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TV Tonight: The Finale of Samantha Who?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:45:36 -0700

From Pushing Daisies to Dirty Sexy Money to Kings, this Summer has been a time for networks to show the final episodes of shows they canceled. The latest in that string is Samantha Who? which airs its final two episodes tonight.

I didn't expect to be writing something like that about Samantha Who? after just two seasons. The show was one of the strongest debuts of the year back in '07, getting a plum slot after Dancing With the Stars and capitalizing on it with the story of Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate) developing amnesia and slowly learning about her bad-girl past. The show nabbed two Emmy nominations for Applegate (including this year, after the show had already been canceled) and a win for supporting actress Jean Smart. And at least at first, its ratings were solid.

But then the writers' strike happened, and then Samantha had trouble drawing viewers without Dancing With the Stars, and then came the final blow: apparently the show could have been renewed if it slashed its budget, but in the end, a deal couldn't get done.

So Samantha joins the ranks of the other Summer burn-offs with its final two episodes tonight. The finale is set on Andrea's wedding day, with Samantha feeling torn between Todd and Winston Funk. Will you be watching? To check out a clip from one of the episodes (with guest star Angie Harmon), just read more.

TV Tonight: The Series Finale of Eli Stone

BuzzSugar — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:30:41 -0700

Tonight, yet another canceled show bites the dust for good. Actually, this next week or so will be a bit of an ABC canceled show wrap-up, as Eli Stone ends tonight and Dirty Sexy Money begins its run of the final four episodes next Saturday, July 18. Here's what to expect from Eli's farewell episode:

As Eli tries to unravel the mystery of who among his friends may meet their fate on the doomed plane, he and Keith take on the case of a woman named Diane who's in need of a heart transplant, but the religious parents of a donor refuse to give her their daughter's heart to her because she is an atheist. Little does Eli know that the heart he is fighting for will take on greater significance. Meanwhile Taylor and Matt get engaged, and Maggie's faith in Eli is tested.

Will you miss Eli? Do you think the show should have gotten more of a chance? Or are you already over it?

TV Tonight: The Pushing Daisies Series Finale

BuzzSugar — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:30:38 -0700

Goodbye, fair pie-maker. Goodbye, alive again girl named Chuck. Goodbye, snarky, shady PI and singing itty-bitty waitress. Tonight's the night that Pushing Daisies comes to a close.

It's still a bummer that ABC let this whimsical gem of a show go - but in all honesty, I can't say I'm surprised. From the beginning, it seemed like the kind of show that was going to break my heart, destined for critical acclaim, a niche audience, and premature cancellation. In fact, looking back, the true miracle seems to be that we got two seasons out of it at all, even if they were both shortened (one by the writers' strike and one by ABC's axe).

Tonight's episode, "Kerplunk," wasn't filmed as a finale and doesn't feel like one, but it does have plenty of satisfying moments, especially where the aunts are concerned: They become a central part of the episode's investigation when one of their former swimming rivals goes down at the hands of a shark during a performance. And with a comic book on the way, I'm just glad we'll be able to see more of Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive in any form.

Will you be watching tonight? For a preview of what's to come, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros

Were You Satisfied With the Ending of Battlestar Galactica?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:30:06 -0700

One of Sci Fi's signature and most critically acclaimed series, Battlestar Galactica, came to a close on Friday with its series finale. It capped a week of events honoring the show, including a panel at the United Nations. Ending a long-running series is never an easy task, so use this space to talk back: Were you satisfied with the way the series wrapped up?

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TV Tonight: The L Word Series Finale

Molly — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:30:01 -0700

For all you fellow lovers of The L Word, tonight we have to say goodbye to Shane, Bette, Jenny, Helena, Kit and so many more - though thankfully not Alice, who still has a spinoff in the works. The episode is aptly titled "The Last Word" and will lead us up to learning who killed Jenny. Plus, from the promo below it looks like we haven't seen the last of Molly.

For those of us who like the sentimental stuff, Showtime will be airing a retrospective of the last six seasons in the hour before the finale. It feels like yesterday that Jenny was moving in next door with Eric Mabius. The past seven episodes have been a wild ride and it's going to be bittersweet to say farewell to the series that has broken down so many boundaries. Who are you going to miss the most? Are you sad to see it go or do you think it's run its course? Don't forget, you can also enter for a chance to win some of the ladies' gorgeous dresses.

To see a preview for tonight's episode, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Buzz In: What Are the Best TV Series Finales?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:30:30 -0800

The Shield, the show that opened the door for so many of today's great basic cable TV series (Damages, Mad Men, and The Closer, to name just a few), will come to an end tonight. The Vic Mackey era closes with this 88th and final episode, "Family Meeting."

