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10 Hilarious Sitcoms With Surprisingly Somber Endings

By Michael Apgar

10 Hilarious Sitcoms With Surprisingly Somber Endings

TV finales are by their very nature emotional, which often complicates matters when it's time for a comedy to say its goodbyes. Unlike adventure programs or dramas, sitcoms don't have a built-in final act. There's no battle to win or mystery to solve. And yet, there is a sense that something special must happen in the series finale. As a result, many sitcoms choose to build their final episode around major moments of transition in the lives of their characters.

The end of a show can mean it's time for fans to part ways with characters they've known and laughed along with for years of their lives. Many sitcoms respect this by taking a break from their normally hilarious antics to imbue the plot with weight and emotion.

10 Doug and Carrie Consider Divorce

Their Marriage Is the Show's Driving Force

Close

Number of Seasons

9

Finale Title

China Syndrome Part 2

Airdate

May 7, 2007

The King of Queens series finale finds Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie (Leah Remini) Heffernan in an atypically turbulent spot. In the penultimate episode, Doug asks Carrie for a divorce. This, unfortunately, coincides with the news that the couple, who have been unable to conceive a child, have been approved to adopt, but to do so, they must act soon. The crossroads forces Doug and Carrie to recontextualize their numerous comedic misadventures and evaluate whether they have a real future together.

The Heffernans are no strangers to bickering, but the subject matter is typically trivial, if not ridiculous to a comedic extent. This final episode strikes a very different tone, thanks to Doug's desire for a divorce. While the stakes are jarring, they serve as an important impetus for the young couple to reflect on their time together. In this way, showing Doug and Carrie at their lowest highlights them at their best. It also ensures that as they take their first steps together as parents, the audience can breathe easily, knowing nothing will come between them.

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The King Of Queens

TV-PG

Comedy

Deliveryman Doug Heffernan has a good life: He has a pretty wife (Carrie), a big television, and friends with which to watch it. Then Carrie's goofy, annoying father Arthur moves in with them.

Release Date September 21, 1998

Cast Kevin James , Leah Remini , Jerry Stiller , Patton Oswalt , Victor Williams , Gary Valentine , Nicole Sullivan

Main Genre Comedy

Seasons 9

Creator David Litt, Michael J. Weithorn

Producer Jeff Sussman, Annette Sahakian Davis, Kevin James, Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, David Bickel, Erin Braun, Rob Schiller, Nick Bakay, Chris Downey, Ilana Wernick, Rock Reuben, Jim Kukucka, David Litt, Jenna Bruce

Production Company Columbia Pictures Television, Columbia TriStar Television, Columbia TriStar Domestic Television, Sony Pictures Television, CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Productions, Hanley Productions Inc.

Number of Episodes 207 Episodes

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9 The Solomons Return to Their Home Planet

Dick and Mary Face a Tough Choice

Number of Seasons

6

Finale Title

The Thing That Wouldn't Die: Part 2

Airdate

May 22, 2001

Oddball 90's sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun centers around four aliens on a mission to understand Earthlings by going undercover as a normal human family. After six years, their superiors declare their mission complete, and the series finale sees the Solomon family come to terms with the fact their time on the planet is over. This is particularly hard on Dick (John Lithgow), who convinces his longtime girlfriend Mary (Jane Curtin) to accompany him back to his home planet. At the last minute, Mary changes her mind, and Dick must wipe her memories before the Solomons head off to the stars forever.

3rd Rock From The Sun's finale is a sentimental and appropriate way to bid adieu to the delightfully strange sitcom. As the Solomons say their final farewells and gush about the meaning of their time on Earth together, it feels like they are speaking directly to the audience. Dick and Mary's conflict is a heartbreaking but unavoidable final beat for a relationship that is sadly doomed from the start.

3rd Rock From the sun

TV-PG

Science Fiction

Family

Sitcom

Release Date January 9, 1996

Cast John Lithgow , Kristen Johnston , French Stewart , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Jane Curtin

Main Genre Comedy

Seasons 6

Creator Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner

Production Company Carsey-Werner Company, YBYL Productions

Number of Episodes 139

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8 Will & Grace Have A Falling Out

The Finale Glimpse Into Their Future

Number of Seasons

8

Finale Title

The Finale: Part 2

Airdate

May 18, 2006

The landmark sitcom Will & Grace used its series finale to peer into the futures of its protagonists. Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) drift apart as their priorities shift from their friendship to their respective marriages. Eventually, they stop speaking altogether until, in a twist of fate, their children wind up engaged. The former best friends share a bittersweet reunion and manage to reforge their bond despite the fact they've each grown and changed in the intervening years.

