120-417: A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series . It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or any final episode. Most early television series consisted of stand-alone episodes rather than continuing story arcs, so there was little reason to provide closure at
240-637: A TV show , is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is traditionally broadcast via over-the-air, satellite , or cable . This generally excludes breaking news or advertisements that are aired between shows or between segments of a show. A regularly recurring show is called a television series, and an individual broadcast of such a series is called an episode. Epidodes are usually broadcast in annual sets, which are called seasons in North America and series in other regions. A one-off television show may be called
360-423: A backdoor pilot to launch spinoff series. Two well-known examples include The Andy Griffith Show ' s series finale, which launched the spinoff Mayberry RFD and The Practice ' s series finale, and much of its final season was used as a launching pad for Boston Legal , starring James Spader and William Shatner. The Golden Girls series finale was set up to lead into a new series with most of
480-488: A television special , while a short series of episodes is a miniseries . A television film , or telefilm , is a feature film created for broadcasting on television. Television shows are most often scheduled for broadcast well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings , though the rise of streaming services has made television schedules less relevant than in earlier decades. Some programming may be aired live —that is, events are broadcast at
600-474: A Canadian show's season normally runs to a maximum of 13 episodes rather than 20 or more, although an exceptionally popular series such as Corner Gas or Murdoch Mysteries might receive 20-episode orders in later seasons. Canadian shows do not normally receive "back nine" extensions within the same season, however; even a popular series simply ends for the year when the original production order has finished airing, and an expanded order of more than 13 episodes
720-463: A Series, but lost to the final season of Frasier in both categories. Robert Bianco of USA Today described the finale as entertaining and satisfying, and praised it for deftly mixing emotion and humor while showcasing each of the stars. Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald praised Aniston and Schwimmer for their acting, but felt that their characters' reunion "felt a bit too neat, even if it
840-414: A Statue" which included real-life kids Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. in the final scene where Ricky unveils what he thinks is a Revolutionary War statue only to find out that it is Lucy. The aforementioned Magnum, P.I. had a premature series finale, as well. At the end of the seventh season, protagonist Thomas Magnum was to be killed off, which was intended to end the series. The final episode of
960-478: A TV series finale proves premature , as was the case with Here's Lucy , 7th Heaven , Charmed , Babylon 5 , and Arrested Development to name but a few. Some shows that have constantly been in danger of cancellation wrote every season finale with the idea that the episode would serve as a quality series finale if the network decided not to bring it back; in recent years from NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup, Parks and Recreation used this formula for
1080-671: A concluding episode, which sometimes is a big series finale . On rare occasions, a series that has not attracted particularly high ratings and has been canceled can be given a reprieve if home video viewership has been particularly strong. This has happened in the cases of Family Guy in the US and Peep Show in the UK. In the United States, if the show is popular or lucrative, and a minimum number of episodes ( usually 100 ) have been made, it can go into broadcast syndication , where rights to broadcast
1200-411: A license fee to the studio for the right to air the show. This license fee does not cover the show's production costs, leading to the deficit. Although the studio does not make its money back in the original airing of the show, it retains ownership of the show. This allows the studio to make its money back and earn a profit through syndication and sales of DVDs and Blu-rays . This system places most of
1320-478: A lower profile than those aired during the main season and can also include limited series events. Reality and game shows have also been fixtures of the schedule. In Canada, the commercial networks air most US programming in tandem with the US television season, but their original Canadian shows follow a model closer to British than US television production. Due to the smaller production budgets available in Canada,
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#17330928505041440-452: A one-time fee to watch a program at a time of their own choosing. Modern streaming television allows viewers to watch programming at any time with a subscription to the service. The first television shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within a very short range from the broadcast tower starting in the 1930s. Televised events such as the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany,
1560-454: A person or company decides to create new content for television broadcast, they develop the show's elements, consisting of the concept , the characters , the crew , and the cast. Then they often "pitch" it to the various networks in an attempt to find one interested enough to order a prototype for the first episode of the series, known as a pilot . Eric Coleman , an animation executive at Disney , told an interviewer, "One misconception
1680-507: A proposed spin-off of Hong Kong Phooey that, instead of getting its own show, aired as an interstitial segment on CB Bears . Arrow used its penultimate episode of its final season, " Green Arrow & The Canaries " , as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off series based on the characters Mia Smoak, Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake, however, the series was ultimately not picked up. Television series A television show , TV program ( British English : programme ), or simply
1800-440: A script is approved. A director is chosen to plan the episode's final look. Pre-production tasks include storyboarding; construction of sets, props, and costumes; casting guest stars; budgeting; acquiring resources like lighting, special effects, stunts, etc. Once the show is planned, it must then be scheduled: scenes are often filmed out of sequence, and guest actors or even regulars may only be available at certain times. Sometimes
