Michael Corvin

I don't see the two being remotely similar in any way. HIMYM was built on a giant premise right there in the title from episode 1. It was never going to live up to that after that many seasons. HIMYM also decided to toss in an entire gimmick season that only took place in the span of days tied to a wedding that was doomed to fail. Toss in another gimmick of Ted actually meeting the mother during the show only to toss out a "gotcha" at the end. That entire season was ridiculously fucking stupid from beginning to end.

BBT on the other hand has been business as usual. The biggest plot advancement has been finally giving Raj a steady girlfriend (and Stuart if he counts) which isn't that big of a deal in the scope of things. The kids topic has been broached and shot down and even if Penny changes her mind, it's not like the're having a kid by May. More than likely just a baby announcment. No one has discussed moving or hinting at changing jobs. There has been zero buildup for anything major to happen. At this point, it's looking like it will be just a regular episode with maybe a minute or so winking at the audience (like Zod's suggestion about the elevator).

The Cow

The only thing I can think of that has been a "goal" of the series was for Sheldon to get his Nobel prize. And they kind of have that set up now so that it's not really the most important thing if he doesn't get one.

Whatever happened to the story line with the work for the government? I know they got a big extension to complete it, but isn't that still a loose end?

Count Dooku

I agree that they have not been signalling an obvious build-up to a game-changing finale, but the idea that the series finale will be along the lines of just a regular episode is damn near impossible.
This is the ending of the decade's most popular sitcom after close to 300 episodes. They have to do something in the finale that brings closure to the narrative in some manner. That's just the way it works.

Coral

Yea, the only way this show's finale will disappoint on the same level as HIMYM is if they do something absurd - like discovering aliens or one of the gang gets super-hero powers.

The finale isn't really hinging on anything major that strung the viewers along this whole time. The biggest thing to happen was Leonard marrying Penny, and Sheldon popping his cherry and getting married. The only thing that's left is Raj getting married, Peggy getting preggers and Sheldon getting a Nobel prize - and none of those things are that major and wouldn't be a big deal if they didn't happen.

The elevator being fixed in the finale would seem fitting, but I think everyone is expecting it so it wouldn't really be a surprise. In fact, some of the actors already commented on how that would be a neat thing to happen in the finale.

Michael Corvin

Another show that was it's decade's most popular show and ran 275 episodes, Cheers had a pretty regular episode except the the closing few minutes. That was followed by Seinfeld's gimmicky finale which everyone hated. That, in turn was followed by Friends which did the moving away thing and it was pretty forgettable.

So I dunno, of the three (biggest shows of their day) the one without the gimmicks was the better for it. Bring back a guest star (in this case, Diane to shake things up) or two but keep it business as usual and maybe have a special moment towards the end.

My memory is hazy on these two, but wouldn't M*A*S*H and Newhart fall in line with Cheers as well? Pretty routine episodes with a fantastic send off in the closing minutes?

Speaking of Bob Newhart, I wouldn't mind him popping up in the finale. Maybe the Penny & Leonard baby talk is a red herring and it will be Sheldon & Amy expecting and Sheldon could seek Professor Proton's advice in the matter.

Count Dooku

Are you kidding me? Or do you really know so little about television history?

In the last Newhart, the entire town was purchased by a Japanese business and turned into a golf course, so everybody except Dick and Joanna moved away.

The Cheers finale was 90 minutes long. Rebecca got married --to a working class man! But, of course, the big thing was that Diane returned after six years, and she and Sam got engaged! Just routine, regular episode stuff.

In the MASH finale (two and a half hours, btw) THE WAR ENDED and everybody went home!! For fuck's sake you had to be kidding!?!?

Seinfeld had the cast locked up in prison for a year.

Monica gave up THE apartment and moved away with Chandler. Rachel and Ross got together in the end.

I'll give you a clue. In the last 40 years, only one long-running sitcom (7+ seasons) ended on its own terms without providing a series finale that shook up the established situation, usually having important characters embark on a new journey in life.
And in true "the exception proves the rule" form, that show did so for very specific reasons, but also made the series finale a "special" episode.

starseed1981

I think it's pretty obvious where we are getting pointed at: Sheldon wins a Nobel, Penny gets pregnant, Raj finally gets married or comes out of the closet, etc. This isn't a world where there is too much on the line. And I think Lorre learned from the backlash that The Two And A Half Men finale received. They won't risk souring the audience on something that will effect syndication reruns. I expect the group will have to separate but the happiest of ending scenarios for all involved.

fujishig

Wait, what happened in the Two and a Half Men finale? I thought HIMYM was the only show that committed seppuku in the last few episodes.

starseed1981

It was basically Chuck Lorre taking shots at Charlie Sheen for 42 minutes, offered zero closure to any character on the show, was self-referential to the point of mass absurdity and had almost no humor at all. It was basically the Dexter finale of sitcom finales. It also generated so much ill will that syndication buy rates dropped almost instantly. Which is another reason why IFC can now afford to air their reruns.

Michael Corvin

Easy there tiger. I said I couldn't remember MASH or Newhart which is why I posed it as a question.