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It's no surprise that Will & Grace's recent revival chooses to ignore this overly earnest ending and wipes both Will's son and Grace's daughter from the canon. In the original series finale, the titular duo's falling out is presented with minimal build-up, and the fact that it's undone by a time jump makes it feel more pointless than poignant. Luckily, the series opts for a happier tone on its second go around, where the best friends give up their apartment and move upstate together.

Will & Grace

Gay lawyer Will and straight interior designer Grace share a New York City apartment. Their best friends are gleeful and proud gay Jack and charismatic, filthy-rich, amoral socialite Karen.

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Rating

Seasons

Creator

Producer

Production Company

Number of Episodes

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7 WJM Suffers Massive Layoffs

The Crew Is Torn Apart

Number of Seasons

7

Finale Title

The Last Show

Airdate

Mar 19, 1997

For one hundred and sixty-eight episodes, fans root for Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) and her coworkers as they try to turn struggling news station WJM into a success. So it's a heavy blow in the series finale when the station's new owner fires the entire newsroom, except inept Ted (Ted Knight). The WJM staff put on their final show with pride and walk out of the newsroom hand in hand.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show has been widely hailed for its feminist themes and trailblazing portrayal of women in the workforce. This context makes Mary's firing hit all the harder for the show's fans and Mary herself. In the final scene, Mary opines about her fear that in investing in a career she has squandered her chance of building a family only to realize she's already found one in her colleagues. As a whole, the series finale is an unflinching look into Mary's noble efforts to navigate an unfair world with grace and dignity. By the time the lights go out in the WJM office, Mary has left an indelible mark on the viewers' hearts.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

TV-PG

Comedy

The lives and trials of a young single woman and her friends, both at work and at home.

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Release Date September 19, 1970

Cast Mary Tyler Moore , Valerie Harper , Edward Asner , Gavin MacLeod , Ted Knight , Cloris Leachman

Seasons 7

Creator James L. Brooks, Allan Burns

Production Company MTM Enterprises

6 Kevin and Winnie Confront Hard Truths

The Finale Plays More Like a Drama Than a Comedy

Number of Seasons

6

Finale Title

Independence Day

Airdate

Mar 12, 1993

Soapy elements weave through the run of atypical sitcom The Wonder Years, so it's no surprise that the comedy's series finale takes a turn for the serious. At the top of the episode, seventeen-year-old Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) is already at a low point, having caught his girlfriend Winnie (Danica McKellar) kissing another man. Kevin confronts Winnie in the episode, which largely focuses on the fate of their childhood romance. Ultimately, they salvage their friendship by coming to terms with the fact their love story has run its course.

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Coming-of-age comedy The Wonder Years uses its final moments to usher Kevin into adulthood. While it would've been easy for the series to send high school sweethearts Winnie and Kevin off to live happily ever after, it takes a more mature approach. The truth is, few people wind up settling down with the girl next door, and that's okay. The series opts to portray first love as it truly is: invigorating, painful, complex, and special.

The Wonder Years (1988)

TV-PG

Comedy

Drama

Release Date September 22, 2021

Creator(s) Carol Black , Neal Marlens

Main Genre Drama

Seasons 6

5 Will Grapples With Questions About Self-Worth

The Finale Centers His Troubled Past

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Number of Seasons

6

Finale Title

Independence Day

Airdate

Mar 12, 1993

Initially a fish out of water, Will (Will Smith) makes a home for himself with the Banks family during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's six seasons. So, when the family sells their Bel-Air mansion in their series finale, Will finds it hard to cope. While his cousins celebrate their various plans for the future, Will lies about having secured an apartment of his own. As moving day nears, Will confesses he has nowhere to go and opens up to Uncle Phil (James Avery) about his fear of being left behind.