The episode is being described as "brilliant," and a few writers have already called it their favorite drama series finale ever. That's a pretty big statement, especially because several other series have set the bar so high. My favorite is still the sob-inducing finale of Six Feet Under, but this Spring's finale of The Wire is up there as well, and on a sentimental note, the bittersweet finale of Gilmore Girls will always get to me.

What about you? Which series finales are on your list of the best?

Photo courtesy of FX

TV Tonight: Jericho's Final Episode

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:37:26 -0700

This time, it doesn't look like there will be any mass uprising to save Jericho. No rallying of the troops from sites like JerichoLives. No tons of peanuts.

No, Jericho - the show that was resurrected by a serious fan mobilization last Spring, returned for seven episodes, and never got a foothold in the ratings - is going more quietly this time. "We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try," Nina Tassler, the network's entertainment president, said in a statement last week, announcing that tonight's episode would be the series' last. "We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We're proud of everyone's efforts."

Two possible endings for the series were filmed: one that left a cliffhanger for a possible third season, another that's more of a wrap-up. The one that will air tonight is the one with more closure. The Hollywood Reporter notes that it's not impossible for the show's stories to continue after the finale, but the high cost of producing it will probably keep it from finding a home on another network or cable.

So, all in all, this looks like the end for Jericho. Will it be missed? To watch a clip from tonight's finale, just read more.

Photo courtesy of CBS

Farewell to The Wire: Five Seasons of Montages

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:32:50 -0700

I still haven't stopped thinking about Sunday's finale of The Wire. It wasn't a fade-to-black talker of an ending, Tony Soprano-style, but I did think it was a fitting conclusion to five years of examining the rise and fall of the police, union workers, drug lords, government officials, school teachers, and newspaper reporters of Baltimore.

Specifically, I've been playing the show's final montage over and over - both in my head and in real life. The Wire is known for ending every season with a montage showing what comes next for various characters and stories, and I'm so glad that tradition continued for the final episode. So, as a final farewell to the show, I've gathered up all five montages from The Wire's five seasons. Note that there's some violence and spicy language (we are talking about hoppers, bangers, and poh-leese, after all), but if you want to check them out, just read more.

Season One:

Season Two:

Season Three:

Season Four:

Season Five:

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TV Tonight: The Wire Series Finale

BuzzSugar — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:00:06 -0700

After five relentlessly gritty seasons of exposing the highs and lows of Baltimore and exploring creator David Simon's thesis that people today matter less than ever, HBO's great series The Wire comes to a close tonight. I tore through all the previous seasons on DVD this Fall so I could be here tonight, watching the finale live alongside the show's other fans. But, as I wrote when I asked about your favorite series finales the other day, now that the moment's arrived, I'm feeling overwhelmingly ambivalent. Fact is, I'm just not ready to let Bunk, McNulty, Kima, Lester, Bubbles, Carcetti, and even Marlo go. And I can only imagine how fans who watched and dissected each season over the past five years must feel.

There are so many plot threads still unraveling, and so many stories yet to be connected, that I doubt there's any way tonight's 95-minute finale can tie them all up. Will Lester's shining drug bust end up falling apart? Will Scott's lies grow bigger? Will McNulty recover from his latest downward spiral? I think I may leave the show with as many questions as answers. But in a way, that's exactly how a sprawling series like The Wire should end: messy and complicated, just like it's always been.

HBO has been putting episodes On Demand a week early all season, but the network held the final episode back (and yes, it leaked online - no spoilers in the comments, please!) so fans would watch together. As a result, a very funny preview aired On Demand, featuring Clay Davis and his signature catchphrase: "Sheeeeeeeit." You can watch it, plus the promo for the final episode, if you just read more.

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Buzz In: Which Series Have You Hated to See End?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:30:00 -0800

HBO's The Wire - many a critic's pick for the best show ever on television - will end its series on Sunday after five gut-wrenching and unabashedly bleak seasons. I sped through all the early seasons on DVD so I could be caught up in time for the finale, but now that it's here, I'm looking at Sunday with equal amounts of excitement and dread. While the show's only been part of my life for a short while, I have a hard time with the fact that it will just end.

I remember feeling the same thing when another great HBO series, Six Feet Under, ended its run in 2005; I believe its ending was utterly perfect, but even thinking about it can make me cry. There's just a special, can't-miss quality to a series finale: The BBC version of The Office needed a couple of specials to wrap up its story, and the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H is still the most-watched US TV program of all-time.

So tell me, Buzz readers: Which favorite series have you hated to see go? Which could have wrapped up better than they did? Which got the endings they deserved?

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