1920-469: A small, close-knit production team. These are "pitched" in the traditional way, but since the creators handle all the writing requirements, there is a run of six or seven episodes per series once approval has been given. Many of the most popular British comedies have been made this way, including Monty Python's Flying Circus (albeit with an exclusive team of six writer-performers), Fawlty Towers , Blackadder and The Office . The production company
2040-473: A special broadcast of the finale on an outdoor Astrovision screen. It was shown in New York City, where over 3,000 people watched it on big screens in parks. The finale was the subject of two episodes of Dateline NBC , one of which ran for two hours. Prior to the airing of the episode, a one-hour retrospective of clips from previous episodes was shown. Following the finale, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
2160-542: A variety of terms. In the United Kingdom and other countries, these sets of episodes are referred to as a "series". In Australia, the broadcasting may be different from North American usage. The terms series and season are both used and are the same. For example, Battlestar Galactica has an original series as well as a remake, both are considered a different series, each with their own number of individual seasons. Australian television does not follow "seasons" in
2280-412: Is applied to the next season's renewal order rather than an extension of the current season. Only the public CBC Television normally schedules Canadian-produced programming throughout the year; the commercial networks typically now avoid scheduling Canadian productions to air in the fall, as such shows commonly get lost amid the publicity onslaught of the US fall season. Instead, Canadian-produced shows on
2400-462: Is complete, producers coordinate tasks to begin the video editing . Visual and digital video effects are added to the film; this is often outsourced to companies specializing in these areas. Often music is performed with the conductor using the film as a time reference (other musical elements may be previously recorded). An editor cuts the various pieces of film together, adds the musical score and effects, determines scene transitions, and assembles
2520-464: Is done to increase profits, as seen with shows such as The Witcher . Since at least the 2000s, new broadcast television series are often ordered (funded) for just the first 10 to 13 episodes, to gauge audience interest. If a series is popular, the network places a "back nine order" and the season is completed to the regular 20 to 26 episodes. An established series that is already popular, however, will typically receive an immediate full-season order at
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#17330928505042640-628: Is often separate from the broadcaster. The executive producer , often the show's creator, is in charge of running the show. They pick the crew and help cast the actors, approve and sometimes write series plots—some even write or direct major episodes—while various other producers help to ensure that the show runs smoothly. Very occasionally, the executive producer will cast themselves in the show. As with filmmaking or other electronic media production, producing of an individual episode can be divided into three parts: pre-production , principal photography , and post-production . Pre-production begins when
2760-404: Is that it's very difficult to get in and pitch your show, when the truth is that development executives at networks want very much to hear ideas. They want very much to get the word out on what types of shows they're looking for." To create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series must be put together. If audiences respond well to the pilot, the network will pick up the show to air it
2880-470: Is the series finale of the American sitcom Friends . The episode serves as the seventeenth and eighteenth episode of the tenth season , and the 235th and the 236th episode overall; the episode's two parts were classified as two separate episodes. It was written by series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman , and directed by executive producer Kevin S. Bright . The series finale first aired on NBC in
3000-579: The BBC . Half-hour programs are around 22 minutes on commercial channels and around 28 minutes on the BBC. The longer duration on the BBC is due to the lack of advertising breaks. In France, most television shows (whether dramas, game shows or documentaries) have a duration of 52 minutes. This is the same on nearly all French networks (TF1, France 2, France 5, M6, Canal+, etc.). The Last One (Friends) " The Last One ", also known as " The One Where They Say Goodbye ",
3120-410: The 1937 coronation of King George VI in the United Kingdom, and David Sarnoff's famous introduction at the 1939 New York World's Fair in the United States spurred growth in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 1947 World Series inspired many Americans to buy their first television set, and then in 1948, the popular radio show Texaco Star Theater made
3240-487: The 1980s, shows (except for soap opera -type serials ) typically remained static without story arcs , and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters' lives during the episode , it was usually undone by the end. Due to this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 1980s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of
3360-479: The 1983 finale of the CBS war/medical dramedy M*A*S*H , titled " Goodbye, Farewell and Amen ". Viewed by 105.9 million viewers and drawing 77% of those watching televisions at the time, the finale of M*A*S*H held the record for most watched telecast of all-time for decades until 2010's Super Bowl XLIV edged it out with 106 million viewers, which coincidentally also aired on CBS. However, M*A*S*H' s final episode remains
3480-460: The DVD and Blu-ray releases. In the UK and Ireland, most programs are referred to as 'series' while 'season' is starting to be used for some US and international releases. The 1980s and 1990s was the golden age of television miniseries attracting millions of Egyptians. For example, The Family of Mr Shalash miniseries, starring Salah Zulfikar and Laila Taher , was the highest rated at the time. In
3600-502: The Monsters? ", 2013). The final episodes of Dexter , How I Met Your Mother and Game of Thrones , in particular, triggerred massive backlash from both fans and critics upon airing, and are often regarded as the worst finales in recent memory. Some series endings have proved divisive among viewers immediately on airing, leading to extensive discussions online, but ended up being generally lauded by critics. Notable examples of this trend are
