10 Greatest TV Series Finales Of All Time
3. Newhart
Bob Newhart's second self-titled sitcom has become the stuff of legend thanks to its outrageous ending. Newhart portrays the owner of a Vermont inn this time around but the character is noticeably similar to the psychologist he played in The Bob Newhart Show.
The episode is bizarre from the get go with a Japanese tycoon buying the town and turning it into a golf course. A 5 year time jump (it's remarkable how often this plot device turns up) leads to Newhart getting hit in the head with a golf ball. He then wakes up as the character from his previous show, revealing all of Newhart to be a dream.
A fake ending had been written at the time to keep tabloids off the scent. Most of the cast and crew were also kept in the dark. This being the days before the internet, they successfully kept the shock ending under wraps, blowing the minds of viewers everywhere when it first aired.
The final scene has been parodied and referenced endlessly in the years since. According to the man himself, it was suggested to him by his wife as an explanation for why his second series was so surreal. Offbeat and inspired, Newhart's ridiculous ending remains the funniest in TV history.