CBS/ABC/Showtime/HBOYeah, science!
An Imgur user has pulled mountains of data to give us a mathematical, official look at which television finales disappointed fans the most and which ones rocked our faces off, in a good way. And that above quote is actually quite fitting seeing as fans loved the Breaking Bad ending, according to these charts.
Posted to reddit, these graphs show the average episode rating based on IMDB compared to the rating given to the series finale. The green arrows show that fans loved the ending of these TV shows more than an average episode, while the red arrows show which finales disappointed them in comparison to normal episodes. The longer the line, the bigger the difference between average rating and finale rating.
There aren't any big surprises here, if you've been paying attention to the reactions to recent big series finale. The biggest flops, according to fans, are:
How I Met Your Mother
Maybe next time don't kill off the only character we cared about meeting.
Dexter
The ship really sailed on Dexter's time as a beloved TV series.
Two and a Half Men
The average rating for the episode was pretty terrible to begin with, but the finale couldn't even clear that low bar.
True Blood
Fans agreed: that ending really sucked. (SEE WHAT WE DID THERE?!)
The Sopranos
We still don't know what really happened when the screen faded to black, but we do know that viewers hated the ambiguous ending with a passion.
Seinfeld
The show about nothing left fans feeling exactly that in our hearts once the credit rolled: nothing.
Lost
How did this game-changing show manage to end on such a sour note? Just count it as yet another Lost mystery we will never solve.
Futurama
This one is actually surprising to us, because we can't remember fans being outraged about it. But we're also not very good listeners in general so...
As for finales that fans adored, the usual suspects are on here, as well as a few surprises:
Breaking Bad
Duh.
Friends
Duh: The Sequel.
Sex and the City
Most fans will admit that the finale is good enough to erase almost all memories of Sex and the City 2.
Glee
This one is quite surprising, considering the downhill momentum of that series near the end. But it seems like fans were happy with how it wrapped up, or maybe they were just glad it ended. Either way, it's nice to see that this once cherished series went out on a high note.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Everything Joss Whedon touches turns to gold, but we know that by now, don't we?
Parks and Recreation
Why is Parks and Rec on this list? It hasn't ended, has it?! HAS IT?! (Still in deep denial over the end of this incredible comedy, please excuse us.)
Six Feet Under
Michael C. Hall managed to star in both a universally adored TV finale and a universally hated TV finale. Remarkable.
The Office (U.S.)
That is what she said.
So do you agree with this data? Disagree? Shout at us nonsensically in the comments, if you wish.