3720-500: The Superbowl which attracted 52.92 million viewers. The retrospective episode was watched by just under 36 million viewers, and the finale was the second most-watched television show of the year, behind only Super Bowl XXXVIII . The episode was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards at the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special and Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for
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3840-537: The UK. In Australia, many locally produced shows are termed differently on home video releases. For example, a set of the television drama series Packed to the Rafters or Wentworth is referred to as "season" ("The Complete First Season", etc.), whereas drama series such as Tangle are known as a "series" ("Series 1", etc.). British-produced shows such as Mrs. Brown's Boys are referred to as "season" in Australia for
3960-413: The United States on May 6, 2004, when it was watched by 52.5 million viewers, making it the most watched entertainment telecast in six years and the fifth most watched overall television series finale in U.S. history as well as the most watched episode from any television series throughout the decade 2000s on U.S. television. In Canada, the finale aired simultaneously on May 6, 2004, on Global , and
4080-553: The United States, dramas produced for hour-long time slots typically are 37–42 minutes in length (excluding advertisements), while sitcoms produced for 30-minute time slots typically are 18–21 minutes long. There are exceptions: subscription-based TV channels, such as HBO , Starz, Cinemax, and Showtime, have episodes that are 45–48 minutes long, similar to the UK. Audience opinions of length have varied due to factors such as content overload . In Britain, dramas typically run from 46–48 minutes on commercial channels, and 57–59 minutes on
4200-533: The absurdist NBC comedy Seinfeld . The third most-watched U.S. TV series finale in television history, Seinfeld ' s controversial 1998 episode " The Finale " was watched by 76.3 million people, drawing 67% of all televisions turned on at the time – as the New York Times put it, "grazing Super Bowl country" in terms of viewership. With the shift away from network television viewing toward cable television viewing (and later, internet use) that occurred during
4320-405: The airport as Rachel boards the plane again. Ross tells her he loves her, but she is unable to deal with his confession and gets on the plane anyway. A dejected Ross returns home and finds a message from Rachel on the phone. As she realizes that she loves him too, she tries to get off the plane as a flight attendant tries to force her to sit down. The message cuts off and Ross frantically tries fixing
4440-558: The all-time most-watched U.S. television episode (and so far, the only single television episode in U.S. history to be watched by at least 100 million viewers for a single telecast). The second-most-watched series finale in U.S. television history was the 1993 finale of the NBC comedy Cheers , titled " One for the Road ". "One for the Road" was watched by between 80.4 million and 93.5 million viewers (estimates vary) while drawing 64% of TVs turned on at
4560-474: The answering machine, wondering out loud if she got off the plane. From behind him, Rachel appears and says she did, and they get back together for good. The following morning, the friends gather in Monica and Chandler's empty apartment and reminisce about how all of them had lived there at one point or another. With some time remaining before Monica and Chandler leave for their new house, the six all leave their keys to
4680-530: The apartment on the kitchen counter and decide to go for one last cup of coffee together, to which Chandler quips, "Where?" and they all laugh as they head down the hallway. The final shot shows the empty apartment, slowly panning around from the living space to the front door as Jefferson Airplane 's " Embryonic Journey " plays. The series' creators completed the first draft of the hour-long finale in January 2004, four months prior to its airing on May 6. Before writing
4800-471: The birds out, but find themselves too emotionally attached to the foosball table to break it, but Monica does it gleefully. After they retrieve the birds, Chandler suggests Joey keep them, and the two reaffirm their friendship with a long, tense hug. Phoebe's reckless driving gets her and Ross to JFK Airport and, after buying a ticket to get past security, they search the information boards for Rachel's flight number. When they cannot locate her flight on any of
4920-441: The case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional , educational , or entertaining, as is the case in situation comedy and game shows . A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before
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5040-465: The commercial networks typically air either in the winter as mid-season replacements for canceled US shows or in the summer (which may also improve their chances of being picked up by a US network for a summer run). While network orders for 13- or 22-episode seasons are still pervasive in the television industry, several shows have deviated from this traditional trend. Written to be closed-ended and of shorter length than other shows, they are marketed with
5160-448: The completed show. Most television networks throughout the world are 'commercial', dependent on selling advertising time or acquiring sponsors . Broadcasting executives' main concern over their programming is audience size. In the past, the number of 'free to air' stations was restricted by the availability of channel frequencies, but cable TV (outside the United States, satellite television ) technology has allowed an expansion in
5280-517: The decade between the finales of M*A*S*H (1983) and Cheers (1993) – and continued unabated until and beyond the finale of Seinfeld (1998) – it remains debatable which of these three "event" series finales accomplished the most impressive viewership numbers. Moreover, a large gap in viewership numbers exists between the Super Bowl-sized audiences of the M*A*S*H , Cheers and Seinfeld finales, and
5400-420: The end of an era, such as a change to primary setting for the series (e.g. The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Boy Meets World , Martin , Liv and Maddie ) Series finales will sometimes include clips or characters from the series' past (e.g. Seinfeld , Suits , Martin , Star Trek: The Next Generation ), and the ending moments of the episode often take place in the show's primary setting. In some cases,
