Shows That You Loved, But Hated The Ending [Spoilers]

[Sal the Shieldhog]

I went back around 10 pages, couldn't find anything relating to this. Sorry if there's something similar, mostly skimmed over everything!

Warning! Spoilers may follow!

So I just finished one watching one of my favorite series of all time wih my little brother (introduced him ), Fate/stay night and Fate/zero, and I still can't get over the ending of stay night.

Basically, the whole reprise of the show is that 7 magi team up with 7 heroic spirits (heroes like King Arthur, Heracles, Gilgamesh, etc; each classified in one of 7 classes) in an all-out melee for the Holy Grail, which will grant the last team standing a wish. So, the main protagonist, Shirou Emiya, and his partner, Saber (later revealed to be a gender-bent King Arthur) end up going through the entire series, falling in love along the way and all that. They do eventually end up "winning" at the end, destroying the corrupted Grail.

However, as she fades, since the Grail is the only thing keeping the spirits on our plane, she reveals that she loves him as they say their goodbyes. The truly heartbreaking part? In the true ending of the game, unlocked after every other ending is obtained, there's a epilogue where Merlin visits her as she's dying, telling her it's possible for her and Shirou to meet again - if two impossible miracles are made. She has to endlessly wait for him (in Avalon), and he's got to endlessly pursue his dream of being a hero and that fading image of the golden haired girl he loved. What's worse is that he dies, wakes up thinking he's dreaming, only to turn around and see her as she says, "Welcome home."

("Note: the above contains spoilers about the ending of the show and the game. If you don't ever plan on watching them (which I highly recommend), feel free to show them. If you haven't and plan on. Watching the show, watch them and come back here after. Do note that Fate/stay night should be watched before Fate/zero even though zero is technically a prequel; things will make more sense/be better that way.")

I'm sad because I didn't get that sort of "closure" from watching the show. I had to play through the game/look it up (I needed help in the game ) to find it and get that feeling, and even then it's odd because it's not the same without the voice acting and all that. The show just ends.

Point being, have any of you guys loved a show, and then just really felt the ending didn't finish it and wrap things up for you? I've dealt with tear jerker endings, I've dealt with sad ones, but I've never really dealt with one quite like this before. Any tips?

[Pendulous]

The Drew Carey Show. Amazingly funny show, but a few seasons into it, they jump the shark and completely change everything. Not just Christa miller leaving (to work on Scrubs with her husband), but the entire set changes. I didn't actually finish the series, but I've heard it gets crazy (Drew's brother cheating on Mimi, their kid committing arson..).

Speaking of Scrubs, I didn't like the ending, but not the usual way that people tend to complain about it. I actually liked season 9, but I didn't like the fact that a mid-term basically is what ended the show for good.

The Friends ending sucked, but that's mostly because the Ross/Rachel relationship was way too drawn out and the most annoying part of the show for me. I maintain that their entire relationship was built off of lust.

Dragon Ball Z should have ended at Cell, and left Gohan to be the new protector of Earth. After that, all the interesting characters of the show started to become pussies. Gohan got weaker, 18 turned into a wife and mother, and in GT, Videl suffered the same fate. Present Trunks in GT just wasn't as awesome as Future Trunks.

[AceofHarts]

Guilty Crown. no spoilers. those who watched it know the ending is sad.

[Lyseria]

Love the show "Chuck" but hated what they did with the ending... they pretty much destroyed everything in 2 episodes what they bulit up to with 5 seasons.

[Blueobelisk]

The Drew Carey Show. Amazingly funny show, but a few seasons into it, they jump the shark and completely change everything. Not just Christa miller leaving (to work on Scrubs with her husband), but the entire set changes. I didn't actually finish the series, but I've heard it gets crazy (Drew's brother cheating on Mimi, their kid committing arson..).

Speaking of Scrubs, I didn't like the ending, but not the usual way that people tend to complain about it. I actually liked season 9, but I didn't like the fact that a mid-term basically is what ended the show for good.

The Friends ending sucked, but that's mostly because the Ross/Rachel relationship was way too drawn out and the most annoying part of the show for me. I maintain that their entire relationship was built off of lust.

Dragon Ball Z should have ended at Cell, and left Gohan to be the new protector of Earth. After that, all the interesting characters of the show started to become pussies. Gohan got weaker, 18 turned into a wife and mother, and in GT, Videl suffered the same fate. Present Trunks in GT just wasn't as awesome as Future Trunks.

Ya Dragon Ball GT sucked.

