After nine seasons, 208 episodes, and countless “legen-waitforit-dary” moments, it’s finally time to bid adieu to our fave five from How I Met Your Mother. So long, guys – it’s been one helluva roller-coaster ride.
The anticipated series finale aired today (8 Eastern/7 Central US time) on CBS in a one-hour special episode. To the casual viewer, its end was only inevitable. But for true blue fans of the show (like us!), it’ll be particularly tough. After all, we spent nine (!) long years listening to Ted tell his kids the epic tale of how he met their mother.
In honour of How I Met Your Mother’s final curtain call, we’re taking a walk down memory lane in TV Land for five other epic finales that had us shedding tears or yelling profanities at our TV screens. Spoiler alert!
Friends
Before Ted, Marshall, Barney, Robin, and Lily, there was the original Fab Five: our favourite Friends from Central Perk. These funny guys gave us so many unforgettable moments and one-liners (“How you doin’?”) and let’s be honest: Friends definitely paved the way for similar friends-in-New-York TV shows like How I Met Your Mother.
Friends’ series finale, which aired 10 years ago, was nothing short of amazing. Ross and Rachel finally got their happy ending together and we witnessed the gang move on to the next chapter in their lives. Excuse us while we got find a hanky to cry into.
Sex and the City
Admit it, ladies: we’ve all probably harboured fantasies of livin’ the fab life à la Carrie and Co. in Sex and the City. And for good reason: Manolos, Cosmopolitans, and lazy Sunday brunches talking about, what else, sex with the gals – what more could a girl ask for?
When Mr. Big told Carrie she was The One amidst the twinkling lights of Paris in the series finale, oh be still, our beating hearts. Our plucky heroine got the romantic fairy-tale ending she always wanted and even better: us viewers got two spin-off movies out of it to quench our insatiable appetite for all things pertaining to Sex and the City.
Breaking Bad
It’s good to be bad – Breaking Bad, that is. This AMC series about a terminally ill, meth-dealing high school chemistry teacher was ranked the highest-rated TV series of all time by the Guiness Book of Records. And we can easily see why: a dark and morally questionable protagonist, a no-holds-barred portrayal of the gritty drug scene and our all-time favourite TV line – “Yeah, b*tch!”.
Walter White’s untimely demise in the series finale will go down as one of the greatest moments on television (in our books, anyway). Poignant, touching, and so damn heartbreaking – damn, here come the waterworks (again).
Lost
What started off as a gripping TV show about a bunch of castaways on a deserted island quickly turned into a series of what-the-f*ck-did-I-just-watch moments (polar bears, random numbers, the Smoke Monster, anyone?). So when its producers announced that Lost would be ending its run after six long seasons, the world heaved a heavy sigh of relief: it was finally time for this mammoth TV mystery to be put to bed.
Truth be told: even after its series finale, we still have no clue how Lost ended (help, anyone?). Alas, it will probably go down as one of life’s greatest mysteries.
Dallas
Ah, the 80’s. A time of big hair, big shoulder pads, and even bigger family feuds – Dallas style. Scandals, secret liasons, corporate espionage, and even mild family incest: this soapy TV show was the height of hedonism and we bet our parents loved every minute of it. Don’t worry, Mum. We’re not judging.
No one did a cliffhanger bigger than Dallas. After all, the infamous “Who Shot J.R?” episode remains one of the Top 100 Episodes on TV and raked an estimated 83 million viewers. And now, there’s even a reboot of the series for fans who just can’t enough of the delicious Dallas drama.