There are quite a few fantasy TV shows with almost perfect endings. Fantasy is a distinct genre with unique stories, but it must nail its narrative endings to tell stories successfully. Some fantasy movies are considered masterpieces, and a key component of that involves perfecting their endings. On the flip side, there are fantasy TV shows that have wasted their potential, and a large reason involves how they finish the narrative. For the most part, this genre contains either fantasy stories with great endings or stories with terrible endings.
There is a small but significant section of fantasy TV shows that have almost perfect endings. The show itself is excellent, and the ending is great, for the most part. However, something about the finale stops the TV show from ending on a strong note. There are various reasons why these fantasy TV shows have almost perfect endings, from reboots that ruin the original ending to early cancelations to the final episode needing small but vital adjustments. Regardless of the reason, these TV shows each have unique reasons why they do not achieve that perfection.
10 Avatar: The Last Airbender
Final Episode: Sozin’s Comet (July 19, 2008)
At first glance, Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s ending seems perfect. Aang finds a way to defeat Fire Lord Ozai without compromising his culture; Zuko and Katara finally take down Azula; Toph, Suki, and Sokka stop the Fire Nation’s warships from desecrating the Earth Kingdom. It is a long battle, but Team Avatar becomes victorious, and they celebrate at Iroh’s shop, the Jasmine Dragon. The final scene of Avatar: The Last Airbender portrays Aang standing on the Jasmine Dragon’s balcony when Katara joins him. They embrace and eventually kiss—one of the many long-awaited moments that define Avatar: The Last Airbender.
However, the penultimate episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender is season 3, episode 17, “The Ember Island Players,” lowers the impact of the finale. In “The Ember Island Players,” Team Avatar takes a break from training to see a play about their lives, put on by an acting group spouting Fire Nation propaganda. The episode had a lot of potential to be a thought-provoking story about the dangers of propaganda, while Aang and his friends could have had one last chance to bond before the final battle. Instead, the episode exists to poke fun at Team Avatar’s biggest insecurities.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
‘s ending would have been perfect if the writers had included one conversation before Aang and Katara kiss—a conversation that involves Aang recognizing his wrongdoing and Katara figuring out her feelings.
As a result, Aang kisses Katara without her consent, even after she tells him that she is confused. Several revelations about Aang and Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender prove Katara has romantic feelings for Aang; her emotional conflict most likely stems from the unpredictability of war. However, nothing is confirmed in canon because Aang and Katara jump from this scene to their kiss. Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s ending would have been perfect if the writers had included one conversation before Aang and Katara kiss—a conversation that involves Aang recognizing his wrongdoing and Katara figuring out her feelings.
9 Wizards Of Waverly Place
Final Episode: Who Will Be the Family Wizard? (January 6, 2012)
Wizards of Waverly Place initially had a perfect ending. The final episode, “Who Will Be The Family Wizard?” hits all the show’s core aspects while providing a happy ending for all the characters. Wizards of Waverly Place is easily one of Disney Channel’s best original TV shows, with an excellent ending to match. There was a follow-up episode to the finale, “Alex vs. Alex,” but this special episode only enriched Alex Russo after becoming a full wizard. However, the reboot of the show, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, demeans the original finale.
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Although Alex learns her lesson in “Alex vs. Alex,” there is no world where she would become a wizard law enforcer. Justin getting fired from WizTech is highly out of character, and breaking up with Juliet after everything they endured together is disheartening. Although Billie’s introduction is a great starting point for a reboot, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place already feels ruined because of the circumstances surrounding Justin leaving the Wizard World behind. Now knowing what happens after “Who Will Be The Family Wizard?”, the Wizards of Waverly Place finale does not have the same effect it once did.
8 The Legend Of Korra
Final Episode: The Last Stand (December 19, 2014)
“The Last Stand” is the final episode of The Legend of Korra. Overall, the finale is epic—Korra and her team finally defeat Kuvira, Zhu Li and Varrick get married, Mako and Korra reaffirm their strong friendship, and everyone lives happily ever after—including Korra and Asami, as they begin their romantic relationship by vacationing to the Spirit World. However, “The Last Stand” feels rushed. Avatar: The Last Airbender had a four-part series finale that took its time to end Aang’s story.
