Warning: After the first few paragraphs, the below article contains some spoilers for the finales of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession, Barry, and Ted Lasso.
It's been a hell of a week for finales on TV.
In the past six days alone, viewers have said goodbye to Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, HBO's Succession and Barry, and maybe Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso, whose Season 3 finale aired last night. And while there's been no official confirmation that Ted Lasso in particular is gone for good, there's been plenty of speculation, with star and executive producer Jason Sudeikis saying in a previous interview that Season 3 is "the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell."
Regardless, that's a lot of closers in one week, and fans are saying goodbye to several touchstones of the current prestige TV landscape.
It’s wild to think that TV fans are about to lose The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession, Barry, and Ted Lasso all in the same week. pic.twitter.com/GdYmuwvdFv
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 27, 2023
and just like that, #MrsMaisel, #Succession, #Barry, and #TedLasso are done for good.
these shows meant so much to me. they all aired over a pandemic where we were all traumatized in our own way and they brought us comfort and distraction. i'll miss them all SO MUCH.
— Tedi (@TediVision26) May 31, 2023
TV fans are losing Succession, Mrs. Maisel, Barry and Ted Lasso directly i into a writers strike. It’s about to be a looooooong summer.
— marshall newhouse (@MNewhouse73) May 30, 2023
Who decided Succession, Mrs. Maisel, Ted Lasso and Barry should end in the same month?
I want a word.
— Brooklin Nash (@realBrookNash) May 27, 2023
Ted Lasso, Succession, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Barry all ending at the height of the writers strike. The writers really setup a nice cliff hanger on us huh? pic.twitter.com/wKpUFqbUec
— MANCHILD (@mexicanmanchild) May 31, 2023
Needless to say, fans have been sharing their sentiments on the conclusions of these four beloved shows. Here’s your final spoiler warning before we delve into these series finales.
4 minutes. That’s all Midge had to launch her into stardom. The lighting change in this shot is mesmerizing. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel crew landed the plane with staggering deftness. And it’s shots like these that elevated an already great show. pic.twitter.com/TGXCLg5ws2
— Jessica Ross (@jessicalyneross) May 26, 2023
Prime Video released the finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on May 26, where Rachel Brosnahan took her final bow as the titular role. While fans enjoyed the closing scenes between such characters as Midge Maisel, Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), and Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby), they particularly raved about Midge’s four-minute standup routine on The Gordon Ford Show.
I can't believe The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is over — but what a satisfying (and emotional) finale! Those four minutes had me in tears.
And Barbra Streisand’s “I Stayed Too Long At the Fair” was perfect.
You’ll be missed, Midge! pic.twitter.com/NA9c7RDpc6
— Jerry (@firerobin) May 26, 2023
I've had mixed feelings about this whole season of #TheMarvelousMrsMaisel, finale included. That said:
-That "four minutes" set made me a little misty-eyed, can't lie
-The fortune cookie scene had me absolutely melting!
-Give Rachel Brosnahan & Luke Kirby the Emmys now, please! pic.twitter.com/GnMFtxF87n— Amanda Prahl (@amanda_prahl) May 26, 2023
HBO, meanwhile, had an epic, action-packed Sunday night with the back-to-back series finales of Succession and Barry.
Succession delivered an operatic conclusion for the Roy family in the 90-minute finale, in which Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) was ultimately named CEO of Waystar Royco. Tom as the new CEO sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some fans comparing the choice to the Bran Stark/Daenerys Targaryen ordeal in Game of Thrones.
HBO i can’t believe you did this to me TWICE #Succession #SuccessionHBO pic.twitter.com/CFS427ys42
— maria olívia (@mariaxolivia) May 29, 2023
We just witnessed history. Not since Breaking Bad have I been this satisfied with a finale, so kudos to the masterful writing on this show. I am truly shook & absolutely astonished at how perfectly they ended this. Goodbye to one of the greatest shows ever made. #Succession pic.twitter.com/AcrdP8qvq5
— Ganeshen🌶️ (@Ganeshen5) May 29, 2023
The #Succession finale was perfect in that I’m seething with rage and unsatisfied as fuck and yet every decision made complete dramatic and thematic sense pic.twitter.com/Rgoy72gQ3o
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) May 29, 2023
how it felt watching the succession finale #SuccesionHBO #Succession pic.twitter.com/Et74KW3t14
— viv (@Iustwetrust) May 29, 2023
Barry's final episode also drew criticism, but most viewers expressed their admiration for the actors' performances and Bill Hader's directing in Season 4.
#BARRY that might’ve been the darkest yet most beautiful ending to a show I’ve ever seen. Holy fuck. Bill Hader you fucking legend how did you conceive this show. I want to study your brain for that ending. I love you. Wtf wtf. My jaw dropped, how in THE HELL. A PERFECT ENDING!! pic.twitter.com/k1bCW2FaEM
— Ganeshen🌶️ (@Ganeshen5) May 29, 2023
I expected Barry to have a quick, simple and anticlimactic death but that did not stop my shriek of shock when it happened #barry pic.twitter.com/9jMmtLw0HP
— max 🦇 succ + barry spoilers (@tourmalinecrack) May 29, 2023
Whatever your thoughts on the #Succession and #Barry finales, a particular era of high-quality HBO programming ended tonight. Highly unlikely that we’ll ever see it again. 🤷🏾♂️
— Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) May 29, 2023
The Season 3 finale of Ted Lasso dropped on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, and the questions still lingers if this is the last time viewers will see AFC Richmond.
The Ted Lasso ending was so meta.
“Change the title. It’s not about me.
It never was.”
The door is wide open for a reincarnation,m and a Season 4 under a new title:
Well played. #TedLasso #TedLassoFinale #Believe pic.twitter.com/dLI6IguyMd— JennyisaHeartie 🐱🍷💖🦄🧙🏻 (@GryffindorJenny) May 31, 2023
Ted Lasso executive producer and star Brendan Hunt told Deadline in March that the third season is "not necessarily the end of the series."
"It’s just likely the end of this story because we always saw it as a three-part thing,” Hunt continued. “We never even knew for sure we’d be able to tell all three parts—and suddenly, here we are. So, there will be some type of closure to this beat but closure is not necessarily the end.”
It's safe to say, though, that Jason Sudeikis is parting ways with his role as the titular "country bumpkin" coach.
the ted lasso finale is DESTROYING me pic.twitter.com/4Qr1s39Xxx
— mike | ted lasso spoilers (@tedbeccq) May 31, 2023
THE #TedLasso PILOT VS FINALE I AM UNWELL pic.twitter.com/aPKGN3ri3M
— Nico ! (@nicost1el) May 31, 2023
Ted Lasso came along at a time when we needed it most.
As the late great Jim Valvano said, we need to laugh, think & cry every day. The show did that in each episode.
The ending was perfect. Except for it being the end.
Believe. Always.
Barbecue Sauce.pic.twitter.com/UG71LM4MCx
— Jack Benjamin (@JackBenjaminPxP) May 31, 2023
If you're still reeling from these series finales, check out our breakdown on why everyone got what they deserved at the end of Succession and a spoiler-filled explainer of the Barry series finale.