5520-732: The end of their runs. Early comedy series that had special finale episodes include Howdy Doody in September 1960, Leave It to Beaver in June 1963, Hank in April 1966, and The Dick Van Dyke Show in June 1966. One of the few dramatic series to have a planned finale during this period was Route 66 , which concluded in March 1964 with a two-part episode in which the pair of philosophical drifters ended their journey across America and then went their separate ways. Considered to be "the series finale that invented
5640-414: The episode, David Crane , Marta Kauffman and Kevin S. Bright decided to watch the series finales of other sitcoms, paying attention to what worked and what did not. Kauffman found that they liked the ones which stayed true to the series, and they found the finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show to be the gold standard. The writers had difficulty writing the finale, and spent several days thinking about
5760-452: The episode. Director, actors, and crew gather at a television studio or on location for filming or videoing a scene. A scene is further divided into shots, which should be planned during pre-production. Depending on scheduling, a scene may be shot in non-sequential order of the story. Conversations may be filmed twice from different camera angles , often using stand-ins, so one actor might perform all their lines in one set of shots, and then
5880-402: The era and subject covered, these trucks were normally crewed by up to 15 skilled operators and production personnel. In the UK for most of the 20th century, the BBC was the preeminent provider of outside broadcast coverage. BBC crews worked on almost every major event, including Royal weddings and funerals, major political and sporting events, and even drama programs. Once principal photography
6000-402: The final episodes of the comedies Roseanne (" Into That Good Night ", 1997), Seinfeld (" The Finale ", 1998), How I Met Your Mother (" Last Forever ", 2014), and Two and a Half Men (" Of Course He's Dead ", 2015), and those of the dramas The Prisoner ( Fall Out ,1968) , Game of Thrones (" The Iron Throne ", 2019), True Blood ("Thank You", 2014), and Dexter (" Remember
6120-427: The final program, Edie Adams , did not know when she chose the song she would sing on the program. Prophetically, the song was named "That's All." The series also ended with Lucy and Ricky making up and kissing, while in reality Ball and Arnaz would not (the two would eventually reconcile later in life, although both would go on to marry other people). The last produced half-hour episode was titled "The Ricardos Dedicate
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#17330928505046240-400: The final scene without being able to write a word. Crane said that they did not want to do "something high concept, or take the show out of the show". The music playing as the camera pans across the empty apartment at the end of the episode is " Embryonic Journey " by Jefferson Airplane . The song " Yellow Ledbetter " by the band Pearl Jam is also featured in the episode—after Rachel boards
6360-453: The finale a B grade, calling it "more touching than comical, more satisfying in terms of closure than knee-slappingly funny." The cast members reportedly got together in Los Angeles; David Schwimmer, who plays Ross, said, "It's exactly what I had hoped. We all end up with a sense of a new beginning and the audience has a sense that it's a new chapter in the lives of all these characters." At
6480-619: The finales of The Sopranos (" Made in America ", 2007), The Wire (" -30- ", 2008), and Lost (" The End ", 2010). For example, The Sopranos ' finale caused millions of viewers to temporarily believe they had lost cable service due to an abrupt blackout. All three episodes were also nominated for multiple Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Writing , with The Sopranos ' finale winning. Several television series have, however, managed to produce final episodes that lived up to both critics' and audiences' expectations. Examples include
6600-506: The finales of Breaking Bad (" Felina ", 2013), Community (" Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television ", 2015), The Good Place (" Whenever You're Ready ", 2020), Better Call Saul (" Saul Gone ", 2022), and Succession (" With Open Eyes ", 2023). Examples of universally acclaimed finales from earlier in the millennium include those of Britain's The Office ("Interview", 2002), The Shield (" Family Meeting ", 2008), and Six Feet Under (" Everyone's Waiting ", 2005),
6720-554: The financial risk on the studios; however, a hit show in the syndication and home video markets can more than make up for the misses. Although deficit financing places minimal financial risk on the networks, they lose out on the future profits of big hits since they are only licensing the shows. Costs are recouped mainly by advertising revenues for broadcast networks and some cable channels, while other cable channels depend on subscriptions. In general, advertisers, and consequently networks that depend on advertising, are more interested in
6840-747: The first US prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure, while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 2012, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies' revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 2012, Academy Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh , commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: "I think those qualities are now being seen on television, and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television." When
6960-404: The fourth and fifth most watched series finales in television history – respectively, those of the comedy Friends (2004, NBC, 52.5 million viewers) and the detective procedural Magnum, P.I. (1988, CBS, 50.7 million viewers). The Friends finale's (" The Last One ") viewership numbers dwarf those of all finales since the start of the new millennium and seem particularly impressive in light of
7080-718: The increased media options since the 1990s "event" finales of Cheers (1993) and Seinfeld (1998). In Britain , the most-acclaimed series finale of sitcoms was from Blackadder . In 1989, the Britcom, starring Rowan Atkinson as a Blackadder in 1917 WW1 , goes "over the top" with his regiment, leaving their fate unknown as fade to a field of poppies. The finale was praised as a "perfect end-of-show finale". No matter how critically lauded during their respective runs, relatively few popular television series finales end up pleasing critics and audiences universally, or escaping controversy. Prominent examples of controversial series finales include
7200-455: The information boards, Ross calls and checks the number with Monica but discovers they are at the wrong airport; as Rachel is flying out of nearby Newark Airport . Phoebe calls Rachel, who has already boarded her flight, to stall her for time. When a passenger ( Jim Rash ) overhears Phoebe saying there is a problem with the fictitious "left phalange" of the plane, he gets off the plane, prompting everyone else to leave. Phoebe and Ross arrive at
