Top 20 Series Finales That Made Us Happy Cry
#20: “One Flew Out of the Cuckoo’s Nest” “The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
This show gave us endless laughs and heartwarming scenes through its seven-season run. So, when the finale came around, we were prepared for a healthy dose of funny and touching final moments between the girls. The series ends with Dorothy getting married and moving out. After a few tries to make her exit, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing for them or for us. This wasn’t really the end for Rose, Blanche, and Sophia, as they would go on to star in a one-season spin-off called “The Golden Palace.” In any case, “The Golden Girls” finale was a turning point in the ladies' lives and left us both hopeful for their futures and sad over their separation.
#19: “The Break-Up” “Psych” (2006-14)
Top 10 Series Finales That Made Us Happy Cry
Some of the best finales are the ones that are left open ended, insinuating that the characters' stories will continue offscreen. This was the case for the final episode of “Psych,” which showed Gus and Shawn moving the Psych office to San Francisco, as well as Juliet and Shawn getting engaged. With touching moment after touching moment to wrap up this beloved series, the final shot we see is the trio heading out on another case together and, just like that, we know their shenanigans won’t be stopping anytime soon. While this wasn’t really the end, with spin-offs and the like, this series finale is one that was certainly bittersweet.
#18: “Forever Charmed” “Charmed” (1998-2006)
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This supernatural TV show told the story of the good witches Prue, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige, and the finale wrapped up their stories perfectly. With Piper being the last remaining witch of the bunch, she works her magic to bring back Paige and Phoebe, and they all decide to document their stories for future generations to learn from. A montage of emotional flashforwards reveals the fates of the witches, as they get married, have children, and pass on their knowledge. While the penultimate episode left us sobbing in sorrow, we were thrilled that the finale left us with tears of joy instead.
#17: “Goodnight, Seattle” “Frasier” (1993-2004)
The ending to this iconic sitcom saw every character finding happiness in their own way. Niles and Daphne welcome a baby boy as the family frantically plans a wedding for Martin and Ronee, and with all of these big changes on the horizon, Frasier ponders his next move. It appears as though he decides to go to San Francisco to take a new job, but surprises everyone by going to Chicago to be with his girlfriend instead. All of these happy moments had us reaching for the tissues, but Frasier's poignant and thought-provoking farewell speech on his radio show really got us in the feels as it perfectly summed up the essence of the show.
#16: “That ‘70s Finale” “That’70s Show” (1998-2006)
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While the eighth season of the show was underwhelming to say the least, the finale delivered in all of the best ways. Red and Kitty decide to stay in Point Place, Kelso returns to ring in the new year with his buddies, and Eric comes home from Africa. During the montage of Eric and Donna’s relationship, our eyes welled up until we finally got to see them reunite for good, which is when the tears spilled over. The episode ends at the strike of midnight as the gang welcomes the new decade, and we couldn’t be happier to see the group of six back together in one final circle to close out the ‘70s.
#15: “Dreams Come True” “Glee” (2009-15)
There was hardly a moment throughout the finale of “Glee” in which our noses weren’t touching our screens. The New Directions win Nationals again, McKinley High becomes a school for the arts, and Sam becomes the leader of the glee club. In a five-year flashforward, Rachel wins a Tony Award where she acknowledges the glee club and Mr. Schue for creating something special. Back in Lima, there was certainly not a dry eye in the house when the McKinley High auditorium was renamed in honor of Finn. In the final scene, we get to see one last New Directions performance on the stage that hosted countless amazing shows throughout “Glee’s” six seasons, and we can’t imagine a more perfect ending.
#14: “White Orchids” “The Mentalist” (2008-15)
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Throughout its seven year-run, there were many episodes that had viewers feeling devastated, so it was refreshing to see a happy ending when “The Mentalist” wrapped up. The episode kicks off with Jane proposing to Lisbon, and we see them prepare for their wedding day while still doing their jobs flawlessly. We also see the return of some characters from the show as they attend the wedding festivities, and it all closes out with the reveal of Lisbon’s pregnancy. Even Jane himself couldn't have predicted how poignant the finale would be, as it left us all feeling delighted for the newlyweds and soon-to-be parents’ new chapter.
#13: “Finale” “Modern Family” (2009-20)
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After eleven seasons on air, viewers were anxious to see how the Dunphy-Pritchett crew would say goodbye. Manny is going globetrotting, Mitch and Cam have a new baby, Alex is moving to Switzerland, Luke is going to the University of Oregon, and Haley and Dylan are set to move into Cam and Mitch’s old place. All of the goodbyes are emotional, but the moment that had us choked up the most was the final group hug. No one wanted to let go, and neither did we. After over a decade of this family making us laugh, cry, and cringe, Jay’s speech hits right in the feels. In the end, the light stays on at the Dunphy’s, a reminder that you can always return home, no matter how far you go.
#12: “Everyone’s Waiting” “Six Feet Under” (2001-05)
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With a show that is insightful and bold as it’s centered around death, we were not anticipating an enlightening and joyful series finale. While every episode starts with a death and tells the subsequent story that follows through the eyes of the funeral directors, the finale takes a different turn. It shows us a montage of where every beloved character's lives will go after the end of the series, chronicling their lives right up until their final moments. This was a fitting ending for the show and gave more closure than most other series finales, leaving no unanswered questions and a whole lot of emotion in its wake.
#11: “Whenever You’re Ready” “The Good Place” (2016-20)
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This fantasy comedy series was an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end, as it showed its viewers a different perspective of the concept of the afterlife. The finale illustrated that mortality is something to embrace, and can be a peaceful and beautiful thing. One by one, the main characters come to reach satisfaction with their time in the Good Place, and all of their exits are incredibly moving. Chidi’s description of death as a wave returning to the ocean is enough to choke anyone up. We also get to see Michael live a life on Earth, which is particularly endearing. The show takes a fresh approach to the saying “all good things must come to an end” and we feel okay with it by the time they do.
