HBO delivered one of the most disappointing series finales in TV history with Game of Thrones’ notoriously underwhelming ending, but it also aired the greatest finale of all time way back in 2005 with Six Feet Under’s ending. Game of Thrones ended its run with season 8, episode 6, “The Iron Throne,” in 2019. After nearly a decade of speculation, the episode finally confirmed who would end up on the Iron Throne, ruling over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and it was a massive let-down. The finale focused too much on surprising the audience and not enough on making sense.
Despite the disappointment of its final episode, Game of Thrones is still a must-see HBO show, and a classic of the network’s back catalog. But HBO has delivered even better shows with much more satisfying endings. The Sopranos ends on a curiously ambiguous note that hints at a grim fate for Tony Soprano. The Wire ends with a powerful montage showing that the institutional problems will persist and there’s no resolution. With the deeply moving final episode of its tragicomic family drama Six Feet Under, HBO delivered arguably the most perfect series finale in television history.
Six Feet Under’s Perfect Series Finale Aired On HBO On August 21, 2005
The Final Episode Was Praised By Critics & Audiences Alike
Although The Wire, The Sopranos, and Game of Thrones get a lot more discussion, Six Feet Under is one of the greatest shows that HBO ever aired. Created by Oscar-winning American Beauty screenwriter Alan Ball, Six Feet Under revolves around a dysfunctional family trying to keep their funeral business afloat following the patriarch’s unexpected demise. The beauty of the show is that, although it’s mired in death and full of dead bodies, it’s really a celebration of life and all the great things that make life worth living. It’s a touching, life-affirming family saga.
Six Feet Under is streaming on Netflix and Max.
Over the course of Six Feet Under’s five seasons, the estranged family grew closer together as they dealt with real issues like infidelity, religion, and complicated relationships. It all culminated in a perfect series finale: season 5, episode 12, “Everyone’s Waiting.” When it aired on HBO on August 21, 2005, “Everyone’s Waiting” was met with universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. To this day, it’s still hailed as one of the most memorable and satisfying final episodes in the history of television.
Six Feet Under’s “Everyone’s Waiting” Is Arguably The Best TV Finale Of All Time
It’s A Bittersweet Balance Of Hope & Mortality
While there are many great series finales that could lay claim to the title of the very best — M*A*S*H, Frasier, Breaking Bad, The Office, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, etc. — Six Feet Under’s final episode is a strong contender. In its very first scene, Six Feet Under’s final episode sets itself apart from all the episodes that came before it. Episodes of Six Feet Under had traditionally begun with someone dying, but the final episode instead begins with a birth. The premature birth of Willa Fisher Chenowith ends the series with a new beginning.
Six Feet Under’s finale found the perfect middle ground between giving its characters an uplifting sendoff and maintaining the series’ morbid curiosity with the inevitability of death.
A satisfying series finale should leave the characters in a good place, set up for a new chapter in their lives and a bright future, but it should also remain true to the spirit of the show. Six Feet Under’s finale found the perfect middle ground between giving its characters an uplifting sendoff and maintaining the series’ morbid curiosity with the inevitability of death. A climactic montage of flash-forwards cuts through key milestones in all the characters’ lives before ultimately culminating in their deaths.
It was the perfect note to end Six Feet Under on. It’s bittersweet, it’s a fitting farewell to all these beloved characters, and it’s both an uplifting celebration of life and a grim reminder of our collective mortality. And at the end of this perfect finale, Six Feet Under delivers one of the most iconic final lines of a TV show, as Nate visits Claire one last time to tell her, “You can’t take a picture of this. It’s already gone.”
Six Feet Under
- Release Date
-
2001 – 2005-00-00
- Network
-
HBO Max
- Directors
-
Alan Ball
