History Main / FinaleSeason

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' was always planned as a third-part series according to its creator, Creator/MattBraly.

* After [[ChannelHop its move from Fox to Netflix]], ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'' secured a fourth season, with no mention of a followup until a month after it aired, when a fifth season was announced. It was initially reported to be the last and subsequently its ten-episode order was extended to sixteen, likely to anticipate the GrandFinale. But then the show managed to secure a ''sixth'' season, which was reported to be the "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final final season]]". [[FlipFlopOfGod We'll see if they stick to this decision]]. It doesn't help that the writers seem to have been traumatized of being abruptly cut off by Fox before the airing of the third season finale (a major {{Cliffhanger}} specifically designed to lure Fox into giving the show another chance), so they made season 4 more self-contained. The fifth is likely to go in the same direction.

This is not simply the last season of a series or a celebration of a series that ends before it can become a FranchiseZombie. The defining characteristic of the Final Season is that it is a planned final season and is announced as such from the very beginning. The Final Season will work to tie up any loose ends and answer any unanswered questions. During the Final Season, the writers may feel the freedom to tackle themes and stories they would otherwise not attempt, and to upset the [[StatusQuoIsGod Status Quo]] so much, they risk JumpingTheShark. Think of it as a GrandFinale, but stretched across an entire season.

* The anouncement of ''Series/{{Chuck}}'''s fifth season renewal was swiftly followed two days later by the announcement it would be the final season, after two seasons which received 13 episode renewals which were written as the GrandFinale before NBC ordered more episodes to extend the seasons, which subsequently ended on cliffhangers instead.

* It was pretty much known from the beginning that season eight would be the final season of ''Series/MagnumPI''.

* After ''Series/OneTreeHill'' was renewed for a ninth season, it was confirmed as the final season. Season 8 was also written as a FinaleSeason & wrapped up most of the character arcs over the season, but was never advertised as such, before a surprise renewal.

* ''Series/TheFlash (2014)'' Had it's Ninth season announced after every other Arrowverse show had been cancelled or announced as not being in the arrowverse making that not just the finale season of the Flash but of the entire Arrowverse.

* ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire''[='=]s seventh season is specifically advertised as the last season.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' was planned as a three-season series from the start, though they briefly tossed around the idea of fourth season that would act as an epilogue. Book 3 was announced from the start as being their FinaleSeason, with the characters traveling across the country of the BigBad in order to take the fight to the villain, the story arcs for several characters getting wrapped up, and many bits of foreshadowing finally getting paid off. There's only one significant question left unanswered (the whereabouts of Zuko's mother), which would get addressed in [[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch a follow-up comic]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'''s sixth season was announced as its last shortly before the release of its first half. During the season, we see Bojack finally conquer his demons and find himself on good-standing with all his friends... only to lose everything and end up in a worse spot than he has ever been before, thanks to the consequences of events from earlier in the show coming back with a vengeance. However, the series' as a whole would still manage to end on a bittersweet HopeSpot that he could achieve that happiness again.

This is not simply the last season of a series or a celebration of a series that ends before it can become a FranchiseZombie. The defining characteristic of The Final Season is that it is a planned final season and is announced as such from the very beginning. The Final Season will work to tie up any loose ends and answer any unanswered questions. During the Final Season, the writers may feel the freedom to tackle themes and stories they would otherwise not attempt, and to upset the [[StatusQuoIsGod Status Quo]] so much, they risk JumpingTheShark. Think of it as a GrandFinale, but stretched across an entire season.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'' was announced to be the last one, as it was set between the events of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' and ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''.

* Season eight was announced as the final season of ''Series/{{Desperate Housewives}}''.

* The ninth season of ''Series/{{How I Met Your Mother}}'' was the final season, and while the mother was first shown in the finale of the previous season, season 9 was all about Barney's wedding to Robin and the entire gang meeting the mother. Though never advertised as such, season 8 was also expected to possibly be the last season and so [[SeriesFauxnale was written as such before the season 9 renewal.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'''s fourth season was announced to be its last. The season dealt with the fallout from the previous season's finale that had [[spoiler:Star give up the throne to Eclipsa]], resolved the "mewmans vs. monsters" racism plot, and concluded the long-standing romance subplot. How well it managed to do any of that, however, [[BrokenBase is a matter of debate within the fandom]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' was planned as a three season series from the get go, even having the seasons named Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3, like a book trilogy. Book 3 was their FinaleSeason, in which the battle with the BigBad gets resolved and all loose ends are tied up.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has Book 4, "Balance", advertised as the final season, and living up to it with [[spoiler: both the world and Korra in a broken, chaotic state after the events of the previous season, featuring both a villain presented as an EvilCounterpart to Korra with an extremely powerful new weapon, and the culmination of Korra's character development.]]
* The last season of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' has the setting moved into space (literally; the whole previous season led up to the park being moved into space), and follows a (previously hinted-at) StoryArc about Pops' role as TheChosenOne preventing [[ApocalypseHow the end of the universe]].

