#The Best & Worst TV Finales of 2021

What do good TV shows and bad TV shows have in common — they all come to an end.

This year we had to bid farewell to some fan favorites and some we didn’t even have a chance to be fans of before cancellation.

The real question is whether these finales provided a satisfying resolution for their respective series?

Scroll down to find out which shows made our best and worst list.

Queen of the South – Best

Queen of the South had one of the best finales of 2021.

The final episode was an intriguing, heart-pounding ride that managed to stay true to its drug cartel roots, answer the flash-forwards fans have pondered for years, and give us an epic happy ending.

Every twist and turn from Teresa’s “death” to Pote’s capture left us on the edge of our seats.

And even though we lost some of our favorite characters this season (it’s a narco show, so that’s to be expected), our hearts sored as Pote finally got to meet his daughter. Teresa’s inner circle found their version of Zihuatanejo. 

Good Witch – Worst

Most of the couples ended up happy.

However, Hallmark broke up Abigail and Donovan in the series finale.

This after they spent three years trying to break the Merriwick and Davenport curse to get their happy ending.

We didn’t appreciate them breaking up a long-term, fan-favorite couple at the end.

Wynonna Earp – Best

Wynonna Earp’s finale provided such an emotional ride for fans.

Of course we want more, but the emotional goodbyes we received were perfection. 

We will miss Wynnona, Waverly, Nicole, Doc, Jeremy, and everyone else in the Ghost River Triangle, but the finale wrapped all of the major plot threads beautifully. 

If we receive more from the Earps (in any medium), we’ll be grateful, but for now, this is a brilliant ending.

Cowboy Bebop – Worst

This live-action remake of the beloved anime series was an ambitious project by any measure, and the season managed to live up to the style and pacing of the source material for the most part.

Unfortunately, the original series had a definitive end where the live-action was looking to run for a couple of seasons at least. This meant that the finale went off-the-rails as the climactic showdown between Fearless/Spike and Vicious played out.

Julia’s interjection was understandable and satisfying on some levels, but her ultimate revenge on both men was disappointing and inconclusive. Worse than that, the narratives of the three core cast members were all left twisting in the wind. 

On top of that, the final scene introduces Ed and brings back Ein, teasing a new adventure with the hacker superteam. Alas, Netflix pulled the plug on the series just 21 days after its drop, effectively killing any hope of seeing what Ed and Ein were recruiting Spike for.

Supergirl – Best

Supergirl had one of the best series finales this year.

The final episode brought back fan-favorites Winn, Mon-El, and James to help defeat Lex.

Everyone was there for Alex and Kelly’s wedding day. Brainy realized he loved Nia more than the future and returned, declaring his love for her.

And our heroine, Kara, finally decided to have it all. She became editor-in-chief of CatCo with Cat Grant and came clean about being Supergirl.  

Good Girls – Worst

This wasn’t necessarily the worst finale, but it left a lot to be desired.

Good Girls wasn’t supposed to end like this, but the series’ untimely cancellation meant a season finale had to transform itself into a series finale, which is almost impossible to pull off. Annie getting arrested, and the ladies all splintered apart by the time the credits rolled was sad.

There were so many loose threads still out there, and for that reason alone, we can’t possibly put this on the best list. But we say that with a very heavy heart. 

Superstore – Best

When it came to sending a series off in style with a perfect understanding of the show’s mission, characters, and storylines over the years, Superstore understood the assignment.

America Ferrera returned to the series to provide fans of Jonah and Amy a satisfying reunion that they earned, followed by a time jump that revealed they had children of their own. Via that time jump, we also saw that the Cloud 9 crew were still close and met up with each other frequently, like a family. 

It was a realistic ending. The store’s parent company decided to shut down physical stores and switch to online shopping, which led to mass layoffs of thousands of employees, including our beloved crew.

It was their reward for barely squeaking by, working overtime during the pandemic, as capitalism swallowed them whole and spat them out with little respect. But somehow, while staying true to the bleak reality of capitalism on the working class, the finale was still hopeful and upbeat. 

On My Block – Worst

It wasn’t the absolute worst thing in the world, but it was an underwhelming finale. The core four spent the opening part of the season fractured and not working through their differences after becoming distant from each other for over a year. Most of them didn’t get much of a happy ending either.

It was heartbreaking and frustrating that Jasmine had to give up her dream of going to Berkeley to stay home and care for her father. She was supposed to conquer the world, not have her light extinguished.

Oscar’s demise before his child was born was one of the most devastating parts of the season, and we never found out who was behind his death. Cesar and Monse didn’t exactly find their way back to each other; we lost Abuelita, have no idea what Ruby’s future plans are, and storylines about the rollerworld money were incomplete.

It felt like they rushed to wrap up the series, and it was generally unfulfilling all around. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Best

After a shortened season plagued with identity issues, Brooklyn Nine-Nine went out on a high. 

The annual heist served as the perfect vehicle for allowing the characters to say goodbye.

It was fun and poignant. 

Even though the characters will no longer all be working together daily, it’s comforting to know they’ll always be part of each other’s lives. Nine-Nine!

YOU – Worst

YOU’s Season 3 finale wasn’t the worst ending in the world, but it was very underwhelming compared to Joe’s adventures in the past.

The final battle against Love had been building up in the prior episodes, and we knew their toxic relationship needed to reach an end. They were not a good match for each other! 

However, when all was said and done, YOU simply washed any previous development to start fresh for Joe in a new location.

It wasn’t the first time Joe moved someplace new and assumed a new identity, so this season finale felt like a cut-and-paste plot just so the show could relieve the magic of the first season. 

Midnight Mass – Best

Midnight Mass finale ended the limited series on a high note.

All of the mysteries and building supernatural tension exploded into utter chaos. 

The finale raged like a wildfire! Townsfolk turned against townfolk. Many were slaughtered, and the effects of the demon (and the growing religious fanaticism) reached its breaking point.

Midnight Mass delivered on its theme of morality, good vs. evil, and hypocrisy in a well-structured and powerful ending that served as the best episode of the season.

Over to you, TV Fanatics!

Which 2021 finales were the best?

The worst?

Hit the comments below. 

Becca Newton is a staff writer for TV Fanatic.