In the last few months two of my favourite long-running TV shows reached their conclusion with a highly touted series finale. Expectations mounted as we speculated how the series鈥� might end and storylines be wrapped up. For me, one of the shows had an outstanding finale while the other left me feeling cheated.
Series finales generally capture high ratings, but since these shows have enjoyed relatively long runs and large audiences, the writers face a challenge in trying to create a satisfying finale for viewers.
More than thirty years after it aired, the most watched series finale in television history is still the final episode of M*A*S*H when 105.9 million viewers tuned in for the 1983 history-making 鈥淕oodbye, Farewell and Amen.鈥� Ten years later 64% of people who had their TVs on one night in May were tuning in to say goodbye to the comedy show Cheers. Other finales brought in big ratings numbers too like The Fugitive, Seinfeld, Friends and Magnum P.I. But with increasingly fragmented audiences and with more of us watching on devices other than TVs it is unlikely any show will see these kinds of ratings again. So although TV producers aren鈥檛 anticipating any record-breaking numbers, nonetheless a series finale is still something of an event for network and cable shows alike.
A finale has a date and time attached to it. If it is a show you are interested in you may make special plans for it. You clear your calendar, invite friends, or perhaps even put thought into a snack menu as you prepare for the episode to air; unaware yet if you will feel satisfied or disappointed with the way it concludes.
The other finales in our lives don鈥檛 follow this type of script or schedule. Instead we find ourselves in the midst of them perhaps leaving us feeling bittersweet, overwhelmed, or maybe even cheated. How did we get here? When did this happen? How could I have not noticed what was coming?
As I stood in my kitchen several years ago my youngest daughter came in to give me a kiss and say goodnight. When had I stopped tucking her in? When was the last time I read a bedtime story to her? When had these things ceased? When did she last need helping brushing her teeth? Tying her shoes? As she headed off to bed I thought about the ways in which she was growing and graining independence and understood that while these finales had come to pass, several new beginnings were emerging. Our daughters were now telling us about the books they were reading on their own, showing off the hairstyles they had created, and asking us what we thought of the outfits they had put together.
Other finales don鈥檛 evoke the same sort of nostalgic thought. It can be painful as someone tries to recall the final time behind the wheel before relinquishing a driver鈥檚 licence, the last kiss before a spouse became ill, or the last time an elderly parent was taken to a special restaurant before that was no longer a possibility. We don鈥檛 know that what we are experiencing is the last time we will experience it鈥攁nd perhaps that is where the blessing is.
As I watched a series finale a few weeks ago I realized about halfway through that while I was entertained by the show, I was continuously glancing at the clock to see how many minutes were left. Instead of just watching the final scenes, I was getting hung-up on the fact that time was ticking away on the experience. My awareness that it was coming to an end was overshadowing the appreciation of the moment.
I鈥檓 glad I didn鈥檛 have an eye on the clock while reading my children bedtime stories, or as I was sitting listening to my parents and grandparents, or spending an evening with my husband. Although we don鈥檛 know whether something will be a gradual or an abrupt change, we know that change will come and finales of all kinds will occur. So whether they make the highlight reel of our life or are simply one of the stories of note only to ourselves, the experience has to be lived before it can be remembered.
We need to immerse ourselves in the experience of the moment rather than treating that moment as a piece of history before it has even had a chance to pass. That鈥檚 my outlook.