|
The Legend Of Korra |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
First Episode |
Last Episode |
|
Book One: Air |
“Welcome to Republic City” (April 12, 2012) |
“Endgame” (June 23, 2012) |
|
Book Two: Spirits |
“Rebel Spirit” (September 13, 2013) |
“Light in the Dark” (November 22, 2013) |
|
Book Three: Change |
“A Breath of Fresh Air” (June 27, 2014) |
“Venom of the Red Lotus” (August 22, 2014) |
|
Book Four: Balance |
“After All These Years” (October 3, 2014) |
“The Last Stand” (December 19, 2014) |
The Legend of Korra‘s final episode—along with the penultimate episode, “Day of the Colossus”—rushes the final battle so that when Kuvira stands down, it feels contrived and convenient rather than natural and inevitable. “The Last Stand” rushes Kuvira’s concession so that the characters can live happily ever after, and even those moments seem hurried. The Legend of Korra season 4 would have greatly benefited from one more episode to defeat Kuvira more authentically and allocate proper screen time to wrap up Korra’s story.
7 The Vampire Diaries
Final Episode: I Was Feeling Epic (March 10, 2017)
As soon as Nina Dobrev left The Vampire Diaries after season 6, the show’s finale would not achieve its full potential. Elena Gilbert is the main character; the show lacks without her. Although The Vampire Diaries season 8, episode 16, “I Was Feeling Epic,” is sweet, it is evident that it is not the original ending of The Vampire Diaries. Damon and Stefan’s brotherhood is central, but it still largely hinges on the love triangle with Elena Gilbert. The Salvatore brothers dying for Elena feels much more authentic, considering how the first few seasons of The Vampire Diaries play out.
6 Once Upon A Time
Final Episode: Leaving Storybrooke (May 18, 2018)
Once Upon a Time originally had the perfect ending in season 6, episode 22, “The Final Battle: Part 2.” After Emma Swan successfully defeats the Black Fairy, the residents of Storybrooke live happily ever after. According to an interview with TVLine, the final episode of Once Upon a Time season 6 is how the creators initially intended to end the show. They wanted to portray the show’s characters receiving their happy endings by going about their everyday lives rather than portraying a sense of finality. However, Once Upon a Time got renewed for season 7, despite several cast members exiting.
Once Upon a Time
is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
While the show did end with season 7, an extra season still meant that the creators had to come up with a different final ending for Once Upon a Time. However, the Once Upon a Time season 7 finale does not contain the same magic that season 6 does. Regina uniting the realms by turning the dark curse into a “love curse” is cheesy. One of the best parts about Once Upon a Time involves the show being based on Disney movies while mixing realism and magic. The season 7 finale defeats that purpose.
The ending of Once Upon a Time season 6 also highlights the importance of separate realms, consistent with the show from the beginning, something the season 7 finale changes. While it is iconic for the people to elect Regina as the Good Queen, this action still takes away from the heart of the story, which is inherently about Emma Swan. Regina’s redemption arc is still hotly contested, but one thing remains certain—Once Upon a Time is Emma Swan’s story. The new ending of Once Upon a Time does not beat what the creators initially intended.
5 Shadowhunters
Final Episode: All Good Things… (May 6, 2019)
Shadowhunters was unexpectedly canceled after three seasons, but the show still got the opportunity to include an additional two episodes to wrap up the narrative properly. Thankfully, this allowed Shadowhunters to end on a mostly perfect note, with one crucial exception—Clary Fray. The Mortal Instruments books highlight Clary’s extra angel blood as a uniquely positive aspect, especially since she creates runes to benefit people. Shadowhunters depicting Clary’s gift as punishable and unacceptable by the angels adds unnecessary drama and diminishes the importance of her character.
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All the other Shadowhunters characters received happy endings, but the angels punished Clary for saving the world, subjecting her to a cruel life alone, with no one there for her. The angels in The Mortal Instruments would never do something like that, and the decision is such a copout, especially since the protagonist is the only character without a happy ending. Although the final scene of Shadowhunters suggests that Clary might eventually remember her life as a Shadowhunter, this narrative decision still feels entirely contrived.
4 The Good Place
Final Episode: Whenever You’re Ready (January 30, 2020)
The Good Place series finale is certainly unexpected because the main characters do not remain in the Good Place like the show foreshadowed from the beginning. However, the ending is not bad either. Eleanor, Chidi, and Jason eventually move on, while Tahani decides to become a Good Place architect. Michael finally achieves his dream of becoming human, and Janet helps members of the Good Place pass on to the next stage of existence. The Good Place provides a satisfying ending, but no one knows where Eleanor, Chidi, and Jason go. It raises several confusing questions, especially regarding the show’s purpose.
