2025-2026: Most Memorable Season and Series Finales

This year’s TV slate has been absolutely unbelievable in the most delightful and sometimes frustrating ways.

At this point in the year, so many shows have already finished their seasons.

And if there’s anything fans love to debate, it’s whether the season finale stuck the landing or not.

For some shows this year, the ending wasn’t just for a season, but for the entire show itself.

Here at TV Fanatic, we have compiled a list of the most memorable season and series finales of this year’s 2025-2026 TV season.

Several ended with confusing plot twists that left fans scratching their heads. Others delivered satisfying victories for beloved characters.

Read on to see if any of your favorites have made the list!

The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 6

The second Jonathan Pine adventure ended with one of the most frustrating, infuriating bait-and-switch plot twists in recent memory. 

Just as Jonathan’s trap was set to snap around Richard Roper and his whole weapons-dealing operation, Roper pulled his signature move of misdirection, outwitting and outplaying Pine’s dangerously exposed team.

The result: Roper returns to England, triumphant. His allies — Cavendish, in particular — have secured their place in his inner circle and continue to climb into the nation’s top seats of power.

Meanwhile, Jonathan is left without sanctuary. His team is figuratively burned or literally dead, with Angela Burr paying that ultimate price.

It was a hard pill for audiences to swallow, but The Night Manager Season 2 finale will definitely live in our heads for a long time.

Will Trent Season 4 Episode 18 “Be of Service”

The second multiple teens reported they’d been mishandled by cops, Faith’s radar went up.

She suddenly had a reason to stay and fight for justice. She has a soft spot for troubled teens just like Angie. I loved how Faith used the teens in the case to catch one of the perps.

While Will Trent usually focuses on multiple cases, I knew as soon as Angie went into labor halfway through, something big would go down.

Will Trent provided an emotional, devastating move that most didn’t expect.

We thought Seth’s death was a hard pill to swallow. He didn’t need to die for Will to be a part of little Edie’s life.

At the same time, Will’s offering the baby a safety net was his way of paying it forward.

We shouldn’t have been surprised that the finale ended on a cliffhanger. The sex trafficking ring thought Faith got too close, and that pig fetus only cemented the team’s goal to find the truth.

The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 13 “Xander Wax”

The Hunting Party typically uses its last serial killer to connect to a bigger plot twist.

Xander Wax was an entertaining and creepy killer, using poisonous venom, but he definitely worked for someone.

It soon became obvious that he answered to Col. Lazarus and led The Hunting Party trio straight into her trap.

And The Hunting Party Season 2 Finale led to some entertaining fight scenes between the trio, past serial killers, and the guards.

It also forced Shane to choose either his birth mother or his team. When she wanted him to be an experimental soldier, he knew made the right one.

Shane still couldn’t kill her, even after Lazarus shot Bex. He didn’t want to become evil like her. Bex surprised everyone by taking that shot.

Learning that the Pit created serial killers as well as weaponized them was a huge reveal, and hopefully, we’ll get to see how the trio deals with it.

Watson Season 2 Episode 20 “The Cobalt Fissure” – Series Finale

It was bad enough learning that Watson wasn’t coming back. The Watson Series finale made it twice as disappointing.

The final episode focused on two completely unnecessary threads: the real Sherlock returning with a mystery illness, and Watson refusing to get treatment for his brain tumor.

It was incredibly depressing.

Fortunately, Watson survived, but then the finale went into super-rushed mode. 

In the space of just a few minutes, Ingrid was questioned by the police about Beck’s death before a quick time jump to Watson and Mary together in London.

It was memorable, alright — but mostly because Watson Fanatics deserved better. 

The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin Season 1 Episode 7 “The Last True Bard”

The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin dazzled us with action, mystery, and brotherhood. And The Pendragon Cycle Season 1 finale took it to the next level.

It all came down to who was the rightful king. Merlin knew that bards shouldn’t interfere with prophecy, yet he was tempted to prevent more suffering.

He was forced to make the ultimate choice, and Morgian tempted him with his soulmate. She’s the ultimate seductress.

The final battle for Britain was graphic and well-choreographed. Uther made a wonderful battle chief, leading the men until Aurelius returned with an unexpected ally.

We’re still unsure if The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin will return, but that finale was epic regardless. Hopefully, we’ll learn who ultimately ruled Camelot and won Ygerna’s heart.

Good Omens Season 3 “The Finale” – Series Finale 

If anything, the Good Omens series finale is worth a mention simply because of how divisive it was received by fans.

Everyone can agree that it would have been better as a full series than as a 90-minute movie. But the show still did the best it could with what it had.

Even though it was a heartbreaking affair, I personally enjoyed the ending enough to devote a love letter to The Good Omens Series Finale.

It definitely takes some time to properly process that Aziraphale and Crowley no longer exist in their original universe.

However, it is comforting to know that they will find each other and fall in love in every universe.

Outlander Season 8 Episode 10 “And the World Was All Around Us” – Series Finale

It’s never easy to end a series, and while the Outlander Series Finale didn’t hit the high notes for everyone, it did wrap up the series as a whole pretty well.

The one-hour-and-10-minute finale brought the pressure of the upcoming Battle of Kings Mountain and captured the fear of not making it back.

Sure, there were a lot of questions that the finale had to answer, such as whether Jamie would die and whether Claire would come into her full powers to heal him.