7320-452: The last half of the episodes are sometimes referred to with the letter B as in "The last nine episodes (of The Sopranos ) will be part of what is being called either 'Season 6, Part 2' or 'Season 6B ' ", or " Futurama is splitting its seasons similar to how South Park does, doing half a season at a time, so this is season 6B for them." Since the 1990s, these shorter seasons also have been referred to as "split" or "half" seasons, which
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#17330928505047440-436: The last of which TV Guide ranked at No. 22 on their list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". Television series finales frequently feature fundamental deviations from the central plot line, such as the resolution of a central mystery or problem, (e.g. Dallas , Two and a Half Men , Full House ) the separation or return of a major character (e.g. Cheers , That '70s Show , The Office ) or an event signifying
7560-599: The modern-day series finale," the August 1967 final episode of ABC 's The Fugitive , "The Judgment: Part 2", attracted a 72% audience share when broadcast. This remained the highest viewership percentage in U.S. television history until the 1977 finale of the TV mini-series Roots (on the same network) and later the 1980 resolution episode of the internationally prominent " Who shot J.R.? " cliffhanger of CBS ' Dallas . The most watched series finale in U.S. television history remains
7680-453: The most watched entertainment telecast in six years, and the most watched episode of the decade 2000s on U.S. television. The Friends finale was the fourth most watched overall series finale in U.S. television history, behind the finales of M*A*S*H , Cheers and Seinfeld , which were watched by 105.9, 84.4 and 76.3 million viewers, respectively. The episode was also the second most watched episode of Friends , behind The One After
7800-546: The move and became the first weekly televised variety show , earning host Milton Berle the name "Mr. Television", and demonstrating that the medium was a stable, modern form of entertainment that could attract advertisers . The first national live television broadcast in the US took place on September 4, 1951, when President Harry Truman 's speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco
7920-417: The networks; it could originate from an independent production company (sometimes a product of both). For instance, the BBC 's long-running soap opera EastEnders is wholly a BBC production, whereas its popular drama Life on Mars was developed by Kudos in association with the broadcaster. There are still a significant number of programs (usually sitcoms ) that are built by just one or two writers and
8040-421: The next quarter to induce consumers to renew at least one more quarter. A standard television season in the United States runs predominantly during autumn . During the summer months of June through roughly mid-September, network schedules typically feature reruns of their flagship programs, first-run series with lower rating expectations, and other specials. First-run scripted series are typically shorter and of
8160-445: The next season. Sometimes they save it for mid-season or request rewrites and additional review. Other times, they pass entirely, forcing the show's creator to "shop it around" to other networks. Many shows never make it past the pilot stage. The method of "team writing" is employed on some longer dramatic series (usually running up to a maximum of around 13 episodes). The idea for such a program may be generated "in-house" by one of
8280-503: The number of channels available to viewers (sometimes at premium rates) in a much more competitive environment. In the United States, the average broadcast network drama costs $ 3 million an episode to produce, while cable dramas cost $ 2 million on average. The pilot episode may be more expensive than a regular episode. In 2004, Lost 's two-hour pilot cost $ 10 to $ 14 million, in 2008, Fringe 's two-hour pilot cost $ 10 million, and in 2010, Boardwalk Empire
8400-427: The number of episodes would decrease. Australian situation comedy series' seasons are approximately 13 episodes long and premiere any time between February and November. British shows have tended toward shorter series in recent years. For example, the first series of long-running science fiction show Doctor Who in 1963 featured forty-two 25‑minute episodes, and continued with a similar number each year until it
8520-533: The number of viewers within the 18–49 age range than in the total number of viewers. Advertisers are willing to pay more to advertise on shows successful with young adults because they watch less television and are harder to reach. According to Advertising Age , during the 2007–08 season, Grey's Anatomy was able to charge $ 419,000 per commercial, compared to only $ 248,000 for a commercial during CSI , despite CSI having almost five million more viewers on average. Due to its strength with younger viewers, Friends
8640-533: The other side of the conversation is filmed from the opposite perspective. To complete a production on time, a second unit may be filming a different scene on another set or location at the same time, using a different set of actors, an assistant director, and a second unit crew. A director of photography supervises the lighting of each shot to ensure consistency. Live events are usually covered by Outside Broadcast crews using mobile television studios, known as scanners or OB trucks. Although varying greatly depending on
8760-454: The outset of the season. A midseason replacement is a less-expensive short-run show of generally 10 to 13 episodes designed to take the place of an original series that failed to garner an audience and has not been picked up. A "series finale" is the last show of the series before the show is no longer produced. (In the UK, it means the end of a season, what is known in the United States as a " season finale".) Streaming services time finales to
8880-484: The plane for the first time—making it the first Pearl Jam song to be licensed for a television show. A spokesperson for the group said it was, "simply a matter of the show's producers asking permission". The episode was filmed in Burbank, California on Stage 24 at Warner Bros. Studios, where Friends had been filmed since its second season. The first part was taped on January 16, and the second on January 23, 2004. After
