Best Sitcoms Without Endings?

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

I don't necessarily mean short-lived sitcoms. For example Undeclared only lasted one season, but the finale had the main character getting the girl he was after for the whole show so it at least had some climatic ending.

On the other hand Taxi ran for 5 years, but the last episode was just a regular episode. I think the Brady Bunch ran for even longer and the same thing happened.

I think my pics would be the previous mentioned Taxi and also Married...with Children. I don't think that had a clearcut ending, but I'm a bit rusty on season 11.

[Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite]

The last episode of Married with Children had Kelly about to get married but then something happened and she didn't.

I heard they didn't know it was the last season so they didn't have a real farewell

[CM Dazz]

My Name is Earl comes to mind immediately. It ended on a cliffhanger, and we never found out who was the father to Joy's children.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Jan 5, 2011 14:16:00 GMT -5 Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite said:

The last episode of Married with Children had Kelly about to get married but then something happened and she didn't.

I heard they didn't know it was the last season so they didn't have a real farewell

It wasn't actually the last episode to air, but was always treated as the finale. Chicago Show Exchange aired later that summer, I believe as a hold-over intended to be part of season 12.

[Ben Wyatt]

Jan 5, 2011 14:16:00 GMT -5 Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite said:

The last episode of Married with Children had Kelly about to get married but then something happened and she didn't.

I heard they didn't know it was the last season so they didn't have a real farewell

It was in the contract that neither Bundy could get married. (THS had a enpisode on it)

Ill never forgive Fox for lack of a finale

[Sajoa Moe]

Does Red Dwarf count?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}At the end of Back to Earth, they find out they're under the influence of the Despair Squid, so it's back to trudging through deep space again.

[SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts]

Jan 5, 2011 15:23:09 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

Jan 5, 2011 14:16:00 GMT -5 Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite said:

The last episode of Married with Children had Kelly about to get married but then something happened and she didn't.

I heard they didn't know it was the last season so they didn't have a real farewell

It wasn't actually the last episode to air, but was always treated as the finale. Chicago Show Exchange aired later that summer, I believe as a hold-over intended to be part of season 12.

I don't know if it was for an intended 12th since by the time they filmed what was the last episode, there was already talk about cancelling the show. I think it was just shown to burn it off like what happened with King of the Hill.

[JLAJRC]

Full House ended with an regular episode.

Everybody Loves Raymond kinda teased having an ending episode, with Frank having a heart attack, but he recovered very quickly and it became a regular episode.

I know it says sitcoms, but ER ended like a regular episode. Granted, they pretty much treated the entire last season like it was special with old castmates coming and going, but the last episode was just a typical ER.

[Vanilla Gorilla]

^ Everybody Loves Raymond ended pretty normally, but with a poignant scene at the dinner table. It was clear that everything over the years was resolved.

Scrubs ended (not counting that Med School abomination) with JD's fantasy scene. It was fantastically done and very touching, but it was clear that was what he dreamed his future would be, not actually what happened.

[Ben Wyatt]

Jan 5, 2011 16:31:14 GMT -5 JLAJRC said:

I know it says sitcoms, but ER ended like a regular episode. Granted, they pretty much treated the entire last season like it was special with old castmates coming and going, but the last episode was just a typical ER.

This I almost didnt mind.

To me, it was more like :Chicago General will always be there doing what they do best.... if that makes sense.

I also loved the storyline with Greene's daughter starting out. Was cool to think that the hospital had a "Dr Greene" again, so to speak

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Jan 5, 2011 14:16:00 GMT -5 Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite said:

The last episode of Married with Children had Kelly about to get married but then something happened and she didn't.

I heard they didn't know it was the last season so they didn't have a real farewell

Yeah, they definitely didn't know. Bud even hosted Mat TV around the same time and said he didn't know whether they were coming back for another season.

[YellowJacketY2J]

My memory of the final seasons of Married With Children is rusty (though, thanks to Netflix, wont' be for long), but I think Bud and Kelly moving out would have been a perfect finale. I can't remember though if they actually did prior to the finale (all I remember was an episode in which Kelly was looking for an apartment, but don't remember her getting one).

[Big L]

Family Matters to this day I can't remember this sitcom having an ending

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Jan 5, 2011 18:12:18 GMT -5 YellowJacketY2J said:

My memory of the final seasons of Married With Children is rusty (though, thanks to Netflix, wont' be for long), but I think Bud and Kelly moving out would have been a perfect finale. I can't remember though if they actually did prior to the finale (all I remember was an episode in which Kelly was looking for an apartment, but don't remember her getting one).

There was one in an earlier season where Kelly looks for an apartment and actually does move out. Al visits her and punches out this older guy that he thinks she is living with. Kelly tells Al that that is just her roommates dad, but then Al admits he misses her and she moves back in.

[YellowJacketY2J]

Jan 5, 2011 18:23:32 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

Jan 5, 2011 18:12:18 GMT -5 YellowJacketY2J said:

My memory of the final seasons of Married With Children is rusty (though, thanks to Netflix, wont' be for long), but I think Bud and Kelly moving out would have been a perfect finale. I can't remember though if they actually did prior to the finale (all I remember was an episode in which Kelly was looking for an apartment, but don't remember her getting one).

There was one in an earlier season where Kelly looks for an apartment and actually does move out. Al visits her and punches out this older guy that he thinks she is living with. Kelly tells Al that that is just her roommates dad, but then Al admits he misses her and she moves back in.

Couldn't remember if she actually moved out or not. Thanks!

[Mozenrath]

Jan 5, 2011 18:15:46 GMT -5 Big L said:

Family Matters to this day I can't remember this sitcom having an ending

Knowing Family Matters, if they did, they'd have had Myrtle Urkel being married to that cop robot Steve made, or something.

[Mozenrath]

Jan 5, 2011 18:29:02 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Jan 5, 2011 18:15:46 GMT -5 Big L said:

Family Matters to this day I can't remember this sitcom having an ending

Knowing Family Matters, if they did, they'd have had Myrtle Urkel being married to that cop robot Steve made, or something.

Okay, so I totally undershot this one.

At one point during the series' final season, Laura agrees to accompany Steve to a polka festival, where — instead of becoming annoyed once and for all at Steve's interests and larger-than-life friends — she realizes that Urkel is the man her heart was after all along. The two are eventually engaged, but not until after Laura makes a heart-wrenching decision on whether to marry the nerd or Stefan. Laura chose Steve over Stefan, and the alter-ego was retired and never seen again. In the series' finale, when Steve goes into outer space (and his well-being is in jeopardy), Laura constantly watches television reports about the endangered space mission. Eventually, Steve salvages the space mission and returns home to his first (and only) love: Laura. Laura makes Steve promise never to go into outer space again, to which Steve replies, "Only when we kiss, Laura Lee," would he do so.

[Jiren]

Fawlty Towers ended with a regular episode.

[hossfan]

I don't recall WKRP in Cincinnati had an official ending. I remember an episode where Mama Carlson was threatening to sell the station but was talked out of it by Andy, but I'm not even sure that was the final show.

I don't think a lot of those late 60s/early 70s sitcoms had special final episodes (Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, Gilligan's Island).

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Jan 5, 2011 10:31:17 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

I don't necessarily mean short-lived sitcoms. For example Undeclared only lasted one season, but the finale had the main character getting the girl he was after for the whole show so it at least had some climatic ending.

Undeclared actually did end on a normal episode, and an incredibly bizarre one at that. Apatow was so pissed about being cancelled, he centered the final episode around Eric, a supporting character. The main cast barely appears in the finale, and simply watch TV and dye their hair.