By Jessica Wedemeyer
11:03am PDT, Aug 15, 2022
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Whether you're into sci-fi and fantasy or sitcoms and soaps, one thing is clear: 2022 has been an absolute bloodbath where television is concerned. While some shows were unceremoniously axed after just a season or two — sorry, "Raised By Wolves," "Kenan" and "Mr. Mayor" — others enjoyed longer runs before winding down this year. So far in 2022, we've said goodbye to several shows that captured our attention over the years — from "Ozark" and "This Is Us" to "Black-ish" and the final installment in the "Vampire Diaries" franchise. Tragically, not every finale hit a home run. Join Wonderwall.com as we recap which long-running scripted series stuck their landings and which shows fumbled their final moments, starting with this hit series… (And consider this your official SPOILER WARNING!) After six seasons, the "Breaking Bad" spinoff "Better Call Saul" came to an end on Aug. 15. Entertainment Weekly's critic branded the last season "the best and boldest run of final episodes of any TV drama I've ever seen," and critics seemed to agree that the extra-long final episode, titled "Saul Gone," was what fans deserved. CNN called it a "logical if understated conclusion" that was "satisfying in a way that felt true to the show."
Keep reading to find out if more long-running shows nailed or failed their series finales in 2022…
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On Aug. 4, "The Orville" came to an end after three seasons. While the series' producers have hinted there's a possibility the show could come back for more, things look grim for the Seth MacFarlane-created send-up of the "Star Trek" franchise. (There was a three-year break between seasons two and three when the show moved from FOX to Hulu.) At least the season 3 finale wrapped up the show's major plotlines in satisfying ways, and as a writer for Fansided put it, felt "like a perfect capstone to all that the show has achieved so far," though "we still need season 4."
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On June 15, "Love, Victor" came to an end after three seasons, first on Hulu and then on Disney+. The finale saw the titular teen breaking up with Nick and reconciling romantically with his first love, Benji. In the show's final moments, they share a kiss atop the ferris wheel at the winter carnival. Meanwhile, Lake and Lucy also get back together, Mia and Andrew decide to fight for their relationship by dating long distance, and Victor's parents make plans to open their own company. Perfectly tidy happy endings for all!
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On June 16, "Legacies" came to an end after four seasons on The CW. The third installment in the "Vampire Diaries" franchise — which first kicked off all the way back in 2009 — wrapped up with many members of the Super Squad finding peace (one literally!) as Alaric tortures himself over whether or not to close the Salvatore School, ultimately deciding to hand over the reins to Caroline Forbes: original "TVD" star Candice Accola King in her "Legacies" debut. The finale also featured another major guest star: "The Originals" lead Joseph Morgan as the late Klaus Mikaelson, who briefly appears to assure daughter Hope that his spirit is finally at peace. It was the perfect conclusion to not just "Legacies" but also the two shows that preceded it.
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On June 10, the "Charmed" reboot came to an end after four seasons on The CW. The supernatural series wrapped up with the Charmed Ones convincing the Lost One and her sisters to sacrifice themselves to prevent a magical apocalypse. Then came the last-minute twist no one needed: Following a three-month time jump, the Charmed Ones discover a mysterious door marked with their triquetra symbol in the video store. When they walk through, they're transported to the porch at Halliwell Manor … the Victorian-style home where Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Prue lived on the original "Charmed." The ending elicited mixed reactions from fans of the reboot and outrage from writers of the original series. "My problem with the 'Charmed' reboot is that from Day One, it pretended like the original #Charmed didn't exist. … Now at the 11th Hour, with the cancellation ax swinging, they reverse course and decide to embrace the original #Charmed in a desperate attempt to save the #reboot. They'd realized it was a huge mistake to alienate fans of the OG series by ignoring it. Too little, too late," tweeted Curtis Kheel. Yikes.
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On May 26, "Bull" came to an end after six seasons on CBS. The legal drama wrapped up with Dr. Jason Bull violating attorney-client privilege to prevent a jury from acquitting one of TAC's clients, murderer Ed Wilson. As a result, the judge revokes his courtroom privileges, effectively ending his career. In the show's final moments, Marissa agrees to buy out Jason and he says his goodbyes to TAC and his former colleagues. A+ all around!