9000-428: The previous episode. Erica gives birth to twins, much to the surprise of Monica and Chandler, who were expecting only one child. At his apartment, Joey shows Phoebe his house-warming gift for Monica and Chandler: a chick and duckling to replace the ones that died. Ross arrives and confesses to the pair that he slept with Rachel. Rachel emerges from her bedroom and, to his disappointment, tells Ross that their night together
9120-420: The principal photography of different episodes must be done at the same time, complicating the schedule (a guest star might shoot scenes from two episodes on the same afternoon). Complex scenes are translated from storyboard to animatics to further clarify the action. Scripts are adjusted to meet altering requirements. Some shows have a small stable of directors, but also usually rely on outside directors. Given
9240-409: The program are then resold for cash or put into a barter exchange (offered to an outlet for free in exchange for airing additional commercials elsewhere in the station's broadcast day). The terminology used to define a set of episodes produced by a television series varies from country to country. In North American television, a series is a connected set of television program episodes that run under
9360-460: The recurringly uncertain future of the series. " The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings ", " Into the Wild Green Yonder (Part 4) ", " Overclockwise ", and " Meanwhile " have all been written to serve as a final episode for the show. The series American Dad! had two possible finales, the season premiere of the eighth season , " Hot Water " was written due to the uncertainty from the staff of
9480-502: The remaining cast, The Golden Palace , Three's Company transitioned more or less seamlessly into Three's a Crowd , the Henry Danger finale served as a pilot to Danger Force while The Fosters series finale acted as an introduction to its spin-off series Good Trouble . The Closer was spun off into a new series, Major Crimes the same night that the original ended, after star Kyra Sedgwick chose, as producer, to end
9600-436: The resulting uncertainty over which WB series (as well as which series from CW co-predecessor UPN ) would be carried over to the new network. ( Reba would be renewed by The CW for an additional season as one of the holdover WB series.) The sixth (and final) season's finale episode was written to serve as a series finale, in which Brock and Barbara-Jean come to a reconciliation and Van and Cheyenne move back in with Reba, bringing
9720-411: The rumor that multiple endings would be filmed; in fact, only one was planned and shot. At the start of each Friends episode filming, the cast would ordinarily be introduced to the studio audience one at a time, but this time the cast headed out for their pre-curtain bow together. "That made me cry," said Diane Newman, who was the script supervisor of the show. Among the specially invited audience of
9840-492: The same number of episodes per year as a drama. This is a reduction from the 1950s, in which many US shows (e.g. Gunsmoke ) had between 29 and 39 episodes per season. Actual storytelling time within a commercial television hour has also gradually reduced over the years, from 50 minutes out of every 60 to the current 44 (and even less on some networks), beginning in the early 21st century. The usage of "season" and "series" differ for DVD and Blu-ray releases in both Australia and
9960-413: The same title, possibly spanning many seasons. During the 1950s, it was common for television seasons to consist of more than 30 episodes—however, the average length has been declining since. Until the 1980s, most new programs for the US broadcast networks debuted in the "fall season", which ran from September through March and nominally contained 24 to 26 episodes. These episodes were rebroadcast during
10080-462: The schedule. In recent years, a new season would begin in early February, and the season finale would broadcast in early December. Since Home and Away ' s inception, it normally receives 230 episodes per season. Some seasons have seen between 205 and 235 episodes commissioned. During the Olympics , Home and Away would often go on hiatus, which was referred to as an "Olympic cliffhanger". Therefore,
10200-409: The season finales for Seasons 3–6, before getting a renewal for a seventh and final season where the series finale was planned in advance, and Community wrote its fifth-season finale with the notion that whether the show found new life elsewhere or not, it would definitely not be returning to the network (while NBC did indeed cancel the show, it was renewed for a sixth season by Yahoo! Screen , where
10320-605: The season, "Limbo", after seeing Magnum wander around as a ghost for nearly the entire run-time, closes with him appearing to walk off into heaven. However, following outcry from fans, who demanded a more satisfactory conclusion, an eighth, final season was produced, to bring Magnum "back to life", and to round the series off. The mystery of whether Higgins was Robin Masters, or not, was a highly anticipated series finale reveal. The mystery still has yet to be revealed. A number of other episodes also make reference to supernatural occurrences and
10440-431: The season, and sure enough, series finale was once again scripted as a potential last episode ever; the final image is that of text reading "#andamovie", a reference to the show's recurring catchphrase " six seasons and a movie "). The series finale of Dr. Ken , a fictionalized sitcom based on the life of doctor-turned-actor Ken Jeong , features the title character trying out for a fictional version of Community (Jeong
10560-431: The seeming existence of ghosts. The Showtime series Californication was designed from start to make any season finale work as a series finale, in case of early cancelling the show. It is seen most primarily at the end of the first and fourth season. After its fifth season, the sitcom Reba was in danger of being cancelled as a result of its original home, The WB , being replaced by The CW in September 2006, and
10680-407: The series finale, Stage 24 was renamed "The Friends Stage". A month before the filming of the final episode, Aniston said that with each episode it got "harder just to read the lines." She explained that the cast was "all just nerves and raw emotions ... No one knows how to feel. We may need to be sedated on the last night." The producers promised a tearful ending, and the cast admitted their crying
10800-495: The series. The Steven Universe finale " Change Your Mind " served as not just a conclusion to the original series and its overarching plot, but helped pave the way for Steven Universe: The Movie , and eventually the limited epilogue series Steven Universe Future . Some planned spin-offs that influenced series finales, however, never materialized, as in the case of the proposed Laverne & Shirley spin-off for Carmine that never came into fruition, or Posse Impossible ,