I think I could only name anime/manga stuff lol....

[Togarox]

Any show where they end the season on a cliff-hanger and then the show gets canceled before the next season leaving you to forever wonder what happened. grrrrrrr

[Zoma]

The first Fullmetal Alchemist anime, Death Note, Dexter, Heroes, Reboot.

FMA - The whole "other side of the gate" thing. The movie that came afterwards was even worse.

Death Note - Smart villain making dumb mistakes.

Dexter - Plot holes and lumberjacks

Heroes - Had been declining anyway, but I hate cliffhanger endings.

Reboot - I really hate cliffhanger endings.

[Durandro]

Breaking Bad. Because dammit, there needs to be more! At least some closure on the few characters who survive the last episode!

[Thelxi]

Lost and breaking bad were great shows that went cheesy and desperate towards the end. Especially lost. Watching it I always thought there was a greater plot underneath it all, but apparently it was just all random ramblings that even the writers had no idea where it would lead.

[Tylaeus]

Breaking Bad. Because dammit, there needs to be more! At least some closure on the few characters who survive the last episode!

Spoilers:

I think the point to the ending of breaking bad was that you were to infer that the rest of everyone's life sucked because of Walter, except for Jesse's. And maybe Walt Jr. 'cause dat millions.

[Razorice]

The most recent one was Dexter. I mean WTF...

[Tylaeus]

Also, not a show, but Assassin Creed 3's ending was exceptionally bad. Seriously the worst thing I've ever left off on.

[McCulloch]

Dexter, no doubt. Really, the entire last season was bad.

[Zharikov]

I'd say Dexter, but let's be honest. Seasons 1, 2, and 4 were the only real /good/ seasons. The rest were fairly mediocre to bad, especially the last. So it's basically a show I loved that started out amazing and then just went so far downhill I gave up.

Like the guy above, I was a bit disappointed with Chuck's ending too, but at least it left some hope. I can't really count shows that were cancelled and ended on a cliffhanger, really (Ie Heroes,) but there are quite a few of them.

Overall, though, I'm definitely the most disappointed with Dexter, having loved the first two seasons as much as I did.

[Disenchanted]

Lost

Xena - I suppose it was fine. I just didn't want to see it end that way.

Lost

Jericho - not sure it counts as I'm not sure that was intended to be THE end.

Lost

Farscape - No. Not "The Peacekeeper Wars." That was awesome. But it only came about due to fan outrage and protest. The way they ended the series was a crime.

LOST

Coach - Loved the show. Got too sappy at the end for my taste.

L.O.S.T.

Seriously. Lost. Pretty much the entire last season was an ever growing sense of doom that "they're going to mess this up." By the time we were left with 4 episodes, it was a certainty, and then only anger began to build. "But it was touching." Yeah, so's your uncle.

[Eyechewer]

Tom and Jerry comes to mind

Dexter was also god awful

[eschatological]

Dexter in recent memory. ALF in ancient memory. Did the spaceship come for him or not?!?!?!?!?

I liked LOST, even its ending, but I can understand why people didn't. People want answers, and the show left a lot of them on the table. The epic struggle against good vs. evil boiled down to a fight between brothers over who their mother loved more. The idea of the island being some sort of mystical Bridge of San Luis Rey, the place where, in spite of all the crazy shit that was going on, the relationships between them were the most important, is classical in origin. Mythologically, it was fairly satisfying, but I think it wasn't something American audiences were used to. Americans HATED the Sopranos ending, but now, what, 7 years later, many people consider it one of the greatest endings to a series ever....if you think about it. Yes, I'm saying the average American television viewer is too dumb to appreciate good endings.

I liked the Scrubs ending, but the one at the hospital. I don't even acknowledge the abortion that was the short-lived show at the medical college.

I disliked the cliff hangery ending of the X-Files.

Friends, who cares.

I don't really remember much other television...that isn't airing any more.

[Deleted]

I'm going to go ahead and jump aboard the LOST bandwagon too, but also add "Odyssey 5". I remember really enjoying it but, unless I missed something, it ended the season on a cliffhanger... and promptly got cancelled.

[Nurabashi]

Dexter and Heroes. Dexter was just.. ugh.

Heroes was declining at a rapid pace, so much potential ruined.

[Xalzel]

Blue Exorcist, it's an anime and I won't say much other than the last few eps to "wrap up" the story were so bad I about puked.
Also, Darker than Black, I ignore those last few eps and imagine the show ending after he closes the gate.