Mysterious pregnancies. Car crashes. Medical malpractice. Murder. If it’s not the 10 o’clock news, it must be season finale time. Here is a scorecard of how some series have ended their 2000-’01 runs. (Attention: If you taped these episodes and haven’t seen them yet, beware; we will give away the endings.)
PROGRAM: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” The WB
FINALE FINISH: The blood of Buffy’s “sister” Dawn — the Key to all dimensions merging with Earth — is spilled, opening a rift to the other dimensions. To close it, Buffy jumps in, and is killed. Ouch.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
7 Buffy lives on UPN next season, taking away some of the steam. But the tension built slowly, and the fight between Buffy and glamor god Glory was intense.
PROGRAM: “Dharma & Greg” ABC
FINALE FINISH: The couple, resolving to work on their marriage after Greg discovers the infatuation Dharma’s ex-college professor has with her, get into a horrible car accident.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
9 The episode seemed to end in a neat bow, and then goes into a totally unexpected turn. Genius!
PROGRAM: “ER” NBC
FINALE FINISH: Dr. Greene, defibrillator in hand, refuses to use it to save the mass-murderer who targeted Greene’s family.
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FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
8 Shocking. Absolutely shocking.
PROGRAM: “Friends” NBC
FINALE FINISH: Chandler and Monica get married, finally. But Monica isn’t pregnant. It’s Rachel. Who’s the daddy?
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
4 Wedding was dull. Twist would have been better if we’d been left to wonder whether Rachel or Phoebe was preggers.
PROGRAM: “JAG” CBS
FINALE FINISH: Navy lawyer Harm Rabb’s jet crashes into the ocean during a storm. His partner Sarah MacKenzie is heartbroken; fiance Mic Brumby isn’t pleased.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
5 Not a lot of suspense, but it does leave us wondering if Mac and Harm will negotiate a new relationship next season.
PROGRAM: “NYPD Blue” ABC
FINALE FINISH: Detective Danny Sorenson goes missing after his stripper girlfriend is found dead. He didn’t kill her, so where is he?
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
6 Lots of running around with only scant clues to his whereabouts. (The mob? Lost mom reappearing?) Note: Rick Schroder (Danny) might leave the show.
PROGRAM: “The Sopranos” HBO
FINALE FINISH: Wiseguy wannabe Jackie Aprile Jr. gets whacked; Adriana, fiance of Tony’s nephew Christopher, gets chummy with an FBI plant.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
6 An unusually dull installment capped a season that didn’t live up to expectations.
PROGRAM “Star Trek Voyager” UPN
FINALE FINISH
After several years in the far-flung Delta Quadrant, Voyager makes it home through a wormhole, and is escorted to Earth by several Starfleet vessels.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
7 A great ending kept up the suspense of whether Voyager actually made it back. But it was an unfulfilling series bow: What happens to the crew now?
PROGRAM: “The West Wing” NBC
FINALE FINISH: President Bartlet, the world now knowing he has multiple sclerosis, is asked at a press conference if he will seek a second term. He puts his hands in his pockets. Begins to speak. And … credits roll.
FINALE RATING (On a scale of 1-10)
7 Tense, but not much of a cliffhanger. Of course he’s going to run again. It’s a hit series!
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PROGRAM: “The X-Files” Fox
FINALE FINISH: FBI agent Scully, made fertile by a chip in her neck — and possibly a “donation” by partner Mulder — has a healthy baby boy. But is it normal?
FINALE RATING: (On a scale of 1-10)
10 Suspenseful, action-packed and sweet in the final moments when Scully and Mulder (who’s leaving the show) tenderly kiss.