





This past year, numerous TV shows ended their seasons with standout final episodes — with thrilling cliff-hangers, twisty conclusions, and gratifying character arcs. Some of these last installments doubled as farewells to favorite shows, while others set the stakes for follow-up seasons to come.
All of these endings brought some satisfying storytelling. Here are 10 must-see series and season finales that had us feeling all the feels in 2025.





This British limited series brilliantly follows Jamie (Owen Cooper) — a teenage boy who’s accused of murder — in real time. Each episode was filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot. The fourth and final installment zoomed in on the Miller family and featured a devastating and emotionally raw sequence from Jamie’s father (Stephen Graham, also the series’ co-creator) as he grapples with his role in all that’s happened. The must-see moment earned him an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

The third season of the Japanese sci-fi series sees married couple Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) plagued by flashbacks they can’t understand. They’re lured back to Borderland to compete in even more diabolical survival games. This time, it’s the Joker stage — a tournament of trivia, teamwork, and a deadly train. The final game is essential viewing: a tricky grid of rooms, each with doors that determine the players’ real-world futures. That is, if they make it out alive.

The Karate Kid sequel series, which premiered in 2018, ends its six-season run with a finale that’s a real full-circle moment: Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is back on the mats to break a tie in the Sekai Taikai tournament — with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in his corner. There’s also an update on their respective dojos and their once-contentious relationship. “There’s a balance in the Valley again,” said series co-creator Josh Heald, adding that the final scene is to “let everybody know that it’s going to be OK.”

In the family drama’s third season, Miller matriarch Georgia (Brianne Howey) is a suspect in a viral murder trial, with her children, Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austin (Diesel La Torraca), put through the wringer watching their mother face prison time. The finale reveals their fates in and out of the courtroom, including a surprise key witness and a shocking verdict. Said showrunner Sarah Glinski, “The burden [Georgia] leaves on Austin and Ginny at the end of Season 3 is what we’ll have to deal with in Season 4.”

Labor Day weekend at a lavish beach estate? Sure, it sounds fabulous, but this limited series tells a different story. Devon (Meghann Fahy) joins her younger sister, Simone (Milly Alcock), for the holiday. The host is Simone’s boss, Michaela (Julianne Moore), who has a strange hold over the young woman. In the fifth and final episode, Simone finally takes a stand against Michaela, but in the most shocking way possible. “I wanted the audience to love or hate what she chooses at the end,” said showrunner Molly Smith Metzler.

In 2021, this Korean thriller — about a lucrative but deadly competition and the mysterious figures hosting it — took the world by storm. After collecting six Emmy Awards and inspiring the spin-off reality series Squid Game: The Challenge, the dystopian drama declares “Game Over” with its third and final season. The series’ last episode presents an impossible scenario during the final game, where shifting alliances keep viewers guessing if there will be an official declaration of a winner.

The fantasy series’ fourth season introduces Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, as he tries to reconnect with Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan). In the finale, all three of their paths end on gut-wrenching cliff-hangers, and though they’re in imminent danger, their stories aren’t over just yet. Production has wrapped on the fifth and final season of the show, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series and its video game adaptations.

The supernatural series starring Jenna Ortega returns with another mystery at Nevermore Academy. There are new characters like the incoming Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) and Wednesday’s stalker turned ally Agnes DeMille (Evie Templeton), and there’s also “The Dead Dance,” an original Lady Gaga song with killer choreography. The finale gives Wednesday a new mission and spills a major secret with a key vision. “That reveal is hopefully a nice breadcrumb that leads audiences to wonder about Season 3 and what the new adventure for Wednesday will be,” said series co-creator Miles Millar.

For its fifth and final season, the psychological thriller brings Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) back to New York, where his serial killing began when the series debuted in 2018. These last episodes introduce the mysterious Bronte (Madeline Brewer), the only one who’s ever pushed Joe to understand why he is the way he is. In a violent standoff, Joe gets exactly what he deserves.“What would justice for him look like?” said Badgley of the finale. “I think we get as close as we can.”

Robert De Niro plays former US president George Mullen, who leads an investigation into a nationwide cyberattack. In the limited series’ finale, George learns who is behind the attack and must decide whether to conceal how deep the conspiracy goes — or share the truth with the American public, even if it comes at a great personal cost. “There are going to be a lot of questions about whether this is a happy ending,” said co-creator and co-showrunner Eric Newman.






































