#10: “Brave New World” “Boy Meets World” (1993-2000)
When we first met Corey, Shawn, Topanga and the rest of the gang, they were a group of awkward middle schoolers getting into scrapes and having fun. But "Boy Meets World" followed them into adulthood, running for seven seasons and letting us grow up with them along the way. By the end of the series, our main characters are ready to move on from their lives in Philadelphia and make a big move to New York. The most important of their goodbyes comes when they bid farewell to Mr. Feeny, who they ask for one last piece of advice before they go. When he tells them he loves them after they leave the classroom, get ready for the waterworks.
#9: “The Stockholm Syndrome” “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19)
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It takes something special for a sitcom to run for twelve seasons, and while it may have been divisive, you can’t argue the fact that "The Big Bang Theory" certainly had a serious fanbase. There is a lot going on in the series finale, with Howard and Bernadette leaving their kids for the first time in order to travel to Sweden for the Nobel Prize ceremony. Penny has found out she’s pregnant, but wants to keep it a secret from the rest of the gang- but obviously fails. There are as many mishaps as always, but the touching moment comes when Sheldon gets up to thank his friends for all of the support they’ve given him over the years, showing a side of him we’ve rarely seen before.
#8: “My Finale” “Scrubs” (2001-10)
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There aren’t too many great medical comedies out there, but "Scrubs" paved the way, starting in the early aughts, for a hospital show that didn’t have to take itself too seriously. Despite being lighthearted, there were still plenty of emotional moments, with the series finale giving us plenty to happy cry about. J.D. envisions his future, and we get to see what he sees. The flash forwards include marrying Elliot, and her becoming pregnant, as well as a Christmas scene where we see many of our favorite characters reunite. Not only that, but he sees Sammy and Izzy getting engaged, and to make sure things don’t get too serious, he falls over from the shock.
#7: “Chapter One Hundred” “Jane the Virgin” (2014-19)
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The finale of "Jane the Virgin" features our romantic leads finally making things official. At Jane and Rafael’s wedding, both are crying too much to get through their vows, so they simply swap papers and read them quietly to themselves and kiss before they were supposed to. We find out that Jane’s son, Mateo, has been the narrator all along. And at the very end, Rafeal asks Jane what happens at the end of her book, and she reveals that it’s turned into a telenovela, giving a knowing wink to the audience.
#6: “Always” “Friday Night Lights” (2006-11)
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Many have said that Coach Taylor and Tami are one of the best and most realistic portrayals of a married couple on TV, and we get to tearfully marvel at them one last time in the series finale of "Friday Night Lights." Coach is wrestling with a decision whether he’ll continue his position on the team, or follow Tami to her new job offer in Philadelphia. We get to see a montage of what happens eight months afterwards, which includes a "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose" sign being put up and Eric trying to use the phrase with his new team.
#5: “I, Done” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
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You might remember "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" for it’s oh-so-memorable theme song or for Will Smith’s fly fashion sense, but it’s easy to forget how deeply this show struck an emotional chord at various points throughout the series. In the final episode, the Banks family, who took Will in at the very beginning ,decide to leave Los Angeles for good, and put their house on the market. While Will is unsure if he’s actually made any progress since moving to California, the audience can clearly see that he has. He opts to stay and finish his degree, so he has to say goodbye to his adoptive family; and the moment he has with Uncle Phil, has us grabbing for Kleenex.
#4: “Engram Pattersky” “New Girl” (2011-18)
At first, fans are led to believe that the "New Girl" finale is about one thing, but with a clever twist, it becomes about something else entirely. It seems as though the gang is being evicted from the loft where so many of the events of the show took place, but it’s eventually revealed that the eviction is just a prank from Winston. But they decide to leave anyway, even though they aren’t being forced to. We see them play one last game of True American (Packing Edition), which morphs into a vision of the future, when they’re all playing with their children. The ending is just so touching when they leave the loft for the last time.
#3: “One Last Ride” “Parks and Recreation” (2009-15)
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The seventh and final season of "Parks and Rec" does a time jump to the year 2017 (which was actually the future back when the episode aired in 2015). In the final episode however, we jump forward even further, showing how all of the characters' lives evolve all the way up to the year 2048. In the furthest flash forward, we see Garry’s funeral after he died at the age of 100. Ben and Leslie are of course in attendance, and they are accompanied by Secret Service agents, which leads us to assume that most likely Leslie finally achieved her goal of becoming president.
#2: “Finale” “The Office” (2005-13)
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Considering how beloved it is, there’s pretty much no way "The Office" could have ended that wouldn’t have left us in happy tears. After watching the hapless employees of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch for nine seasons, it’s safe to say that we were emotionally attached to them. The finale is especially evocative considering the show had already experienced a decline after losing its star, Steve Carell. But in the final episode he returns to act as Dwight’s best man at his wedding to Angela. The rest of the employees reminisce about their time at the office, and express how grateful they are to the film crew who documented it all for them.
#1: “The Last One” “Friends” (1994-2004)
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"Friends" has a purely happy ending, and yet it makes us cry harder than pretty much anything else. Ross and Rachel end up together. She got off the plane! Monica and Chandler find out that they’re actually going to become parents to twins at the very last moment. Joey gets Monica and Chandler a chick and duck as a misguided housewarming gift, and they get stuck in the foosball table- which he is forced to destroy. But the devastating part is seeing the apartment empty when they’re about to leave, and the panning shot that shows their keys left behind. Luckily, we can watch it over and over again, so it’s never really done!