3 His Dark Materials
Final Episode: The Botanic Garden (December 26, 2022)
The ending of His Dark Materials follows the books—Lyra and Will must break up because they are from different worlds, and with the necessary destruction of the Subtle Knife, Will and Lyra must return to their separate realms. Realistically, the story cannot end any other way. However, His Dark Materials is still a children’s story, which means the finale of His Dark Materials can never reach perfection because it does not have the happy ending many children’s stories often have. Lyra and Will reunite yearly in the same spot, but His Dark Materials does not provide a perfect happy ending.
2 Shadow & Bone
Final Episode: No Funerals (March 16, 2023)
Shadow & Bone season 2 is not as good as the first season, but it still ends on an excellent note. Shadow & Bone season 2, episode 8, “No Funerals,” opens the doors for a Six of Crows spinoff while suggesting a third season of Shadow & Bone would explore Alina Starkov’s dark side. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled Shadow & Bone after season 2, which means that Alina Starkov will not get to finish her story on screen. It is especially frustrating because Shadow & Bone rushes Alina’s arc by combining Siege & Storm and Ruin & Rising in season 2.
Six of Crows
“Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo is a duology set in a fantasy world where a group of six outcasts and criminals undertake a dangerous heist. Led by the cunning Kaz Brekker, they navigate betrayal, secrets, and dark magic to achieve their mission. The series takes place in the author’s wider “Grishaverse.”
- Created by
- Leigh Bardugo
- First Episode Air Date
- April 23, 2021
- Cast
- Daisy Head , Kit Young , Julian Kostov , Ben Barnes , Jessie Mei Li , Simon Sears , Gabrielle Brooks , Amita Suman , Kevin Eldon
- Character(s)
- Kaz Brekker , Inej Ghafa , Jesper Fahey , Nina Zenik , Matthias Helvar , Wylan Van Eck
Furthermore, of Leigh Bardugo’s books, Six of Crows is arguably her most popular series, and therefore, the spinoff has been widely anticipated. However, Shadow & Bone‘s cancelation means Six of Crows‘ Ice Court Heist will not be featured on screen. The Ice Court Heist is one of the most iconic storylines in the Grishaverse, and it is truly disheartening that there will not be an adaptation of this plot with the Shadow & Bone cast. If Shadow & Bone had been renewed and the Six of Crows spinoff had been greenlit, there would be more narrative to explore.
1 My Lady Jane
Final Episode: God Save The Queen (June 27, 2024)
Similarly to Shadow & Bone, My Lady Jane‘s problem involves Amazon Prime Video canceling the show after only one season when the narrative is just getting started. The ending of My Lady Jane is great—Jane and Guildford live happily ever after, while Edward is ready to take back his throne and address the conflict between the Ethians and Verities. However, that conflict remains unresolved. Without even one last episode to wrap up the narrative, My Lady Jane has an almost perfect ending because the main characters achieve their happily ever afters, but the primary conflict has yet to be resolved.
Source: TVLine
Based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone follows the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan and soldier who has released a power that could potentially set her country free. Instead, Alina joins an elite army of soldiers known as the Grisha as the Shadow Fold, an area of mysterious darkness that grows each year, threatening to envelop her world. Alina quickly learns that nothing is as it seems, and it will take more than the power of magic to make it through.
- Cast
- Daisy Head , Kit Young , Julian Kostov , Ben Barnes , Jessie Mei Li , Simon Sears , Gabrielle Brooks , Amita Suman , Kevin Eldon , Danielle Galligan , Jasmine Blackborrow , Freddy Carter , zoe wanamaker , Sujaya Dasgupta , Luke Pasqualino , Archie Renaux , Calahan Skogman
- Release Date
- April 23, 2021
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Eric Heisserer , Vanya Asher , Daegan Fryklind , Shelley Meals , Christina Strain , M. Scott Veach , Donna Thorland , Erin Conley , Nick Culbertson
- Directors
- Mairzee Almas , Lee Toland Krieger , Jeremy Webb , Bola Ogun , Karen Gaviola , Laura Belsey , Dan Liu
- Showrunner
- Eric Heisserer