While most sitcom finales pivot around changes in their main characters' lives, this one focuses on the fact that Will is standing still. It's an interesting choice and one that works well to show that not everyone grows at the same pace. Will isn't heading off to an Ivy League school like Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) or starting a career like Hilary (Karyn Parsons), but as Uncle Phil points out, he's made massive strides since the pilot. It's moments like this that make it clear why Uncle Phil is a legendary sitcom dad.

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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

TV-PG

Comedy

A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.

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Release Date September 10, 1990

Cast Will Smith , James Avery , Tatyana Ali , Joseph Marcell , alfonso ribeiro , Karyn Parsons , Daphne Reid

Main Genre Comedy

Seasons 6

Number of Episodes

4 Sam and Diane Make a Huge Mistake

The Couple Calls Off Their Engagement

Number of Seasons

11

Finale Title

One for the Road

Airdate

May 20, 1993

The last season of Cheers features the shocking return of former series regular Diane (Shelley Long), who Cheers bartender Sam (Ted Danson) considers the one that got away. Sam and Diane hastily get engaged and make plans to move to California. The series finale picks up with the bar's patrons and staff attempting to dissuade Sam, who scolds everyone before angrily storming away. However, on the plane to California, Sam realizes his decision is motivated not by a desire to be with Diane but by discontentment with his current situation. He returns to the bar with a new appreciation of what he almost gave up.

At its core, Cheers is an ensemble comedy, and the series finale is largely bereft of the crew's witty repartee. This change of pace is a sneaky way to put the viewers in Sam's shoes. If he runs off with Diane, Sam's life will be devoid of his friends' nonsensical musing and banter, and that absence is both apparent and depressing. So when he returns home, and order is restored, Sam is relieved to fall back into familiar patterns.

Cheers

TV-PG

Sitcom

The regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.

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Release Date September 30, 1982

Cast Ted Danson , Shelley Long , Nicholas Colasanto , Rhea Perlman , George Wendt , John Ratzenberger , Kelsey Grammer , Woody Harrelson , Kirstie Alley , Bebe Neuwirth

Seasons 11

Producers Andy Ackerman , Ken Levine , Tom Anderson , Tim Berry , Sam Simon , Rob Long , Phoef Sutton , Peter Casey , Mert Rich , Les Charles , Ken Estin , Bill Steinkellner , James Burrows , Heide Perlman , Glen Charles , David Isaacs , David Angell , Dan Staley , Cherie Steinkellner , Brian Pollack , Dan O'Shannon

YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRsD_nB_buk

Writers James Burrows , Glen Charles , Les Charles

Network NBC

Directors James Burrows , Andy Ackerman

Showrunner James Burrows , Glen Charles , Les Charles , Ken Estin , Sam Simon , David Angell , Peter Casey , David Lee , Bill Steinkellner , Cheri Steinkellner , Phoef Sutton , Tom Anderson , Dan O'Shannon

Character(s) Uncredited , Rebecca Howe , Diane Chambers , Sam Malone , Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso , Carla Tortelli , Norm Peterson , Cliff Clavin , Woody Boyd , Frasier Crane , Lilith Sternin , Dave Richards , Serafina Tortelli , Corinne , Andy Schroeder , Darryl Mead , Madame Lazora , Customer , Mr. Brubaker , Mr. Reinhardt , Gabrielle , Bonnie , Lucas , Gary

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3 The Good Place Finale Is a Mediation On Death

The Characters Look Beyond 'Happily Ever After'

Number of Seasons

4

Finale Title

Whenever You're Ready

Airdate

Jan 30, 2020

The Good Place is the story of Eleanor (Kristen Bell), a woman whose afterlife lands her in a torturous realm known as "The Bad Place." Eleanor and her friends reach the Good Place in the show's penultimate episode, only to find paradise dull. The series finale sees the crew as they transform the Good Place into a vibrant and fulfilling world. However, even at its best, the afterlife grows monotonous. One by one, the show's characters find fulfillment and opt to enter a door to peace, leaving existence behind.

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When Eleanor and her allies arrive in the Good Place, it neatly puts a bow on four seasons of storytelling. The Good Place makes the bold choice of pushing beyond this event and really digging into the show's deeper themes in its last episode. The series typically frames its interrogations of philosophy and ethics in absurdist concepts, but the finale's examination of death is candid and raw.

