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5 Recent good shows that deserved better series finales

By Mario McKellop

SCANDAL - "Over A Cliff" - The highly anticipated series finale of the groundbreaking series, "Scandal," receives a momentous send-off, beginning with an exclusive sneak peek at the final episode on "Good Morning America," THURSDAY, APRIL 19 (7:00-9:00 a.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eric McCandless)KERRY WASHINGTON
SCANDAL - "Over A Cliff" - The highly anticipated series finale of the groundbreaking series, "Scandal," receives a momentous send-off, beginning with an exclusive sneak peek at the final episode on "Good Morning America," THURSDAY, APRIL 19 (7:00-9:00 a.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eric McCandless)KERRY WASHINGTON /
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Scandal (ABC)

Aired: 2012-2018
Created by Shonda Rimes
Starring Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, and Jeff Perry

To be fair to the show, it would’ve been almost impossible to produce a satisfying series finale for Scandal. Over the course of seven seasons, the program underwent a series of remarkable changes. It began as a breathless political drama. Then it turned into on espionage thriller. Next, it morphed into a soap opera, and later a conspiracy thriller. And in its final year, the show was an amalgam of all those different genres.

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It seemed all but impossible that a one hour episode could’ve brought the series to a proper conclusion. Creator Shonda Rimes seemed to be aware of this fact as Scandal’s final season was dedicated to wrapping up the various long-running plot threads. Simultaneously, the show seemed focused on forcing political fixer turned spymaster Olivia Pope (Washington) to account for her many sins. The show also set the stage for a confrontation between Olivia and corrupt Vice President Cyrus Beene (Perry).

Unfortunately, its final episode “Over a Cliff,” failed to deliver on either of the plotlines it had been building. Cyrus was removed from power but wasn’t killed or put in prison. Even after he killed one of the show’s most likable characters earlier in the finale. Similarly, Olivia not only escaped justice, it was heavily implied that she became President sometime after the series wrapped up.

Since Scandal was built on the premise of showing how the rich and powerful escape culpability, its final episode made some thematic sense. But narratively, it felt undercooked and disappointing.  If you’re one of the millions of people who ditched the show a few seasons back, there’s no need to check out its final episode. That is unless you love profoundly underwhelming series finales.

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