HBO’s 10 Best Series Finales in History, Ranked by Their Lasting Impact
Romance and political ambition
Sex and the City concluded its six-season run in 2004 with An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux. Carrie reconsiders her relationship with Aleksandr Petrovsky as Mr. Big arrives in Paris to declare his love; they reunite, and Carrie returns to New York to rent with her friends.
The finale’s fairy-tale approach fits a show that romanticized love and sex, though parts can feel anticlimactic. Veep takes a darker route: Selina Meyer reaches the presidency, then the story jumps 24 years to her funeral, where her legacy is eclipsed by Tom Hanks’s death.
Friendship and audience judgment
Girls brings its four friends’ relationships to an end in Goodbye Tour, with no emotional farewell or tidy resolution. Its final episode, Latching, follows Hannah and Marnie as they try to move forward while caring for Hannah’s newborn, offering a restrained but affecting close.
Barry’s final episode, wow, resolves its major storylines, then shifts focus to Barry’s son watching a biopic that presents his father as a tragic hero. The image challenges viewers who rooted for Barry or excused his choices, turning the ending into a pointed comment on how people consume art.
The Wire’s uncompromising close
The Wire examines corruption and violence in Baltimore, Maryland, across five seasons, each focused on a different part of the city. Its characters and conflicts push viewers to consider morality and justice.
The finale, -30-, ties up loose ends without softening the show’s bleak view of life in the city. Though it includes some lighter moments, its overall tone remains unforgiving, consistent with the series’ portrayal of a place that corrupts its inhabitants.
Key points
- Sex and the City ended in 2004 with Carrie and Mr. Big reunited in Paris.
- Veep’s finale jumps ahead to Selina Meyer’s funeral and a diminished legacy.
- Girls closes with Hannah and Marnie navigating life with Hannah’s newborn.
- The Wire’s -30- wraps up loose ends while maintaining the show’s bleak tone.