With hundreds of legendary sitcoms out there, it can be incredibly hard to make a difference on TV. Grasping the audience through the art of humor and relationships, sitcoms have notes to hit in order to make it a success.
The 10 sitcoms listed below were iconic in their own right, lasting for multiple seasons and winning many awards. But no matter how good they were, their finales didn’t match the rest of the season. According to IMDb, these 10 finales are some of the worst, even if they all still have their fans.
The focus is primarily on successful sitcoms, not ones that only lasted a handful of episodes.
MY NAME IS EARL: DODGE’S DAD (8.1)
Lasting for four seasons, My Name is Earl is about a man who tries to make right for all the wrong he’s done. He makes a list for everything he’s done in the past and aims to make amends with all of them. While the show was liked by many, the series finale was not.
In “Dodge’s Dad,” we see Earl trying to make it up to Dodge for ruining his career day, so he goes off trying to find Dodge’s real dad. As we find out, Earl is Dodge’s real dad. This kind of bombshell didn’t sit well with viewers and it added to the fact that My Name Is Earl was canceled for lack of viewers. On its own, not the worst episode, but not the best note to end the series on.
WILL & GRACE: THE FINALE: PART 2 (7.9)
Will & Grace was the beloved sitcom between best friends, Will and Kate, living together in New York City. With Will being gay and Kate being straight, viewers saw the stereotypes thrown their way and the bond these two had. We also met some pretty hilarious friends of theirs.
In a two-part finale, we see Grace have a dream after an argument with Will. She’s dreaming about raising her child with Will before losing touch after jetting off to Rome. Twenty years later, both their children move in across the hall from each other at college, which forces the duo to get reacquainted. And while the finale was rated nicely on IMDb, many found it depressing.
SEINFELD: THE FINALE (7.6)
Created by Larry David, Seinfeld was one of the first of its kind. Starring Jerry Seinfeld as an altered version of himself, we see him as a stand-up comic in New York City with his friends Geroge, Elaine, and Kramer. It’s considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time by The Guardian and beyond.
Sadly, many fans were not satisfied with Seinfeld’s finale titled “The Finale.” Airing in 1998, we see NBC picking up Jerry’s pilot and offering their company jet. The gang takes NBC’s private jet to Paris but after a few road bumps (or should we say turbulence), they find themselves in jail for filming a carjacking without intervening.
ROSEANNE: INTO THAT NIGHT (7.4)
Starring Roseanne Barr, Roseanne was a sitcom based on the life of the Conner family. Unlike other shows at the time, we saw a family who was struggling financially but did what they could for one another. The blue-collar family struck a chord with audiences and it went on for 10 seasons.
At the beginning of the season, we saw this family hit it big after winning the lottery. But for their season finale back in 1997 (before the reboot in 2018), it turns out they didn’t win anything at all — it was all a dream. Literally, Roseanne dreamt in her head. This finale annoyed many long-time viewers.
FAMILY MATTERS: A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME (6.7)
From 1989 to 1998, viewers fell for the chaotic Winslow family. With Carl and Harriette as the head of the household, they deal with Carl’s stressful job as a cop and raising their family (not to mention their neighbor Urkel!).
While the show was a smash and lasted for nine seasons, the finale of season eight fell flat. In “A Pirate’s Life For Me,” Carl and his neighbor Urkel travel back in time where they face trouble with pirates. Somehow, seeing them walk the plank wasn’t enough for viewers to be sold on the ending of a big season.
MODERN FAMILY: CLASH OF SWORDS (6.5)
With Modern Family slowly approaching the end of its series, we can’t help but look back at some of the worst episodes the series had. There was a lot of good that came out of the show but there were also a ton of missing components.
In the episode “Clash of Swords,” Mitchell and Phil decide to attend Comic-Con as their favorite gaming characters. On the other side of town, Gloria is trying to throw little Joe the best dinosaur-themed party but falls short to another high-profile mom. Regardless of what happened, fans were not fond of this season finale.
SCRUBS: OUR THANKS (6.1)
Scrubs was the perfect mix between a sitcom and a drama. It lasted for nine seasons and hilariously followed Dr. John Michael “J.D.” Dorian around the hospital. The show was well-received and was nominated—and won—many awards.
However, in the ninth season, the show was no longer following J.D., it was following Lucy Bennett. Due to the changeup, the new last season and the finale were not loved by many.
HAPPY DAYS: AMERICAN MUSICAL (6.0)
Even if you weren’t born (or watching TV) in the early ’70s when Happy Days took off, you definitely heard of the iconic sitcom. In the show, we follow the Cunningham family as they live life in the ’50s and ’60s.
The show went on for 11 seasons and is still a classic to this day. But the season eight finale, “American Musical,” did anything but impress viewers. IMDb has the episode at a score of 6.0; perhaps it was due to the entire episode being told in a melody?
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: LAST FOREVER: PART 2 (5.6)
How I Met Your Mother lasted for nine seasons and is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. However, its finale didn’t win viewers over. In “Last Forever Part One,” we’re one step closer to finding out who their “mother” is.
As we find out, the mother of Ted’s children was Tracy but the real kicker was that she’s been dead for a few years and the reason why his story lasted so long was to put Aunt Robin in a different light. To say fans were outraged is an understatement.
TWO AND A HALF MEN: OF COURSE HE’S DEAD PART 1 & 2 (3.9)
Two and a Half Men was one of Chuck Lorre’s best projects. As the story of a man named Alan moving into his brother’s (Charlie) home with his son Jake, we saw the difference in lifestyle and humorous growing pains. But as Sheen’s dependency issues kept growing, he left the show and Ashton Kutcher took his place.
The show didn’t last much longer, with their season finale being “Of Course He’s Dead.” In the episode, we’re led on a wild goose chase to determine if Charlie really is dead or just hiding somewhere. As seen by the end of the episode, he was alive but is instantly killed after a piano falls on him. The ending was a touch abrupt and had a strange interaction with the creator, Chuck Lorre, saying “Winning” before the show cut out.
