Recently the shows Parks and Recreation and Two and a Half Men both came to an end. Both had finales of very different quality. In my opinion, a TV show finale should provide a reason for the show to end such as some significant event that indicates why it is coming to an end (not just because it has been on so long and they are calling it quits).
Some good examples:
M*A*S*H*--the Korean War ended and everyone went home. Good reason since they were no longer together.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show--the TV station was sold and everyone had to part ways to find new jobs.
Frasier--He moved away from Seattle.
Frasier leads to bad examples:
Cheers--nothing that would indicate why the show was ending. With 1 exception, everyone was still at the bar and things would proceed as normal.
I can add Two and a Half Men to the bad list. I really didn't care if Charlie was going to come back or not. It would have made more sense if Alan got married and moved in with Lindsey. That did not happen. The only time you saw her was when she was at a pawn shop getting rid of her ring. Nothing significant happened to indicate that things were going to change. It was a bad ending to a so-so show. Yes, I know it ran for 12 seasons. That does not mean it is quality. It can mean that there was nothing else to watch in that time period or people were just too lazy to change the channel. If people made good choices, that reality show about that family (who I am not even going to name but starts with a K) would not be on TV.
Parks and Recreation, on the other hand, goes in the good finale list. Not only did the show have a good reason to end since several of the team went in various directions (some to DC while Donna moved to the Northwest) it provided glimpses into the future indicating these characters would be staying in contact and helping each other. Ron Swanson ended up in a place where he is going to be extremely happy.
The final season of this show really illuminated the relationship between Leslie and Ron, especially the episode where Ron came to see her at her office with a request (which is not something Ron would do lightly).
I am going to end this blog with a quote from Ron that I think we all need to follow closely--Live your life how you want but don't confuse drama with happiness. Excellent advice, Ron, excellent advice. I am sorry to see you go.