* The first four seasons of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' have {{Half Arc Season}}s focusing on a specific member of the team. The final season ([[PostScriptSeason which came after a surprise renewal]]) focused on Beast Boy, but also shifted the format to be about a large number of teenage superheroes and villains, establishing an international Teen Titan network. The very last episode, "Things Change", also (sort of) resolves Terra's arc from the second season.
* The ninth season of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' was announced as its last. As such the major plot arc is the princesses of Equestria moving towards retirement, leaving Twilight Sparkle and her friends as the ruling council of the land by the end, and dealing with a BigBadEnsemble of villains from previous seasons.
* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'' was announced to be the last one, as it will be set between the events of ''Film/TheLastJedi'' and ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker''.
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'''s sixth season was announced as its last shortly before the release of its first half.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'''s [[SamuraiJack/TropesSeason5 fifth season]] {[revival}} was specifically produced as a definitive conclusion to the series' overall conflict and storyline, [[{{Uncanceled}} after it was previously left unresolved when the show was canceled at its fourth season more than a dozen years before]].

* After [[ChannelHop its move from Fox to Netflix]], ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'' secured a fourth season, with no mention of a followup until a month after it aired, when a fifth season was announced. It was initially announced to be the last and subsequently its eight-episode order was extended to sixteen, likely to anticipate the GrandFinale. But then the show managed to secure a ''sixth'' season, which was reported to be the "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final final season]]". [[FlipFlopOfGod We'll see if they stick to this decision]]. It doesn't help that the writers seem to have been traumatized of being abruptly cut off by Fox before the airing of the third season finale (a major {{Cliffhanger}} specifically designed to lure Fox into giving the show another chance), so they made season 4 more self-contained. The fifth is likely to go in the same direction.
* Similarly, all the commercials for the episodes of the last season of ''Series/{{Monk}}'' always had the tagline of it being the final season.

* The last series of ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' was explicitly made out to be the last in pre-broadcast trailers, and functioned as both the final series of ''Ashes To Ashes'' and an epilogue to ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}''.

* It was pretty much known from the beginning that season eight would be the final season of ''Series/MagnumPI''.

* The ninth season of ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' has been announced and planned as the final season. It was even advertised with the words "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin farewell season]]". It is also the season where the ElephantInTheLivingRoom (the series being a documentary) is finally not only lampshaded, but also addressed and becomes a plot point.
* The final season of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' was planned as a final season and features all the cast in a different setting, three years after the events of the previous season.

* The Fifth season of ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' was announced as its last.
* ''Series/TwelveMonkeys'' ends with its fourth season, which ties up every loose end from the previous seasons, tying everything together into the overall StableTimeLoop, before setting the stage for the FinalBattle with [[BigBad the Witness]] and allowing the heroes to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy endings]].
* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'' was specifically designed to run for exactly four seasons, so the fourth (and final) one spends much of its time resolving character arcs and plot threads, i.e. Rebecca's unfinished business with Greg, who was {{put on a bus}} in season two.
* Not long after ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' was renewed for an eighth season, it was announced that it would be its final season.
* After a very long run, it was finally announced that season 15 of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' would be the show's last.
* The fourth season of ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' was announced in advance to be the show's last. Michael Schur mentioned that the creative team considered going beyond that, but decided not to "tread water."
* After [[ChannelHop its move from Fox to Netflix]], ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'', the show secured a fourth season, with no mention of a followup until a month after it aired, when a fifth season was announced. It was initially announced to be the last and subsequently its eight-episode order was extended to sixteen, likely to anticipate the GrandFinale. But then the show managed to secure a ''sixth'' season, which was reported to be the "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment final final season]]". [[FlipFlopOfGod We'll see if they stick to this decision]]. It doesn't help that the writers seem to have been traumatized of being abruptly cut off by Fox before the airing of the third season finale (a major {{Cliffhanger}} specifically designed to lure Fox into giving the show another chance), so they made season 4 more self-contained. The fifth is likely to go in the same direction.
* The fifteenth season of ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' was explicitly advertised as such, as well as being called so in the remaining episodes.
* The third season of ''{{Series/Jessica Jones|2015}}'' was advertised as "The Final Season". The show had been cancelled along with the rest of the ''Series/{{The Defenders|2017}}'' lineup, but unlike the others it happended early enough for the creators know about it going in. Thus they avoided adding [[SequelHook Sequel Hooks]] and the series ends with all loose ends more or less tied up.

* ''Series/Lucifer2016'' season five has been announced as the end of the show's story.
** later Subverted in that it later got renewed for season 6, making that the actual finale season.

* The third season of ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' was advertised as "The Final Season". The show had been cancelled along with the rest of the ''Series/TheDefenders2017'' lineup, but unlike the others it happended early enough for the creators know about it going in. Thus they avoided adding [[SequelHook Sequel Hooks]] and the series ends with all loose ends more or less tied up.