Yahoo Lifestyle 2024 in Review: The Year’s Best and Worst Final Seasons of TV, Ranked
Shakespeare got it right when he said parting is such sweet sorrow. We assume Romeo and Juliet were talking about their favorite TV shows ending, right?
Fortunately, the sorrow of saying goodbye to a beloved series can get a little sweeter when said series sticks the landing. And of the dozen-plus TV shows that aired planned final seasons in 2024, many of them did nail their farewell episodes, delivering swan songs that were emotionally and narratively satisfying. Others? Well, not so much.
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As TVLine’s Year in Review coverage continues, we’re ranking nearly 20 series that left our screens for good this year, offering each final season a letter grade after evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. But here’s the important part: To make our list, each show must have announced its “final season” news before any episodes from the season in question aired. That eliminates a) shows that were cancelled after their most recent seasons ended, like NBC’s Quantum Leap; b) shows cancelled in the middle of what would become their final seasons, like The CW’s Walker; and c) shows that were announced to be ending while on a midseason hiatus, like Freeform’s Good Trouble and Paramount Network’s Yellowstone.
With all that in mind, keep scrolling for our ranking of the year’s best and worst final seasons of television, then hit the comments with your own takes!
17. La Brea (Season 3)
STRENGTHS: Izzy finally got a romance (though no farewell scene); Ty interacting with “past” versions of Gavin and Levi was entertaining (even if the time paradox of it all was barely explored).
WEAKNESSES: Almost no Eve (after Natalie Zea asked off the show); a plot-convenient replacement for Paara; portals suddenly everywhere!; and that bizarre final escape via superjet (though playing “chicken” with a T.Rex was cool).
OUR GRADE: D — Matt Webb Mitovich
16. The Umbrella Academy (Season 4)
STRENGTHS: Even in a truncated, six-episode final season, The Umbrella Academy retained much of its delightful weirdness. The Hargreeves’ humor was as sharp as ever; there were memorable fight scenes, another dance number, and a killer soundtrack; and Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally fit right in as the show’s newest eccentric pair.
WEAKNESSES: Unfortunately, every narrative choice was more confusing and off-putting than the last. What purpose did The Keepers serve? Why put Lila and Five together? Did every Hargreeves sibling really need to die?! So little of it made sense, bringing this oddball series to an unfortunate close.
OUR GRADE: C- — Rebecca Iannucci
15. The Good Doctor (Season 7)
STRENGTHS: The medical drama managed not to jump the shark when Shaun and Lea became parents, and Morgan and Park’s journey to happily ever after (involving baby Eden) was awfully sweet. And the last episodes did right by honing in on the show’s most important relationship: the surrogate father-son bond between Shaun and the terminally ill Dr. Glassman.
WEAKNESSES: Killing Asher off just halfway through a strikes-shortened final season felt unnecessarily cruel. But nothing, and we mean nothing, was crueler than bringing Claire — who had already lost her mom and Dr. Melendez — back for the finale, only to have her lose her friggin’ arm (thus putting an end to her promising surgical career in Guatemala).
OUR GRADE: C — Ryan Schwartz
14. grown-ish (Season 6)
STRENGTHS: As far as we’re concerned, grown-ish ended back when Zoey and her friends graduated in Season 4, so at least the OG cast returned for one last reunion before the finale drew to a close.
WEAKNESSES: While we appreciate that everyone got the closure they needed (whether they deserved it or not), the conclusion felt rushed, with side characters being brushed off and largely forgotten.
OUR GRADE: C — Andy Swift
13. Star Trek: Discovery (Season 5)
STRENGTHS: Burnham and Book’s chemistry still burned hotter than a supernova, and the action-packed season did give the Discovery crew a nice jolt of energy. Plus, the space battle visual effects were as eye-popping as ever.
WEAKNESSES: Honestly, Discovery had been running on fumes for a few seasons at this point, and Season 5’s plot felt more like a side quest than a fittingly grand finale for the characters we loved.
OUR GRADE: C — Dave Nemetz
12. All American: Homecoming (Season 3)
STRENGTHS: Simone’s breast cancer battle shined an important spotlight on not just the illness, but the obstacles Black women face as they attempt to advocate for themselves in doctor’s offices everywhere. Plus, as disappointed as we were to lose Peyton Alex Smith as a series regular, Damon Sims’ absence meant the show could take its time pairing up Simone and Lando at last.
WEAKNESSES: Some behind-the-scenes cast reshufflings — including the demotions of Smith and Kelly Jenrette — meant that side characters had some disjointed and unsatisfying arcs. The Keisha/Cam/JR love triangle, in particular, ended with a whimper in the series finale.
OUR GRADE: B — R.I.
11. SEAL Team (Season 7)
STRENGTHS: A well-considered exploration of Jason’s very first kill, and how he now views his future as an operator; prickly/fun new dynamics created with the injection of Beau Knapp’s Drew; satisfying endings for Sonny, Lisa, Stella and Ray.
WEAKNESSES: Conspicuously few action sequences — a shortcoming that was only underscored once Lioness returned to Paramount+ mere weeks later with its own operators’ guns a-blazing.
OUR GRADE: B — M.W.M.