The Good Place

TV-14

Comedy

Fantasy

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Release Date September 19, 2016

Cast Kristen Bell , William Jackson Harper , Jameela Jamil , D'Arcy Carden , Manny Jacinto , Ted Danson

Seasons 4

Writers Michael Schur , Andrew Law , Daniel Schofield

Network NBC

Showrunner Michael Schur

Creator

Production Company

Number of Episodes

Streaming Service(s) Hulu

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2 Dinosaurs Ends With the Dawn of the Ice Age

Earl Gets Everyone Killed

Number of Seasons

4

Finale Title

Changing Nature

Airdate

Jul 20, 1994

Known primarily for its impressive puppetry, Dinosaurs is a sitcom that imagines dinosaurs as the prototypical American family. In the series finale, Earl (Stuart Pankin), under orders from his employer, releases a pesticide that leads to widespread deforestation. This sets off a chain of events that culminates in the destruction of all prehistorical life. In the series' bleak final moments, Earl is left apologizing to his family as they grimly wait for the Ice Age to set in.

Dinosaurs jarring ending outraged fans who weren't expecting such a nihilistic turn. The series takes liberties with the extinction-level event, swapping out an asteroid and using the episode as an ecological parable. They show how an overzealous loyalty to progress and a lack of respect for nature can destroy the planet. While this is a valuable lesson, few expect it from a program that regularly features a baby hitting his father with a frying pad.

Dinosaurs

TV-PG

Sitcom

Family

Fantasy

Release Date April 26, 1991

Cast Stuart Pankin , Jessica Walter , Leif Tilden

Seasons 4

Network ABC

Main Genre Comedy

Creator Michael Jacobs, Bob Young

Production Company Jim Henson Productions, Michael Jacobs Productions, The Jim Henson Company, Walt Disney Television

Number of Episodes 65

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1 Hawkeye Uncovers Repressed Trauma

Everyone Goes Their Separate Ways

Close

Number of Seasons

11

Finale Title

Goodbye, Farewell, Amen

Airdate

Feb 28, 1983

Set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean conflict, M*A*S*H has no shortage of emotional moments across its two-hundred-and-fifty-one episode run. Its record-setting series finale "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen" is possibly its most emotionally taxing. The finale finds protagonist Benajmin 'Hawkeye' Pierce (Alan Alda) involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward. As the episode progresses, Hawkeye slowly remembers the gut-wrenching incident that has landed him in the ward. Meanwhile, M*A*S*H's other characters prepare to return home after hearing news of an impending peace agreement.

The end to a war is an unambiguously celebratory event, but the men and women who are part of the armed services often have difficulty integrating back into civilian life. This bold and brave finale does a spectacular job of showing the many ways war can take a toll on the mental well-being of veterans. It is quiet in some moments and bombastic in others. There are few laughs to be found in this finale and plenty to be learned from its stillness.

M*A*S*H

Drama

Comedy

M*A*S*H: Set during the Korean War, a group of doctors and support staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital navigate the challenges of wartime medical care with humor and compassion, while forming close bonds under the pressures of their environment.

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Season All Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Season 11

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Release Date September 17, 1972

Cast Alan Alda , Loretta Swit , William Christopher , Jamie Farr , Harry Morgan , Mike Farrell , Gary Burghoff , Larry Linville , David Ogden Stiers , Wayne Rogers , McLean Stevenson , Jeff Maxwell , Kellye Nakahara , Odessa Cleveland , Johnny Haymer , Patricia Stevens

Rating

Seasons 11

Creator

Story By richard hooker

Writers Larry Gelbart , Richard Hooker

Number of Episodes

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Hulu , AppleTV+

Directors Larry Gelbart

Showrunner Larry Gelbart

Character(s) Hawkeye Pierce , Margaret Houlihan , Father Mulcahy , Maxwell Klinger , Sherman Potter , B. J. Hunnicutt , Radar O'Reilly , Frank Burns , Charles Winchester , Trapper , Henry Blake , Igor Straminsky , Kellye Yamato , Ginger Bayliss , Sergeant Zale , Nurse Able

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