20 TV Show Finales That Are Totally Flawless
5. One For The Road - Cheers
Because it aired so long ago (1982-1993), it can be easy to forget just how massive a success Cheers was. Not only did it air eleven seasons over as many years, but it was impossibly consistent, airing close to 300 episodes of sitcom gems during its run and never once dropping the ball, even when major cast members left and others were added to replace them.
In the final episode of its landmark eleventh season, former baseball player, long-time bar owner, on-and-off alcoholic and frequent womaniser Sam Malone (Ted Danson) has to face another failed attempt to end up with his first true love, Diane (Shelley Long), before being consoled by his friends.
In one of the sweetest and quietest show endings ever filmed, Sam and his friends, who are all moving on to bigger things in their lives, sit around the bar reminiscing, drinking, and contemplating the meaning of life.
It's funny, infectiously hopeful and profound, and comes complete with the greatest last line in TV history, when a silhouetted customer knocks on the door to the place where everyone knows your name, and Sam says: "Sorry. We're closed."