Over the years, series finales have become more than just the end of a TV show.
Now, they're bona fide cultural phenomenona, leaving fans talking for years.
Let's take a look at some of the greatest final episodes of all time.
And fair warning, we plan to totally spoil the ending!
Six Feet Under
HBO's Six Feet Under blended quirky and poignant elements as well as any series in recent memory,
so it isn't surprising that its finale was a little bit of both.
Fans of the Fisher family watched in stunned silence as youngest sibling Claire left California
for a job in New York.
As the desert scenery flashed past her window, we saw flashes of the future for the rest
of the main characters.
In typical Six Feet Under style, we got a glimpse of what happens to the whole Fisher
family, including how they all age and die, one by one.
If you're not crying by the end of this one, you're already dead inside.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Entitled 'All Good Things', the final Star Trek: The Next Generation episode marked the
end of seven great seasons of highly acclaimed television.
The series frequently explored social, ethical, and philosophical issues as the crew probed
the depths of space, and the finale was no exception.
Captain Picard finds his mind jumping through three points in the same timeline, forcing
him to think outside of the known laws of physics to solve the anomaly forced upon him
by the omnipotent, obnoxious being Q.
"Not all the Q are alike.
Some are almost respectable."
Picard manages to solve the conundrum, returning to a scene from the series' first episode,
and proving to Q that humanity's potential is limitless, much to Q's surprise.
The show ends with a love letter to fans, as the captain joins a poker game with the
other crew members for the first time.
"I should have done this a long time ago."
Breaking Bad
During its five-year run, Breaking Bad evolved from just another TV drama into a cultural
phenomenon.
When the series finally drew to a close in 2013, fans eagerly anticipated an episode
that promised to wrap up an epic saga of crime, greed, and vengeance.
And the show absolutely delivered.
Walt returns from hiding and manages to secure his family's future, exact his revenge, and
save Jesse from captivity before going down in a blaze of glory.
The way the final scene played out was a direct punch to the gut for fans.
As Badfinger's "Baby Blue" plays in the background, Walt lovingly examines the meth lab Jesse
was forced to work in, and even as the sirens approach in the distance, you wonder if he
might make it out alive after all.
Until he collapses to the ground, succumbing to a bullet wound.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Out of Joss Whedon's many television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is perhaps the most
beloved, generating legions of fans who still obsess about the show to this day.
For the finale, Whedon pitted the Scooby Gang against a malevolent enemy in a battle that
required the characters to work together in one last showdown in the depths below Sunnydale
High.
As you might expect from a show that never shied away from mortality, not everyone makes
it out alive.
After the survivors flee from the wreckage in a school bus, Dawn poses the question many
fans were asking as the credits rolled:
"Yeah, Buffy.
What are we gonna do now?"
Friday Night Lights
NBC's high school football drama Friday Night Lights was always more about the cast of characters
than the sport itself.
Appropriately enough, when millions tuned into the finale, they were treated to an episode
that focused on the lives of the characters long after the last pass was thrown and the
cheers of the crowd faded away.
With the state championship in the past, the characters are shown in the future, with many
storylines neatly wrapped up.
Most importantly, Coach Taylor finally got to move on, building a new life for himself
with his wife in Philadelphia.
"You ready to go home?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Sons of Anarchy
From 2008 to 2014, Sons of Anarchy lit up our screens with its high-powered, intense
crime drama chronicling the lives of Jax Teller, his extended family, and the other members
of the SAMCRO biker club.
The final installment of this often bloody, always exciting modern Shakespearean tragedy
was just as bloody and tragic as the rest of the series.
Jax eluded police on a high-speed chase until deliberately driving into the path of an oncoming
semi, ending his own life.
While many fans praised his decision as a selfless way of saving his children's future,
Jax still managed to be completely selfish in the end.
Just think of that poor truck driver, probably scarred for life by the incident.