10920-424: The show getting picked up. The penultimate episode of Season 19 was also intended as a series finale, as revealed by showrunner and executive producer Matt Weitzman . The series finale of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (itself an epilogue to I Love Lucy ) was unintentionally fitting: stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were about to divorce and end the show, a fact that the show's guest star for what would be
11040-692: The show to a full wrap. A series finale may not be the last aired episode of a show, such as King of the Hill , which produced " To Sirloin with Love " as its series finale, though four more episodes produced before it were aired after in syndication. Another instance of premature endings was with the Rural Purge of 1971 where networks (notably CBS ) axed still-popular TV series in an effort to move to more sophisticated programming. Shows were The Beverly Hillbillies , Mayberry R.F.D. , Petticoat Junction and Green Acres . Series finales are sometimes used as
11160-529: The specified broadcast programming time slot. If the Nielsen ratings are good, the show is kept alive as long as possible. If not, the show is usually canceled . The show's creators are then left to shop around for remaining episodes, and the possibility of future episodes, on other networks. On especially successful series, the producers sometimes call a halt to a series on their own like Seinfeld , The Cosby Show , Corner Gas , and M*A*S*H and end it with
11280-509: The spring (or summer) season, from April through August. Because of cable television and the Nielsen sweeps , the "fall" season now normally extends to May. Thus, a "full season" on a broadcast network now usually runs from September through May for at least 22 episodes. A full season is sometimes split into two separate units with a hiatus around the end of the calendar year, such as the first season of Jericho on CBS. When this split occurs,
11400-447: The studio audience were 'ordinary' members of the public so that their reactions would be congruous with the rest of the series. However, friends, family and colleagues of the cast and crew served as extras throughout the episode. NBC heavily promoted the series finale, which was preceded by weeks of hype. Viewing parties were organized by local NBC affiliates around the United States, including an event at Universal CityWalk featuring
11520-426: The suburbs. The episode's final scene shows the group leaving Monica and Chandler's apartment for the final time and going for one last cup of coffee together. Prior to writing the episode, Crane, Kauffman and Bright watched finales from other sitcoms for the inspiration. Kauffman found that she liked the ones that stayed true to the series. Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California ; part one
11640-436: The taping of the episode, the cast and crew passed around yearbooks, custom-made by the production staff, and signed them for each other. The cast gave the producers inscribed Cartier SA watches, while the producers gave the cast Neil Lane jewelry. As the sets were broken down, the cast and crew each got a chunk of the street outside Central Perk in a glass box as a keepsake. There were three separate wrap parties—a dinner at
11760-404: The taping were Hank Azaria , who played Phoebe's scientist boyfriend David in several episodes over the years; David Arquette , who filmed his then-wife Cox and the others backstage with a video camera; and Wheeler. Missing was Brad Pitt , Aniston's then-husband; Pitt told the producers he wanted to be surprised when the finale aired on television. Although some guests were invited, around 75% of
11880-501: The tension by saying, "Somebody is gonna get fired." Perry told the New York Daily News that he did not cry, "but I felt like I was about to for like seven hours." Although it was planned that some key scenes of the episode would be filmed without an audience to avoid leaks of plot spoilers, the producers decided not to worry about the issue and filmed it all in front of the live studio audience. The producers also instigated
12000-418: The time constraints of broadcasting, a single show might have two or three episodes in pre-production, one or two episodes in principal photography, and a few more in various stages of post-production. The task of directing is complex enough that a single director can usually not work on more than one episode or show at a time, hence the need for multiple directors. Principal photography is the actual filming of
12120-474: The time they happen rather than at a later time or date—but the vast majority or programming is produced ahead of time. Originally, viewers had no practical way to record a show for later viewing; this changed with the advent of home video , first in the form of videotape recorded on VCRs and later in the form of digital video recorders . Cable television providers began offering certain programming "pay-per-view" or video on demand on-demand, with viewers paying
12240-415: The time. To date, "One for the Road" remains the most watched U.S. TV series finale following the rise of cable television , and in terms of sheer viewership numbers for non-sports programming, sits second only to the aforementioned finale of M*A*S*H . With only slightly fewer viewers than the series finale of Cheers was the finale of its one-time follow-up on NBC's " Must See TV " Thursday night line-up,
12360-457: The twins, named Erica (after their biological mother) and Jack (after Monica's father). After Rachel leaves, Ross has a change of heart, and Phoebe takes him in her taxi to follow Rachel to the airport. Joey returns to his apartment to fetch the chick and the duck he was hiding, but finds they have become trapped in the foosball table. Chandler and Joey decide to break it open with a crowbar and mallet when they cannot find any other way of getting
12480-509: The twist endings that concluded both the Newhart and St. Elsewhere finales, the mixture of comedy and resonance that wrapped up The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Friends , Everybody Loves Raymond , and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the redemption arc that concluded The Fugitive . Several more series finales have received unanimous critical and popular acclaim, and are often considered as benchmarks for great TV endings. Recent examples include
12600-473: The view of many critics who found problem with the aging cast, commenting, " Friends was getting creaky even as it remained popular." Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com said that despite the "nauseating hype and the disappointing season and the lackluster finale, it's important to remember what a great show this was for such a very long time." Ken Parish Perkins of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram gave