Cheers was a natural progression of where all the storylines were going all season so in effect, yeah, it was pretty much Cheers. Diane was the only thing out of left field and even then Jack & Diane were Ross & Rachel before there was a R&R. On again and off again, so it really wasn't that crazy anyway. Seems like we're saying the same thing about Seinfeld and Friends.

General Zod

I think so as well. It was already announced it will be 2 episodes back to back making the finale an hour long. TBBT has always been about cheering for what was a broken bunch of nerds and to end it with all of them moving on nicely in their lives is a fine conclusion. I don't think they need to do too much for a happy ending. Like has been suggested already i think Penny will get pregnant and be just fine with it "I was just scared but now I'm looking forward to it" sort of dialog.. Sheldon and Amy I think will move our in preparation for a HUGE family of geniuses. I think Howard will get an opportunity to work for NASA directly. Raj and Anu will get married.. perhaps in the finale. I mean he's the only "core" member of the cast who hasn't had their wedding day. Stuart and Denise will be left off as a solid match.

So yeah mixed in with all that I think the apartment(s) that have the central focal point of the show will no longer be needed.. I think it will be cascading effect as one is planning to move out and get a home the other will also. The finale will be on the final day in the apartment(s). Handshakes, tears, and hugs at the door.. couples walking their separate ways... pan out.. and get that elevator repair truck to pull up in the very last like 2 seconds during the pan out.

But who knows.. Sheldon might wind up getting beamed up to his home planet like Bull in Night Court.

Josh-da-man

Koby

The elevator being broke was a running gag, but also allowed them to have a bunch of scenes during traversing the staircase, but I can't recall the last time they really used the staircase for a scene in the last couple of seasons.

Jason

The Howard/Bernadette storyline is complete. They don't even need to show up again at this point.

The only two things Penny and Leonard can do is a) have a kid, or b) get a divorce.

Raj's storyline is stalled with the wedding on hold.

The Sheldon/Amy story will probably end with the Nobel Prize, but Amy being a part of that was sort of shoe-horned in. I wonder if the pointless side story of the two scientists from, what was it, Cornell? will even be addressed again.

I guess the "big finale" mindset every series seems to have anymore is making me wonder if they'll stick the landing.

Decker

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Sam & Diane

Mike86

Red Dog

Newhart was such a great ending.

Mary Tyler Moore had a great finale too - everyone getting fired except for Ted Baxter.

Count Dooku

All in the Family, essentially ended at the end of season 8, when Mike and Gloria moved to California, and the resolution of the series narrative was Mike telling Archie that he loved him as his father.
AITF continued for another season with Archie and Edith taking in a child relative. Jean Stapleton announced that she wanted to quit the series after Season 8 filming was complete, so they changed the name (and focus) of the show to Archie Bunker's Place (the bar Archie co-owned). Stapleton made a five appearances in the first half of the first season of APB and then Edith was killed off during the hiatus before season 2.

Archie Bunker's Place was cancelled after its fourth season.

So All in the Family is not a series that was ever able to end on its own terms.

Count Dooku

While the Cheers finale did complete storylines for the characters that had been progressing during the final season. However, Rebecca marrying a working-class Joe was an ironic resolution to her arc as a character over the course of the series, as she had always been something of a social-climbing gold-digger.

More to the point though, the finale resolved the series-long narrative about Sam Malone's love-life. Bringing Diane back for them to get engaged, the show was proposing (see what I did there?) that Diane had always been Sam's one true love. The final resolution of the series makes it clear, however, that despite all the attention paid to Sam's romantic pursuits (including Rebecca) over the course of 11 years, his one true live was the bar.

That's why I think that TBBT will end with Leonard and Penny leaving LA. Sheldon can win a Nobel Prize but he is not leaving Cal Tech. And no one is getting divorced.
The only problem is that it really would be such a rip-off of the Friends finale with them leaving the apartment that has been the central setting of the series. However I think Chuck Lorre appreciates that there is a lot more affection for these characters than there were with Two and a Half Men, so he can't fuck around like he did with that finale.

Maybe they will surprise me and do something very clever and unexpected, but that would be very unusual for TBBT.

Michael Corvin

Good lord with the brain fart. I've been watching Blackish a lot lately.

TheGuy

Penny will get pregnant and Leonard will be offered a professorship at Princeton, his alma-mater, hence the "moving out" part.
Sheldon will get a Nobel prize.
Howard will work for NASA.
Raj, still not sure if he will get married to this girl or one of his old girlfriends will come back.
Elevator will get fixed.

My guesses.

Shannon Nutt

The CHEERS finale was fantastic. The fact that I remember that all these years later show how perfectly written that ending was.

As for BBT, my guess is that Bernadette will get pregnant AGAIN, and everyone will THINK the elevator is fixed until Raj's fiance plummets to her death in it (problem solved!).

Count Dooku

Don't know when the last time I saw Kevin Smith but he has lost a lot of weight. I almost don't feel bad for his wife anymore. He should start wearing regular clothes instead of his obese stoner costume.

movieguru

If they want to have a Newhart type ending, have the last scene where young Sheldon wakes up on the set of that show and he tells his twin sister or his mother about this weird dream he just had.

Coral

That was one of the most frivolous episodes of the series. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it was actually fun/funny, but it really wasn't.

Funny that Joe Manganiello was mentioned as being on True Blood, as Rauch was in a few episodes herself.