WARNING - GRATUITOUS SPOILERS: If you haven't seen the episodes but think you might one day, don't read the description.

Keep in mind I haven't seen the finales for "Friends", "M*A*S*H*", "Angel", "Buffy" or older classics like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Newhart" or "St. Elsewhere".

Honorable Mention: Sex and the City
"An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux", Season 6 Episode 20 (2/22/2004)
Sex and the City is a show that I enjoy watching, but don't have any strong feelings for. When the finale came around, I watched it because my mom and sister were watching it. I wasn't disappointed, however, as the episode ended up being an entertaining conclusion to the series. We had Carrie in Paris with the Russian, a seemingly perfect setup for happily ever after. Instead, Paris turned out to be the the antithesis of romanticism and Carrie was miserable until Big flew over as a last ditch effort to win her heart. Oh, and it's "John".

10. Seinfeld
"The Finale", Season 9 Episodes 23-24 (5/14/1998)
This was probably the most hyped episode of television ever, with the possible exception of #8 on the list. When I first saw it I had only seen a few episodes of Seinfeld and wasn't able to appreciate the many in-jokes that make this episode so great. At first I didn't really like it, but I have slowly warmed up to the episode over the years, and now see it as a great conclusion to the best show of the 90s. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were able to remind us why we loved the series by bringing back the most memorable guest characters to testify against the group in court. Could it have been better? Sure, but even the worst episode of Seinfeld is better than nearly anything else.

9. The Sopranos
"Made in America", Season 6 Episode 21 (6/10/2007)
Here's another episode that was disappointing at first. Like millions of Americans, I thought my video had cut out before the ending, and I raced to the computer to find out what had just happened. Turns out, we all got whacked. Going in to the episode I hoped that Tony would get arrested and thrown in jail like every other mob boss in America. What we got was something much more nuanced, and I applaud David Chase for taking a huge risk with the finale of the most critically acclaimed show of all time. Chase manages to tie up almost every loose end while also hinting at the future of the Soprano family. The finale scene deserves very close viewing, after which the true brilliance of the show become apparent. I must admit that I wasn't able to connect the dots on my own, but there are a few videos on YouTube that offered valuable insight into the closing moments. Oh, and the most important thing you can know about this series is **FADES TO BLACK**.

8. The Office
"Christmas Special". (12/26-27/2003)

So I completely forgot about the Office when I first made this list. Granted, I couldn't remember most of what happened because I saw it so long ago, but Brandon's update on the UK finale prompted me to rewatch select scenes and remember the plot to one of the funniest and most endearing finales in comedy history. I loved everything, from the fake out of Dawn with a child to David capitalizing on his newfound reality "stardom". It's almost painful to watch him strut around, obvious that he's by far the biggest fan of the television show that made him famous. As Brandon noted, you start to feel really bad for him until he is given a shred of dignity in the final hour when he meets a woman who actually finds him charming. There's also the hilarious fact that Gareth is now in charge, and surprisingly good at running the office. The real story, however, is the Pam-Jim...I mean, Dawn-Tim relationship finally coming to fruition after years of sexual tension. The build up is so convincing that you just want to throw your hands in the air and shout when they finally kiss.

Interviewer: "So are you looking for a relationship?"
David: "I'm not 'shopping' for a relationship. I'm browsing, looking around. If I see a bargain, I've got the money. So… That's a metaphor. I'd never pay for it."

7. Firefly*
"Objects in Space", Season 1 Episode 14 (12/13/2002)
Okay, so it's technically not a series finale, but it is the last episode of the series so I feel justified including it on the list. Like every episode of Firefly, "Objects in Space" is brilliant. It's the most existential of the episodes, challenging the viewer to ask how an object acquires meaning and what code a man must live by in the lawlessness vacuum of outer space. In many ways the episode works as a perfect ending to the show. It could have been at the end of season seven and been just as effective, because it is really an isolated story. Sure, Jubal is trying to bring River back to the alliance, but this could have easily occured five years down the line. In the end this is River's episode, and we are able to learn more about her fascinating character by seeing the world through her eyes. Thankfully we got Serenity to explore those themes further, but that's not enough to quell my hatred of FOX television.

"That ain't a Shepherd"

Note: the only reason this isn't higher is because I don't consider it a true finale in the way that the other episodes on this list are finales. If we were simply going by best episodes of television that came at the end of a series, it would undoubtedly be in the top two.

6. The Wonder Years
"Summer" and "Independence Day", Season 6 Episodes 21-22 (5/12/1993)

How good is this episode? Well the DVD containing the two final episodes goes for north of $100 on eBay. But that really says more about supply than it does quality. Still, the last two episodes of the Wonder Years manage to take the aging show and remind viewers of a simpler time. By this point in the show Kevin Arnold has graduated high school. Childhood is over, and "the wonder years" are coming to an end. In an attempt to freshen his relationship with Winnie, he surprises her by getting a job at the summer resort where she is working. However the plan backfires, and Kevin's relationship with Winnie hits a brick wall when he sees her kissing a co-worker. The next day he ends up punching the guy, getting both him and Winnie fired. He tries to hitchike back home, only to be picked up by an elderly couple who have given a ride to Winnie. After they make a huge scene in the car, the couple leaves them on the side of the road, and a thunderstorm causes them to hide in an old barn. Stuck together, they are forced to talk about their relationship and recall the days when things weren't so complicated. This is what the series does best, and the barn scene is the highlight of the episode. The final narration is ridiculously sentimental, but I still love every second of it.