12720-493: The way that US television does; for example, there is no " fall season" or "fall schedule". For many years, popular night-time dramas in Australia would run for much of the year, and would only go into recess during the summer period (December to February, as Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere), when ratings are not taken. Therefore, popular dramas would usually run from February through November each year. This schedule
12840-593: Was "the perfect way to say goodbye". Later at the Central Perk café, Phoebe convinces Ross to tell Rachel how he feels about her before she leaves for her new job in Paris. As he is about to tell her, Central Perk manager Gunther ( James Michael Tyler ) confesses his love for Rachel. Back at Monica and Chandler's apartment, Ross decides not to tell Rachel, for fear of rejection. She prepares to leave to catch her flight, but waits long enough for Monica and Chandler to return with
12960-404: Was $ 18 million for the first episode. In 2011, Game of Thrones was $ 5 to $ 10 million, Pan Am cost an estimated $ 10 million, while Terra Nova 's two-hour pilot was between $ 10 and $ 20 million. Many scripted network television shows in the United States are financed through deficit financing: a studio finances the production cost of a show and a network pays
13080-570: Was a cast member in real life). The medical comedy Scrubs aired its two-part finale episode billed simply as a "My Finale" in May 2009 as the show's renewal or cancellation had not been decided as of its airing, and so it was not known whether the episode would conclude just the season or the entire series; Scrubs would eventually be renewed for one additional season, which became a de facto spin-off series titled Scrubs: Med School . The cartoon Futurama has had four designated series finales, due to
13200-495: Was able to charge almost three times as much for a commercial as Murder, She Wrote , even though the two series had similar total viewer numbers at that time. Glee and The Office drew fewer total viewers than NCIS during the 2009–10 season, but earned an average of $ 272,694 and $ 213,617 respectively, compared to $ 150,708 for NCIS. After production, the show is handed over to the television network , which sends it out to its affiliate stations , which broadcast it in
13320-618: Was announced for the fall of 1965, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 1972, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season. Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas ), or non-fictional (as in documentary , news , and reality television ). It may be topical (as in
13440-546: Was cancelled. The revival of Doctor Who from 2005 has comprised thirteen 45‑minute installments. There are some series in the UK that have a larger number of episodes, for example Waterloo Road started with 8 to 12 episodes, but from series three onward it increased to twenty episodes and series seven will contain 30 episodes. Recently, US non-cable networks have also begun to experiment with shorter series for some programs, particularly reality shows, such as Survivor . They often air two series per year, resulting in roughly
13560-522: Was filmed on January 16, and part two on January 23, making it the only episode that was filmed in 2004. The series finale was well received by critics and the cast members. Phoebe Buffay ( Lisa Kudrow ) and Joey Tribbiani ( Matt LeBlanc ) pack the belongings of Monica Geller ( Courteney Cox ) and Chandler Bing ( Matthew Perry ), who have accompanied Erica ( Anna Faris ) to the hospital. Rachel Green ( Jennifer Aniston ) leaves Ross Geller 's ( David Schwimmer ) bedroom after their apparent reunion in
13680-531: Was filmed on the set of the Friends ' Central Perk café, which featured the series' cast as guests. The advertising rates for the finale averaged $ 2 million for 30 seconds of commercial time. This currently remains as the largest advertising rate ever for a sitcom, breaking the previous record held by the Seinfeld finale at $ 1.7 million. The finale was watched by 52.5 million American viewers making it
13800-522: Was not faked when they filmed their scenes. LeBlanc revealed it had been too much for him and the rest of the cast; he said Kudrow started crying first, and when he looked at Aniston and Cox they also appeared emotional. Schwimmer, who LeBlanc thought was the "consummate professional", was also upset, so LeBlanc "just lost it." Maggie Wheeler , who played Chandler's "on and off" girlfriend Janice, told People , "the entire cast had to go back and have their makeup redone before starting," and that Perry broke
13920-399: Was reduced to twenty-five for 1970 to accommodate changes in production and significantly reducing the actors' workload) and continued to 1984. For 1985 fewer but longer episodes were shown, but even after a return to shorter episodes in 1986, lack of support within the BBC meant fewer episodes were commissioned leading to only fourteen 25‑minute episodes up to those in 1989 after which it
14040-402: Was transmitted over AT&T 's transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets. The first national color broadcast (the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade ) in the US occurred on January 1, 1954. During the following ten years, most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. The color transition
14160-459: Was used in the 1970s for popular dramas, including Number 96 . Many drama series, such as McLeod's Daughters , have received between 22 and 32 episodes per season. Typically, soap operas , which have always run in season format in Australia, such as Home and Away , would usually begin a new season in late January, while the season finale would air in late November, as the show is off air for two months, or sometimes longer, depending on
14280-399: Was viewed by 5.16 million viewers, becoming the second-highest viewed episode of the series. The series finale closes several long-running storylines. Ross Geller ( David Schwimmer ) confesses his love for Rachel Green ( Jennifer Aniston ), and they decide to resume their relationship; and Monica Geller ( Courteney Cox ) and Chandler Bing ( Matthew Perry ) adopt twins and move to
14400-453: Was what most of the show's legions of fans wanted." Newsday 's Noel Holston called the episode "sweet and dumb and satisfying," while Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant felt that newcomers to the series would be "surprised at how laughless the affair could be, and how nearly every strained gag depends on the sheer stupidity of its characters." An editorial in USA Today highlighted
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