unsatisfying end to a sitcom I have personally ever come across, and a disappointment as someone who cherished the seasons and episodes prior.

‘Arrested Development’

I love the first three seasons of Arrested Development. The last two, however, were a major disappointment. 

The fourth season was released after the show was bought by Netflix, and the decrease in quality was evident. 

The show lost its charm, its grit and honestly, I was glad to see it finish. 

The last episode was a relief, because it meant I didn’t have to sit through more of the show, but it was disappointing because it was so bland. 

On rewatches, I tend to skip the last two seasons, because they just don’t hit the mark in my opinion. 

‘That ‘70s Show’

That '70s Show’s final season was a disappointment to begin with. 

After Topher Grace, who played the main character Eric, left the show a season prior, they tried to fill the void that he left.

This didn’t work, and the season afterwards was its final. 

The end of the show was on New Years Eve 1979, which didn’t make sense in regards to the timeline of the show in the slightest and just felt rushed and forced. 

A  really unsatisfying ending to a show I love.

Conclusion

I would argue that a show's final episode holds more importance than its first, and is often overlooked. 

We don’t always remember how a show started, many pilot episodes being a bit messy and having teething problems. But a show's final episode, as an established and developed series, should be much better.

Many shows do it right, but it is disappointing when one fails. 

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