12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle

Ending of FuturamaFuturamaFuturama's "full circle" ending is more than just an understatement. The series became an endless loop. Fry freezes time after hitting a time reset button, trapping him and Leela. Without Professor Farnsworth, they cannot fix the button and end up growing old together.

Fry and Leela finally ended up together, even though the situation was not ideal.FuturamaProfessor Farnsworth appears from a wormhole. He gives the couple a chance to return to the time before the time button was made—before the pilot episode of Futurama.FuturamaKnowing they lose memory of the last 30 years, Fry and Leela share one last kiss. They press the button, starting their lives (and the series) over again.

Modern FamilyModern Family ended almost exactly how it started. One big, blended family tried to take a family photo. Eleven years separated the pilot episode and the series finale, but nothing really changed if you examine it closely.Modern FamilyModern Family showed the daily life of being part of a huge family. Interacting with your family daily provides enough action, drama, and conflict for an entire series.

Modern FamilyModern Family ran from 2009 to 2020. Viewers watched characters grow onscreen. Characters and actors faced much by the finale, yet they stayed the same family. The real growth shows in the difference between the first and last episodes. The pilot ends with the Dunphy/Prichett family struggling with a photo. The finale shows that same family struggling to separate after their final portrait, ending the series well.

FriendsFriends built much of its ten seasons on the will-they-won't-they tension between [subjects not provided in input]Ross and RachelRoss and Rachel finally got together for good in the series finale, "The Last One." Writers teased the couple's fate throughout the series. They got together and broke up repeatedly until the final episode. We can assume the couple settled down and married soon after.

Rachel got off the plane in Ross's apartment, saying, “I got off the plane,” after tension in the finale as Rachel was offered a new job in Paris and Ross couldn't tell her he still loved her. This moment made sense, especially with a joke from the pilot. Ross first complains about his divorce and wanting to remarry, and Rachel, his high school crush, walks in wearing a wedding dress. That is a sign.

SeinfeldJerry and George start with an ordinary talk about George's shirt being buttoned too high. Some see this as a slow start, but it sets the tone for the next nine seasons. This show is about nothing.SeinfeldSeinfeld certainly used regular, everyday events to create comedy. This made the show worth watching for almost a decade.

Like all good things,SeinfeldSeinfeld ended with a very silly, divisive finale. In the series finale, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer were arrested under a small town's "Good Samaritan" law for not helping someone carjacked. During their trial, familiar faces testified against the four, leading to a year in prison. While held, Jerry pointed out George's button was too high and suggested the second one. George replied, "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation followed Michael Schur and Greg Daniels' last series.The Office, became a huge hit. The series mirrors The Office closely in tone.The OfficeParks and Recreation shares The Office's tone.Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation made Leslie Knope more than just a copy of Michael Scott. We see Leslie in the opening scene.Parks and RecLeslie is forced to remove a local drunk from a community park. This is one of many jobs Leslie does as Deputy Director of the Parks Department.

Leslie thinks change happens through small wins, like helping a drunk man stuck in a slide at the park. Leslie built her government career on helping people. Years later, when Leslie is Governor of Indiana, the man she chased out of the slide returns to the Parks Department to fix the swing set. The man is almost unrecognizable, proving Leslie's idea: small victories matter.domatter.

In the first season of30 RockSomeone claimed Kenneth would become NBC president. Kenneth began on the NBC Page Program, needing a one-year paid internship. Seven seasons passed. Kenneth worked as a janitor before Jack Donaghy named him NBC president. This new role surprised people, though the show hinted at it in the first season.

In "Fireworks," Jack jokes to Devin Banks that Kenneth might get the job. Devin replies it might be Jack's job. Kenneth joins the joke, joking he could take the janitor's post. Later, Kenneth became NBC custodian, then landed the President role, Jack's old job. Earlier, Jack told Liz, "In five years, we'll all either be working for him... or be dead by his hand," setting up the finale.

The Office is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'.The finale gave most core characters a happy ending. Michael married and had a family. Dwight became Dunder Mifflin regional manager and married Angela. Pam achieved her art goals. Jim left Dunder Mifflin to pursue sports management. These endings fit character goals, but Jim moving to Philly for sports seemed unexpected.

Recall the Season 4 episode "Local Ad," where Dwight plays the popular online game calledSecond Life is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'.In the episode, Dwight finds a new life after Angela breaks his heart. Dwight remains a paper salesman, though his character is also named Dwight. Jim mocks Dwight initially, but Jim tries the game and becomes a sportswriter in Philadelphia. Jim later moves to Philly to start a sports company, showing he considered this move long ago.

