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Best and worst tv series finales. "Friday Night Lights" fans -- the ones who've managed to avoid spoilers, anyway -- have high hopes for the upcoming NBC series' finale. While we wait with clear eyes and full hearts, let's take a look back at shows that ended on a high note as well as the episodes remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: March 19, 1977
Synopsis: The groundbreaking series about a single female TV producer ended with a tearful group hug after everyone at the station lost his or her job
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 19, 2002
Synopsis: The sci-fi series faltered in its last season after losing one of its leads, and his much-hyped reunion with his co-star couldn't save the finale.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: Feb. 28, 1983
Synopsis: The tearful 1983 series finale -- directed by one of its stars -- was the most-watched TV program ever
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: April 25, 1988
Synopsis: The '80s medical drama starring a future Oscar winner and a green-living advocate enraged fans with its "it was all a dream" ending.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: May 21, 1990
Synopsis:Bob Newhart's second successful TV series delighted viewers with its version of "it was all a dream" with the return of a familiar face.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 21, 1997
Synopsis: The ABC sitcom, starring a standup comedian and a beloved actor, aired a finale that threw fans several curveballs, but it was this shocker that left viewers with a hole in their hearts.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: Aug. 2005
Synopsis: The HBO drama about a family-run funeral home -- starring a future serial killer and a Golden Globe winner -- served up a heart-wrenching last episode that gave fans the closure they needed.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 3, 1991
Synopsis: The nighttime soap aired one of the most-watched TV episodes ever, but the possible suicide of a main character in its last episode angered some viewers. A 1996 reunion movie tied up some loose ends.
Ranking: One of the best
Original Air Date: April 30, 1992
Synopsis: After eight hilarious seasons, Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad broke the fourth wall by dancing out of their living room and into their place in TV history.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 14, 1998
Synopsis:Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer gave us some of TV's most memorable moments, but even the show's biggest fans would rather forget those last 75 minutes.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: May 20, 1993
Synopsis: The Boston-based sitcom ended the show the way it began -- ex-baseball player Sam Malone standing alone in his beloved bar.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 5, 1993
Synopsis: The novel time-travel series, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, was unexpectedly canceled, causing producers to disappoint fans with this depressing note on the main character's fate.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: May 22, 1992
Synopsis: Many think this iconic TV moment was part of the last show, but the actual finale ended with the longtime host sitting center stage on a stool – alone – bidding viewers a "heartfelt good night."
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: Feb. 6, 1984
Synopsis: After the original series ended in 1982, the cast returned for a made-for-TV movie and blew up their beloved Walnut Grove.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: May 6, 2004
Synopsis: Of course, the highlight for many fans was the show's most famous couple reuniting one last time. But the six best friends -- along with two new additions -- turning in their keys and heading out for coffee one last time was a simple yet satisfying ending.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate (U.S.): Sept. 21, 1968
Synopsis: The short-lived British series about a mysterious, secret village were a former spy is imprisoned confounded viewers with a series finale that included a creepy trial, Beatles music and a character in an ape mask.
Ranking: One of the best
Original airdate: June 10, 2007
Synopsis: The abrupt ending led some viewers to think their cable service had gone out, but the final moments of the mob-centric series are still talked about four years later.
Ranking: One of the worst
Original airdate: May 22, 2002
Synopsis: Time travel -- yes, we said time travel! -- took a show whose biggest controversy had been the lead actress's haircut in a totally wrong direction.
Ranking: One of the best/one of the worst
Original airdate: May 23, 2010
Synopsis: Sure, the emotional aspects of the finale were TV at its finest, but many fans were left complaining about six seasons' worth of unanswered questions.
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