The Way To Say Goodbye

Last Monday was an exciting one in the Dauphin household, with the season finale of the FOX-TV series "House." Going back to my younger days, there was always something exciting about television series during the month of May. Since the days of "Dallas," and the question "Who Shot J.R.?" back in 1980, series have loved to leave us guessing. Each May, there are always a few classic series that fade into television history. Some leave the air in a way that makes you scratch your head, while others go off in a classy manner! Here are ten of the best series finales of all time!



10. MAGNUM, P.I. (1988)----In the series finale, longtime bachelor Rick tied the knot (or did he?), and Thomas Magnum went back into the service. The ever-popular series actually ended with a cliffhanger, of sorts----Was Jonathan Higgins actually the mysterious Robin Masters? Two decades have passed without the answer!

9. LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1984)---When an evil businessman buys the town of Walnut Grove, Michael Landon and company blow up all the buildings in the town, which served as a rather explosive ending to one of the warmest shows ever on TV.

8. KNOTS LANDING (1993)----Longtime viewers had to smile when the conniving Abby moved back into the cul-de-sac---next door to Gary and Val, whose marriage she had broken up a decade earlier. Michele Lee's double take to the camera in the final frame seemed to say to the viewers, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

7. TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (2003)---A show that could always bring tears, the big question during the nine-year run was whether Monica could earn her wings. The final episode had that answer, with the angelic Roma Downey doing just that.

6. HAPPY DAYS (1984)----Some shows just end right, with the Fonz adopting a child, and the marriage of Joanie and Chachi, which brought back nearly the entire cast, even Ron Howard.


5. HAWAII FIVE-0 (1980)----Throughout the entire run of 5-0, the criminal known as Wo Fat eluded arrest by Steve McGarrett. However, in April 1980 after a twelve-season run, he finally booked him! If nothing else, the show was worth watching for the theme song alone!

4. M*A*S*H (1983)----Still the most-watched television episode ever, the scene where Hawkeye sees B.J.'s goodbye spelled out in rocks still chokes me up. Alan Alda's portrayal of Hawkeye's nervous breakdown at the episode's beginning was also brilliantly played.


3. NEWHART (1990)----One of the best sitcoms of all time took a page from the Ewings of Dallas, when it ended with the premise that the entire eight-season run of the series had been a dream of Dr. Bob Hartley, Newhart's previous character on "The Bob Newhart Show." The shock when Bob turned over in bed to see Suzanne Pleshette was one of TV's funniest moments.


2. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1977)---Sometimes, a show goes longer than it should, but Moore's decision to end her series was just the way to do it. The final episode had everything---emotion, farewells, and a little bit of irony. WJM gets sold, and who was the only one to keep their job? The insufferable Ted Baxter, played to Emmy-winning perfection by the late Ted Knight. Since then, how many series finales have had a group hug, or had a character turn out a light? It all started here!


1. THE FUGITIVE (1967)-----I have seen this one only in reruns, as I was seven years in the making at the time. Over four decades later, "the day the running stopped" for Dr. Richard Kimble still stands as one of Television's most exciting hours. The fight between Kimble and the infamous "one-armed man," not to mention his shooting by Lt. Gerard was part of the highest rated TV episode for over thirteen years, when J.R Ewing's attacker was brought to Texas Justice on "Dallas."