When it comes to bidding an old favorite adieu, TV shows can be hit and miss with the series finales, but 2026 has put on some pretty strong performances when it comes to conclusions.
We polled our readers when it came to what they think are the best TV endings of the year so far, and the result may surprise you (or not) as we take a closer look at series finales for Euphoria, The Bear, Hacks, The Boys, Outlander, and many more. So, which show had the best series finale of 2026 so far?
Options included the aforementioned titles as well as The Way Home, Stranger Things, Tell Me Lies, Power Book IV: Force, and The Neighborhood. Only shows with planned series finales, indicating the end of a show’s run, were eligible as well, but these are far from the only shows concluding in 2026.
For now, Outlander takes the metaphorical cake, earning 74 percent of the votes made by readers as the best series finale of the year. Running for eight seasons, the Starz hit based on Diana Gabaldon‘s novels saw Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) epic love story reach its end with a bit of a question mark.
Starz
After seemingly being killed by an errant bullet fired by a red coat on Kings Mountain, Jamie traveled through time as a ghost before his eyes opened opposite Claire, who had laid down beside him where he fell. While their fate is open to interpretation, the conclusion certainly seemed to satisfy.
Meanwhile, coming in at second place as the most-loved series finale of the year is Hacks‘ Parisian-set chapter, which saw Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) enjoy what they believe is their final vacation; thankfully, it wasn’t! And trailing by a couple of votes in third place is Hallmark’s The Way Home.
Despite the divisive finale season, Euphoria‘s series finale, “In God We Trust,” got some love in our poll, taking fourth place, and following closely behind in fifth place is Stranger Things, which did technically end in 2026 as its super-sized final episode dropped on Netflix on January 1.
Pulling in a few votes for sixth place is The Boys‘ ending, which saw Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander’s (Antony Starr) long-simmering hatred come to its boiling point. Tied for seventh place with the same number of votes are Tell Me Lies, The Neighborhood, and Power Book IV: Force.
And despite a relatively good critical reception, our readers weren’t feeling The Bear finale as it ranked last, garnering less than one percent of the voting pool’s selections. What do you think of these results? Do you agree with the ranking? Let us know in the comments section below, and let us know what your favorite of 2026 is so far.