Series Finales

Will & Grace: A show I never watched religiously, but always enjoyed when I remembered it existed. I thought its conclusion was a little confusing, but only because the characters, who had aged about 20 years, morphed back into the current version of themselves, so I wondered... Was this all some sort of historical conjecture, or are we to assume that this is how the writers want you to know things turned out, long-term? And if so, is it satisfying to know that Will & Grace essentially had a 20-year falling out? But that destiny (via their offspring)will eventually heal everything? Good thing I wasn't super invested, because I'm not quite sure how to feel about that.

That'70s Show: I really got into this show after it was syndicated and started coming on five times a week on Fox; eventually I started to watch it, very semi-regularly, during primetime in the course of its regular season. But I stopped doing that long before Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace bowed out of the final season, so when I tuned in last night, I had no idea what to expect. For me, simply because Topher Grace AKA Eric Foreman returned, just in the nick of time, right at the end, it was satisfying.

This made me realize something. Shows that fit an episodic structure, Seinfeld excluded, really do need to make good on the promises of the show up to that point (Seinfeld made no promises and I still contend that it was true to itself in its final episode, though I know many disagree). There is no need to break the Classic mold and try to become all Post-Modern and Avant Garde or interesting in the home stretch. Just make sure the people who loved each other during the show's entire dramatic arc end up together, that they kiss in the next to the last scene; give your audience that sense of "all's well that ends well." The conclusion can't be so final that the audience can't imagine a life for the characters beyond the final moment, nor so open-ended that the viewer has no feeling of a fait au compli. Also, there really should be some tears shed by the characters. The tears are crucial. Finally, why do we not see the cast taking their final bows anymore? That was always the kicker in the past. Seeing these people who've worked together for a number of years, sobbing because it's all over; that always made me feel like I'd been part of something so wonderful. That's what people want, really, from TV.