How I Met Your Mother is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'.Fans were shocked when they revealed Tracy, the mother, died years ago by the season finale timeline. Fans argue the reveal felt sudden, but hints existed. Writers teased Ted ending up with Robin early on. Ted's future wife's name appeared in the first season.

In the Season 1 episode "Belly Full of Turkey," future Ted tells how he met a stripper named Tracy, whom he jokingly calls his children's mother. His kids react with confusion, but they don't question the name Tracy, suggesting their mother might also be named Tracy.Fans actually caught the hintYears before the reveal, people guessed the Mother's name would be Tracy. They guessed right!

The show 'Veep' is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'.Veep made the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'.The finale finished the series well and paid off a joke from the pilot. In the pilot, Selina Meyer and her staff tried to plan how to fix Meyer's latest mistake: saying the "R" word. Lacking ideas, press secretary Mike McLintock suggested waiting for bigger news to distract from Meyer's error, like if Tom Hanks suddenly died.

Years later, the series finale shows Selina dead. Her old staffers attend her funeral. Gary Walsh attends after serving a long prison sentence for Selina. Mike McLintock speaks about former boss Selina Meyer on the news. He is forced to announce Tom Hanks died at 88. This callback to the pilot pushes Selina out of the news cycle.

In the pilot episode of 'Arrested Development', 'Veep' appeared.Arrested Development is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'., George Bluth Sr., the head of the Bluth Company, gets arrested on the family yacht during a party. This leaves his son Michael in charge of the company and the family. People have some idea why George was taken in (embezzlement and fraud mostly). George Sr. seems innocent all season, hinting to Michael they could face charges for what he calls "light treason."

The possibility of treason charges seems like a joke. Eventually, we learn George Sr. was a patsy. A British group used him to build model homes in Iraq to spy on Saddam Hussein. This becomes a major plot point in the third and final season (before the Netflix revival). The original finale ends with Michael finding out his mother Lucille Bluth was the Bluth Company's mastermind. Police boats surround Lucille on the family yacht during what should have been a family celebration—just like the show began.

BoJack Horseman is on the list '12 Sitcom Finales That Came Full Circle'., the show about a horse former TV star ended after six depressing seasons. BoJack ends up face down in a pool after a self-destructive binge, his future unclear. The series finale shows BoJack survive his overdose. He gets 14 months in prison for breaking into his old house. The ending isn't fun, but it stays true to the show's dark, emotional tone.

The show's ending held hints throughout. In the Season 1 episode, "Downer Ending," BoJack imagines life in Maine. He swims in the lake during summers. He jokes he will go for "one last swim," saying he will "let the water take me under" when he cannot care for himself. BoJack did this at the series' end after his life declined. The opening credits also hint at this; a scene shows BoJack submerged in water while his two best friends watch from above.

It only makes sense thatCurb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your Enthusiasm will close its 12-season run with callbacks to its own history. This finale works especially well because it references earlier parts ofCurb,it also calls back to another sitcom. Larry David plays a version of himself. David is famous in real life andCurbhe co-created and co-wroteSeinfeld,the show acknowledges this link multiple times.Curb,includes the ending.

TheSeinfeldthe finale had Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer jailed for not being Good Samaritans. This event was panned by critics and audiences.pannedCritics and audiences panned the trial. The trial brought back old characters and references. It hammered home that the main characters were bad people. This setup looked like a glorified clip show.

ForCurb'sDavid mimicked the Seinfeld ending. David also faced a trial with witnesses of his past bad behavior and a similar outcome. A shot shows him in a cell noticing a flap in his pants, creating an unfortunate look—a “pants tent,” a problem he named in the first episode. This pants tent reference points back to the jail scene in the Seinfeld finale.SeinfeldThe finale's structure puts David at the center of a trial. Witnesses bring up his past bad behavior, creating a similar aftermath. A shot shows him in a cell noticing a flap in his pants, a 'pants tent' he named in the first episode. This callback to the pants tent points back to the jail scene in the Seinfeld finale.SeinfeldThe finale features George and Jerry recreating a conversation about shirt buttons from the show's first episode.

Jerry Seinfeld saves David instead of having him stuck in jail. Seinfeld appears as himself, tells David a juror did not sequester properly, and his verdict is thrown out. Seinfeld says, “You don’t want to end up like this. Nobody wants to see it. Trust me,” joking about the ending of their other sitcom.