Updated February 2, 2021 20.8K votes 5.3K voters 331.8K views
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Vote up the most emotional final scenes in favorite comedies.
It's funny how sitcoms that are intended to make us laugh end up making us weep like little babies when they come to an end. Can you blame us? Some of these sitcoms end up running for over a decade - that is a very long time to get to know someone, even if they are a fictional character in a TV sitcom.
If the final scene in a sitcom or silly movie made you shed a tear, it means the creators did something right. We feel so connected to these characters that we actually feel grief when they are ripped out of our lives so suddenly, almost like we're losing a real friend. Luckily for us, we get to keep these characters in our lives indefinitely via physical media and streaming services, but that doesn't mean we didn't bawl our eyes out when we got to that final scene.
As the group says their goodbyes to Mr. Feeny in the final scene of Boy Meets World, we are reminded of the incredible impact that a passionate and caring teacher can have on a student's life. As they prepare to leave the classroom for the final time, Eric Matthews (Will Friedle) begs Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) to admit that he loves them, except he doesn't have to. All that he's done for them over the course of the series is enough proof that people can change each other's lives without evening knowing it.
After they leave the room, Mr. Feeny lingers in the classroom for a moment before admitting to himself that he loves them, then tearfully utters, "Class dismissed," before leaving the classroom. It is a moment that will still make you tear up, even now.
3,290 votes
2
2,792 VOTES
In 'M*A*S*H,' B.J. Leaves A Heartfelt 'Goodbye' For Hawkeye
You would think that a show about an army hospital set during the Korean War would have no business being as funny or heartwarming as it was, but M*A*S*H was just that. After 11 seasons, the show finally bowed out with a two and a half hour finale that was watched on more TV screens across the country than any other television episode to date. In the finale, the war finally comes to an end, and Hawkeye (Alan Alda) can't be sent home soon enough despite being one of the last people to leave the base. On his way out, he's treated to a heartfelt, sincere goodbye note, made out of rocks, by his friend and ally B.J. (Mike Ferrell) in the touching final scene of the series.
The finale was expertly directed and co-written by the series lead Alan Alda, and is still regarded as one of the best series finales to date.
2,792 votes
3
3,044 VOTES
In ‘Fresh Prince,’ Will Looks Over The Empty House And Turns Off The Light (On Carlton)
The final scene of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a touching moment because it technically wasn't meant to be the series finale. After Season 6, Will Smith wanted to move on, and there were talks of changing networks, so NBC opted not to renew the series, turning this episode into the official series finale. We'll never know what would've come from a seventh season. but we do know that Fresh Prince ended in style.
Watching Will walk around the empty house for the last time was a fitting way to say goodbye - almost like we were leaving with him. Then, in a final gag, Will says goodbye to everyone and emotionally turns off the lights - prompting Carlton to freak out and run down the stairs with his pants unbuckled yelling, "WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?? WHERE IS EVERYBODY??" It's both a fitting series finale and a parody of emotional series finales.
3,044 votes
4
2,173 VOTES
In 'Cheers,' Sam Tells A Customer 'We're Closed' And Shuts Off The Lights
Cheers paved the way for all the sitcoms we know and love today. After 11 seasons on the air, Cheers said goodbye in the second most-watched TV finale of all time (second to M*A*S*H). In the finale, Sam (Ted Dansen) almost leaves the bar for good to be with Diane (Shelley Long) in Los Angeles but ultimately decides to return to Boston. As Norm (George Wendt) finishes up his last drink, he remarks that he knew Sam would return to his "one true love."
Sam asks Norm to clarify but he doesn't have to. As Norm exits, another customer tries to enter but Sam tells him that Cheers is closed and we fade out as Sam makes his way to the back room. Although Cheers seems to have a "happy" ending, the moment is bittersweet as we realize we've seen the bar for the last time.
2,173 votes
5
2,857 VOTES
In 'Friends,' The Group Tearfully Says Goodbye To The Apartment
The Friends finale is a tearful one because it reminds us that all good things come to an end. The gang has spent almost every second of their lives together for years on end, but now it's time to move on and "return the keys" to the old apartment. As each character slowly drops their spare key on the kitchen counter, we remember that despite all the good times they had, it's definitely time for everyone to move on with their lives.
As the scene comes to a close, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) desperately asks the gang if they have time for one more coffee. She knows they will all see each other again, but it will get harder and harder each time as everyone starts their own families. They agree to grab a cup of coffee and make their way out of the apartment. The final shot of the series is of the six keys that were left behind.
2,857 votes
6
2,650 VOTES
In 'The Big Bang Theory,' The Gang Hangs Out And Eats Chinese Food Like Old Times
The Big Bang Theory somehow managed to be both the longest-running and most ridiculed multicam sitcom of all time, but after 12 seasons, it was finally time to go out, and they indeed went out with a bang. After making everything about him for the past 12 years, Sheldon reaches a point of maturity when he dedicates his Nobel Prize speech to his best friends who carried him through thick and thin. It's a beautiful moment that's accompanied by an epilogue of the gang eating Chinese food and hanging out in the old apartment like old times, reminding us of how far they've come from the first scene to the last.
For a show that rarely tried to get *too* serious, saying goodbye after 12 years was a big deal, and The Big Bang Theory seemed to do it just right.
