10 TV Shows That Ended With The Most Memorable Last Lines, Ranked

Final Moments Which Became Eternal Memories

There are many shows which have hooked the audience through their plot or humor and sometimes the sheer sensitivity with which they approach certain themes. Even though we want these shows to run longer than they did, they ultimately have to bid goodbye. Here are some remarkable final lines from some of the best shows.

10. Young Sheldon

The Line: "No. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." After seven seasons of watching Sheldon Cooper struggle to find his place, the prequel series ends with him finally arriving at Caltech. When a professor sees him looking at the campus and asks, "You lost?" Sheldon's confident reply is the perfect, full-circle moment, bridging the gap between the boy we knew and the man he's about to become.

9. Shameless

The Line: "Have a good time. I sure as hell did." As the Gallagher family sings together outside the Alibi, the ghost of their patriarch, Frank, floats away over the South Side, delivering this final, unrepentant piece of advice. It’s a perfect eulogy for a man who, despite all his flaws, lived life entirely on his own terms.

8. The Vampire Diaries

The Line: "Hello, brother." The show began with these two words, spoken by Damon to Stefan in the pilot, establishing their century-long rivalry. The series ends after their long, human lives, as the brothers are reunited in the afterlife. Damon opens the door to the Salvatore Boarding House, sees Stefan, and delivers the line again—not as a threat, but as a greeting, bringing their entire journey to a peaceful, tear-jerking close.

7. Seinfeld

The Line: "Haven't we had this conversation before?" After being sentenced to jail, the final scene of the "show about nothing" finds Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer sitting in a cell, having the exact same conversation about the placement of a shirt button that Jerry and George had in the show's very first episode. It’s a brilliant, cyclical, and perfectly mundane ending.

6. Parks and Recreation

The Line: "Yes. I'm ready." After a flash-forward showing the bright futures of the entire Pawnee crew, the finale returns to the present day. Leslie Knope, having accomplished her goal of fixing a park swing, is asked by her husband Ben, "You ready, babe?" Her simple, optimistic reply isn't just about the photo they're about to take—it's a mission statement for her entire life, ready for whatever challenge comes next.

5. The Good Place

The Line: "Take it sleazy." Having finally made it to the real Good Place, Michael achieves his ultimate dream: becoming a real human on Earth. A stranger does him a kindness, and as he walks away, the stranger says, "Take it easy." Michael, beaming, replies with the perfect, mangled phrase he learned from his friends, proving he finally understands what it means to be human.

4. Cheers

The Line: "Sorry, we're closed." After Diane leaves for good and the gang heads home, Sam Malone is left alone in the bar. A customer knocks on the door, looking for a drink. Sam, for the first time, isn't the lonely womanizer—he's the content owner of the one place he truly belongs. He turns off the lights and delivers a simple line that signifies he's finally at peace.

3. Fleabag

The Line: "It'll pass." This is a gut-punch of a double-meaning. After the "hot priest" tells Fleabag, "I love you," he follows it with, "It'll pass." In the final, heartbreaking scene, Fleabag is walking away from the bus stop. As a fox (a running gag) follows her, she looks back at it, then at the camera (at us), gives a small shake of her head, and waves goodbye, as if telling us the same thing: it'll pass.

2. Mad Men

The Line: [The 1971 "Hilltop" Coca-Cola Commercial] The show doesn't end on a line, but on the most famous advertisement in history. After having a spiritual breakthrough at a coastal retreat, a smiling Don Draper is last seen meditating. The show hard-cuts to the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad, a brilliantly ambiguous ending that implies our cynical anti-hero didn't find enlightenment—he just found his next great idea.

1. Friends

The Line: "Sure. Where?" It's the perfect joke to end a 10-year, 236-episode cultural phenomenon. As the group stands in the empty purple apartment for the last time, an emotional Rachel asks if they have time for one last coffee. Chandler, ever the king of the one-liner, delivers the final, simple, perfect joke that reminds us the friendships aren't over, even if the show is.