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On May 24, "This Is Us" came to an end after six seasons on NBC. The drama wrapped up with the Pearsons sharing several small but significant moments together as a family during the Big Three's adolescence — from a game of pin the tail on the donkey to Jack teaching his sons to shave. In the future timeline, the Big Three reunite at Rebecca's funeral, where they discuss their future career goals, promise not to drift apart and recite their chant. In the series' final moments, Rebecca and Jack reflect on their journey as parents as the metaphorical train carries them both to the afterlife. Cue the waterworks!
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On April 29, "Ozark" came to an end after four seasons on Netflix. The lauded drama wrapped up with Camila taking over the Navarro Cartel, overseeing her brother's assassination during a prison transfer and gunning down Ruth while the Byrde family unsurprisingly come out on top after securing their deal with the FBI … and effectively destroying nearly everyone who ever had the misfortune of crossing their path — including private investigator Mel Sattem, who discovers Ben's ashes and is then murdered by young Jonah in the show's final moments. It was appropriately cold and dark — exactly what we signed up for!
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On April 29, "Grace and Frankie" came to an end after seven seasons on Netflix. The comedy wrapped up perfectly with Frankie hosting a funeral for herself — where she accidentally electrocutes Grace and herself, sending them both to heaven where they're met by an angel played by Dolly Parton who's so touched by their friendship, she decides they still have more life to live. (It was the "9 to 5" reunion we could've only prayed for!) Meanwhile, their ex-husbands recreate their first kiss and their kids embark on new ventures in a series finale that perfectly tied up loose ends while simultaneously leaving us wanting more.
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On April 25, "Better Things" came to an end after five seasons on FX. The dramedy wrapped up with Sam officiating Sunny and Jeff's second wedding and realizing that she is, in fact, truly happy. In the show's final moments, Sam takes a solo nighttime drive as Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" plays on her radio, prompting a montage of the "Better Things" cast performing the musical number. It was truly sweet and uplifting, and we loved every second of it!
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On April 19, "Black-ish" came to an end after eight seasons on ABC. The show wrapped up beautifully with Dre going freelance at his ad agency and deciding with wife Bow to move to a Black neighborhood as Pops and Ruby also prepare to move away. The episode — which featured guest star Simone Biles along with the return of Yara Shahidi — concluded with the Johnson clan saying goodbye to their home in a mostly white neighborhood with a New Orleans jazz funeral that saw them marching behind a white coffin and dancing in the streets to "When the Saints Go Marching In." Perfection!
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On March 2, "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" came to an end after seven seasons on The CW. Tragically, the superhero series ended with a cliffhanger: As Sara Lance revealed her pregnancy and the rest of the Legends geared up to return to lives of normalcy, they were unexpectedly double crossed by Booster Gold (whom Donald Faison portrayed on just one episode) and arrested by the time police. Nearly two months after the episode aired, The CW unexpectedly canceled the long-running series.
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On March 2, "Batwoman" came to an end after three seasons on "The CW." Like "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," the superhero series ended with an unfortunate cliffhanger. After Batwoman defeated Marquis Jet and the Bat Team reclaimed Wayne Enterprises, the show introduced a new villain: As Gotham City News journalist Dana Dewitt reported on a the Bat-Blimp explosion, she and her crew were attacked by a skeletal monster. Guess we'll never know which arch-villain the series was setting up next…
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On Feb. 6, "Claws" came to an end after four seasons on TNT. The tonally inconsistent final chapter concluded on an especially implausible note, with Desna Simms reconciling with frenemy Quiet Ann and revealing a surprise twist ending: She and the rest of her crew faked their own deaths and fled to Cuba to escape capture by the DEA.
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On Jan. 14, "The Expanse" came to an end after six seasons — first on Syfy and then on Amazon Prime. The critically acclaimed but criminally underrated sci-fi epic concluded with the outmatched crew of the Rocinante defeating Marco Inaros and his Free Navy in an action-packed finale that saw James Holden ultimately handing over control of the Belt to Camina Drummer. ("Game of Thrones" and King Bran take note: This is how you wrap up a power struggle.) Notably, "The Expanse" left some dangling threads for potential future spinoffs.
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On Jan. 7, "Search Party" came to an end after five seasons — first on TBS and then on HBO Max. The Alia Shawkat-led dark comedy concluded with a zombie apocalypse and an end-of-the-world wedding for Dory and Drew. It was an appropriately bizarre way to wrap up the existential satire.