However, the biggest question that we didn’t think we’d get was whether we would get the answers to the ghost at the very start of the series. We knew it was Jamie, but how?

That helped to make it a true series finale for me, and I’ll forever go against the grain of Outlander fans and say that post-credit scene wasn’t necessary.

The Boys Season 5 Episode 9 “Blood and Bone” – Series Finale

The first several seasons of The Boys were epic. It was like nothing else on TV with its ingenious kills and political satire.

However, it also had a coherent story to tell, and at some point, the show got lost indulging itself and lost direction. The proof is in the final season, which spends time not wrapping up the series but setting up a spinoff.

Ultimately, The Boys’ series finale is memorable not because it’s great but because it’s satisfying and lets us out of our misery.

For the most part, it accomplishes what the show had promised all those years ago.

Is it an epic finale? No. Does it end better than The Sopranos? Yes. And I guess that’s enough.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles Season 1 Episode 8 “Lock and Load”

There aren’t enough finales that deserve a sincere fist pump and ” Boo-yah!” exclamation these days.

Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles takes its bow by chalking up a win for the good guys.

The show’s premiere season has been a masterclass in pivot and clench. They’ve pulled no punches in chronicling Margo’s trials as a single mom with little to no support and an eclectic, at best, family unit.

On Margo’s Got Money Troubles Season 1 Episode 8, things could easily have gone the way of so many IRL family court dramas, with the judge deeming a woman who earns an income on OnlyFans as unfit to raise a child.

Instead, we get a VERY ANGRY judge. A judge who finds the biological father, Mark Gable, reprehensible in his behavior. A judge who calls Gable’s toxic mother out on her own nasty words that resulted in her broken jaw.

Judge Spence weighs the value of the loving village Margo has assembled to raise Bodhi against the need for him to know his biological father, and strikes a balance.

It’s the kind of win that sparks joy.

A win where an addict grandfather, an insecure grandmother, a cosplay auntie, and a creative mom who showcases her body online get the credit for being the best kind of people to raise a baby.

Doc Season 2 Episode 22 “Happy Birthday”

One of the most exciting things about a show is when it knows how to reset itself. 

Doc Season 2 was a mixed bag overall, with some controversial and questionable decisions that kept us talking. 

But then the Doc Season 2 finale delivered a super-sized epidemic that invaded the hospital, leaving lives in the balance and shaking up so much that we held dear.

Doc’s finale set Amy on a new path, determined to honor her late mentor, Joan, by remembering the importance of living a life of service.

It shocked us out of Doc‘s core love triangle, which was starting to bog down the series. And it introduced a new player with an equally complicated background, with Amy, whom she doesn’t remember. 

It borrows from some of its previous arcs but also serves as a reset that opens the door to new exploration in the third season. 

NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 18 “Hollywood Ending”

So much of NCIS: Origins is about giving us insight into how NCIS became what it is. And NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 20 succeeded in this by showcasing how NIS became NCIS.

We had the full breadth of the team and these incredibly layered characters coming together in some capacity to save this oddball agency in the wake of a scandal threatening to dismantle them all, so they could stay together and keep fighting the good fight.

Wheeler leads the charge to save the agency, with the help of Verna and the Brain Tank, which comprises the smartest people in their office.

Meanwhile, Mike is fixated on solving a case that hits too close to home, creating deep tension between him and Gibbs that leads to hard truths being shared and a moment that finally puts into perspective the lifelong, undying loyalty between them when Gibbs sacrifices himself for Mike’s brother. 

And then we have the satisfaction of Gibbs and Lala finally expressing their feelings for each other.

By the time we got to NCIS: Origins‘ shocking Randy cliffhanger, it cemented why this series is the greatest thing currently airing, and they proved it with a satisfying season finale that was a peak Hollywood Ending in the best way.

Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 20 “Mexico”

Sheriff Country quickly proved itself to stand on its own two feet as a Fire Country spinoff, setting up a murder investigation we didn’t realize would become part of the finale.

After some thrilling rides, nail-biting situations, and questionable motivations, the Sheriff Country Season 1 Finale tied all the loose threads together. It brought answers to the Emerald Eden plotline, which went much deeper than we originally believed.

On top of that, we got to see Mickey set her feelings aside and focus on the job as she learned that the man she was falling for was actually the bad guy. She leaned on Boone as he started to figure out the truth as well.

While the storyline itself was great, it was the closing moments that made this a finale to remember.

Mickey and Wes finding out that the woman they thought was dead for the last few decades was actually the Deputy Director of the DEA has changed everything, and now we can’t wait for Sheriff Country‘s return.

It may be super soapy, but it’s also compelling and exciting!

The Testaments Season 1 Episode 10 “Secateurs”

While the sequel to The Testaments got off to a slow start, the back half of the season has been one to remember, culminating in an epic finale that revealed secrets and set up an exciting sophomore season.

As Daisy decided she needed to stay in Gilead, she also realized that the only way to fight it was from the inside with the other teenagers.

What better way to do that than by telling Agnes that she is the daughter of June Osborne?

Now with Becka married to a Mayday operative, Aunt Lydia confirming the truth to Agnes, and Agnes’ marriage to Weston called off, there’s plenty to play for. 

There’s also the hope that the reunion we have waited for over the course of six seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale will finally happen.

Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics! Did any of your favorites appear on the list? Are we missing any memorable ones?

Out of all these, which one blew you away the most? Let us know in the comments below!