TV DIVA

Goodbye Forever

By Lori Geller

Last week, the sun officially set in Newport Beach, as The O.C. came to a tearful end after 92 episodes. Although I'm still sad that the Cohens won't be in my living room on Thursday nights anymore, creator Josh Schwartz couldn't have given O.C. fans a more perfect ending.

Even though the finale came under the stress of cancellation and wasn't planned at the start of the season, every character ended up where they were supposed to. Seth and Summer got married, Ryan became a successful architect, Julie finally had the perfect family and the Cohens moved back to their old house in Berkley.

Simply put, Schwartz delivered perfect closure to the story he began four years ago, complete with flashbacks and flash forwards.

If you're an O.C. fan like me, seeing iconic images like Ryan meeting Marissa for the first time in the Cohen' driveway, and Seth and Summer's first kiss, definitely brought back a lot of fond memories.

As I bid a final goodbye to The O.C. last Thursday, I couldn't help but look back on the best and worst finale episodes in TV history.

Although none of these attracted the audience of television's glory-day shows—like M*A*S*H, Cheers and The Mary Tyler Moore Show—the following programs helped define our generation, as we tuned in to see how these historical shows ended.

Best:

10. Party of Five

9. The Wonder Years

8. Frasier

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

6. Arrested Development

5. Will & Grace

4. Six Feet Under

3. Friends

2. Beverly Hills, 90210

1. Sex and the City

Worst:

10. Mad About You

9. Saved By the Bell

8. The X-Files

7. Everybody Loves Raymond

6. Who's The Boss?

5. Growing Pains

4. Dawson's Creek

3. Full House

2. Seinfeld

1. Roseanne

So what's the formula for series finale success?

Although what works for one show can end up being disastrous for another, writers should be careful not to try too hard to live up to the hype of a successful program. Look at how disappointing the end of Seinfeld was.

It's pretty safe to say that series finales must be both happy and bittersweet, giving loyal audiences a trip down memory lane with flashbacks that help bring everything full circle.

E-mail comments or questions to lori@tvdiva.net

March 1st, 2007