10. Sweet Tooth (Season 3)
STRENGTHS: Sweet Tooth and Big Man’s final battle felt epic and worthy of a series ender; Nonso Anozie’s fantastic performance as Jepperd; seeing Kelly Marie Tran added into the mix as Helen Zhang’s daughter.
WEAKNESSES: A slower middle of the season, and some light pacing issues.
OUR GRADE: B — Nick Caruso
9. Bob Hearts Abishola (Season 5)
STRENGTHS: Featuring each supporting cast member in only a limited number of episodes meant the writers could dedicate more time to crafting a satisfying end for each member of Bob and Abishola’s respective family units.
WEAKNESSES: After ending Season 4 on a cliffhanger regarding Abishola’s med school acceptance and the potential havoc it would wreak on the titular couple’s marriage, Season 5 ignored it entirely — that is, until the future-set series finale revealed she’d completed med school and became a pediatrician.
OUR GRADE: B+ — R.S.
8. What We Do in the Shadows (Season 6)
STRENGTHS: FX’s vampire comedy packed its farewell season with big laughs, including Guillermo’s new job at a bro-tastic finance firm and Laszlo’s quest to reanimate a corpse. Episodes like the big vampire gang war at Baron Afanas’ award ceremony — complete with an Alexander Skarsgård cameo! — were Shadows at its goofy best.
WEAKNESSES: If we have to nitpick, it didn’t feel much like a final season… but we didn’t mind just spending more time with those zany Staten Island vamps.
OUR GRADE: B+ — D.N.
7. Blue Bloods (Season 14)
STRENGTHS: Satisfying final arcs for Jamie/Eddie (family planning, eventual pregnancy), Erin/Jack (adorable strolls, stealth remarriage plans), Frank (earning the mayor’s trust when it matters most), and Danny/Maria (so, how’d that pizza date go?).
WEAKNESSES: It all felt a bit too much like any other season…? And that finale was very rushed.
OUR GRADE: A- — M.W.M.
6. Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 12)
STRENGTHS: Larry David’s curmudgeonly fictional self was on-point all season long; seeing some of Richard Lewis’ final performances; that exceptional series finale guest-starring Jerry Seinfeld.
WEAKNESSES: One or two filler episodes folded in midseason.
OUR GRADE: A- — N.C.
5. Evil (Season 4)
STRENGTHS: With nothing to lose, the show flew its freak flag even higher than usual in its final lap, and we loved it. A particle collider that gave Ben an unshakable Jinn! Hell as a Zoom meeting! David and Kristen admitting how much they feel for each other! And the pièce de résistance: an episode that posited that little Laura time-traveled from the future… and because the show was so beautifully bats—t, we kinda entertained the theory!
WEAKNESSES: The big swings Evil had to take to move things into place once it was cancelled — aka ahead of the final few episodes — led to some strange pacing.
OUR GRADE: A- — Kimberly Roots
4. Young Sheldon (Season 7)
STRENGTHS: The Big Bang Theory prequel did a masterful job handling George Sr.’s death and setting the stage for spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. The way the series finale managed to weave in a future-set storyline involving Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) was the cherry on top of an already-satisfying farewell.
WEAKNESSES: Sheldon walking in on his father with another woman was a pivotal moment in his upbringing, at least as far as Big Bang was concerned. Rewriting that piece of history — as funny as it might’ve been to see George and Mary mid-role play — felt like a copout.
OUR GRADE: A- — R.S.
3. Somebody Somewhere (Season 3)
STRENGTHS: Bridget Everett’s Sam showed signs of growth and opened herself up to a potential romance; Tricia coming into her own gave actress Mary Catherine Garrison fantastic material to work with.
WEAKNESSES: Not enough Fred Rococo.
OUR GRADE: A — N.C.
2. Station 19 (Season 7)
STRENGTHS: Informed shortly after they took over as showrunners of the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff that their first season in charge would be the series’ last, Peter Paige and Zoanne Clack put the pedal to the metal, delivering a writers’- and actors’-strikes-shortened send-off that moved as fast as a wildfire spreads. Despite the rush job, the tag team managed to delve more deeply into Maya’s family as she and Carina started their own, march Sullivan and Ross down the aisle, redeem Theo (who’d been altogether ruined by Season 6), give Beckett a proper reset (undertow and all), sensibly send Ben back to the O.R. and give Andy not only the title of captain, but the certainty that she had the wherewithal to make the role her own.
WEAKNESSES: It’s really a compliment, but the finale left us wanting more, more, more. ABC can still make it up to us for cancelling the firefighter drama, however, by giving the green light to an offshoot that follows the adventures of BFFs Vic and Travis, whose ending was one of the happiest ever — for us as well as them.
OUR GRADE: A+ — Charlie Mason
1. Superman & Lois (Season 4)
STRENGTHS: Even with a slashed budget and reduced cast, this CW drama managed to turn out its best season yet, cleverly adapting the comics’ iconic “Death of Superman” story for the small screen. Heartbreaking performances from series stars Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch, cinematic CGI, and an unwavering commitment to the show’s family drama roots made this full-circle season the perfect farewell to Superman & Lois, even if we weren’t remotely ready to say goodbye.
WEAKNESSES: Our only complaint about the final season? That it was too short.
OUR GRADE: A+ — A.S.
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