5. Arrested Development
"Development Arrested", Season 3 Episode 13 (2/10/06)

I really count the final four episodes that were aired opposite the opening ceremonies to the Winter Olympics as the finale, but even if I had to isolate the thirteenth and final episode it would still rank fifth on my list. It is able to perfectly bookend a series that was so incredibly well thoughout, going back to jokes from the first episode and providing closure to nearly every storyline (Anyong!). Mitch Hurwitz is able to cram more story into thirty minutes than the average showrunner can do in his entire career. Now if only we could get an AD movie...

"Soon, George Michael went to Ann's to try to win her back. But her Uncle Paul told him that Ann had moved in with her boyfriend. He also mentioned that we all only had three more weeks on earth, and that fossils were just something the Jews buried in 1924."

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation
"All Good Things...", Season 7 Episode 25 (5/21/1994)

I had this episode on my Tivo for nearly a year before watching it. I originally planned to watch every episode of TNG in order, but found myself in need of a break from LSAT one afternoon so I sat down and watched this two-part conclusion (start?) to the series. I don't think it's my favorite episode, but it's really high up there. The story takes place in three timelines (a past timeline right before the start of the first episode, the present, and an awesome future that brings the original crew back together) as Picard tries to stop humanity from being wiped out of existence. Q returns, which is enough to guarantee that the episode is an instant classic. I really loved the future storyline when we discover that Picard has become an Admiral, embassador, and ex-husband of Beverly Crusher, and that Data occupies Newton's professoral post at Oxford University. Patrick Stewart delivers one of his best performances as the three Picards, commanding the screen for the entire two hour narrative. Even if you don't like sci-fi, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy this episode. It's one of the best written pieces of fiction to come out of the 90s.

3. The Larry Sanders Show
"Flip", Season 6 Episode 11 (5/31/1998)

The finale of The Larry Sanders Show, like all great finales, takes everything that makes the show great and manages to make it even better. Larry Sanders decides to end his show rather than allow the network to slowly push him out in favor of a younger, hipper, Jon Stewart. This episode revolves around the final episode of Larry Sanders, and Larry's attempt to round up the biggest stars to salute his career. Highlights include Jim Carey (in a completely improvised performance) completely owning the stage with his rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and David Duchovny in a kilt pulling a "Basic Instinct". Other guests include Bruno Kirby, Tom Petty, Tim Allen, Ellen, and Carol Burnett. The entire episode echos of Johnny Carson's departure, and Garry Shandling's love for Carson is obvious. His final monologue actually manages to be touching as he realizes how much his life revolves around his show, but he's back to his self-obsessed ways as soon as the show ends. As always, though, Jeffrey Tambor's Hank steals the show when he finally turns on Larry and Artie after years of being the butt of everyone's joke.

"For letting Us be in your, house every night to entertain you. It's an honor and, uh -- to tell you the truth? I don't know exactly what I'm going to do without you. Thank you so much.
God bless you, and you may now flip."

2. Dawson's Creek
"All Good Things...Must Come to an End", Season 6 Episodes 23-24 (5/14/2003)
Sure, Dawson's Creek has it'sshare of ridiculous melodrama, but I would make the argument that the final episode of the show is an objectively great piece of television.  It takes place five years after the end of the sixth season, when the principal cast is all brought back to Capeside for Gail Leery's wedding.  After the wedding, the entire cast is forced to deal with the sudden impending death of Jen, causing them to rethink their entire lives.  It all comes back to the love triangle that permeated through the final three seasons of the show, with Joey making the same choice that every intelligent viewer made three years earlier.  I love almost every scene of this episode, from Jack telling Jen that she's his soul mate to Doug proclaiming his big gay love on the beach to Dawson's sister proving that "annoying" is a genetic trait.  I even managed to not hate Dawson, and thought that making him the producer of a hit television show based on his life was genius. 

1. Six Feet Under
"Everyone's Waiting", Season 5 Episode 12 (8/21/2005)
I think this is one of the most perfect hours of television ever filmed.  It began with the birth of Willa Fisher, a beautiful contrast to the various deaths that had opened every other episode of the show. It was fitting, too, because this episode was all about life. True, by this point in the series Nate had died, but his death was used to inspire every other character to live to the fullest before it was too late.  For the first time, the primary focus of the show was shifted to Claire and David as they planned the next stages of their lives.  Like Nate, Claire decides to pick up and leave in order to find herself, while David stays behind with Keith and continues operation of Fisher & Sons.  The performances in this one are painfully brilliant, and don't even get me started talking about the finale six minute montage; just know the it is the greatest thing to ever air on television, assisted by the captivating track "Breathe Me" by Sia.