10 Short Final Seasons Of TV Shows That Actually Worked Out Great

Summary

• Short final seasons can be successful despite fewer episodes, as seen in The Expanse and Arrow.
• These shorter seasons still manage to wrap up character storylines and provide satisfying conclusions.
• Shows like Superstore and New Girl prove that a shorter episode span can work better in certain instances, allowing for new and old storylines to reach a natural conclusion.

While it’s not unusual to see a TV show with a short final season, there have been some instances where this has worked in a show’s favor. A shorter season of a show can happen for several reasons, such as production issues, the show being canceled, or a writer’s strike. Despite having fewer episodes than usual, this doesn’t mean that a show cannot still have a successful season.

There are plenty of examples as to why a shorter final season doesn’t work. This is usually attributed to a lack of time to focus on character development or in-depth plot threads, but not exclusively. Even when there are fewer episodes than the series’ previous outings, a short final season can actually be an advantage for some TV shows.

10 The Expanse

Final Season: Season 6, 6 Episodes

Hit sci-fi show The Expanse ended with season 6 in 2022, with its final installment only containing six episodes. The show’s final season was short compared to prior outings, with its first five seasons ranging between ten and thirteen episodes each. Despite there being significantly fewer episodes in The Expanse season 6, its shorter run worked well, especially with the time jump in the first episode.

The Expanse season 6 was still able to feel consistent and thrilling across its final few entries, while also having sufficient time to satisfyingly wrap up the characters’ stories without being too conclusive. Based on the novel series of the same name, the show has generally followed the book plots. However, there is a 28-year time jump between books six and seven, so this time skip could set up The Expanse‘s revival in the future.

9 Arrow

Final Season: Season 8, 10 Episodes

CW’s Arrow came to an end after eight seasons, with its final season airing only ten episodes, compared to its usual average of 23 entries. Despite being less than half the length of an average season, the show’s final outing is easily considered the best installment of Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) story. Filled with twists and time travel, Arrow season 8 not only had a very strong finale but also allowed the show to go out on a powerful note.

8 Parks And Recreation

Final Season: Season 7, 17 Episodes

Parks and Recreation‘s final installment had 17 episodes, only five episodes less than previous seasons, but its shorter stint was still noticeable. Parks and Recreation‘s future timelines episode from season 7 nicely wrapped up the stories of the show’s beloved characters, but it at no point felt rushed. Doing so was an impressive feat, considering the season began with a three-year time jump and ignited brand-new storylines for the Parks Department employees. Even with these huge changes, the show was able to wrap up with fewer episodes and more plotlines better than many other series’ final seasons.

7 Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Final Season: Season 8, 10 Episodes

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some significant changes for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, both on and off-screen. Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 8 ended after only ten episodes, but previous seasons slowly dropped in episode count over the years. Its original average was 22 episodes, but this hadn’t been the case since season 5. While season 8 had the least episodes of any, it made a lot of sense considering some storylines focused on the gang slowly breaking away toward other areas of their lives, whether that be personally or professionally. Even though season 8 was over half as short as Brooklyn Nine-Nine at its peak, it still had a perfect ending.

6 Superstore

Final Season: Season 6, 15 Episodes

Hit NBC sitcom Superstore ran for six seasons and came to an end in 2021, wrapping up the show with only 15 episodes. The average episode number for previous seasons was 22, although its final installment was still longer than season 1, which had only 11 episodes. Although season 6 lost its lead character, with Amy (America Ferrara) departing for a corporate position with Cloud 9 and returning for the final three episodes, it still managed to wrap up the Superstore characters’ arcs and the show as a whole rather well.

5 New Girl

Final Season: Season 7, 8 Episodes

While not every element of New Girl‘s final season was perfect, most notably the relationship between Nick and Jess (Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel) feeling rushed at points, it did have its successes. Despite New Girl season 7 only having eight episodes, compared to its usual 22, it managed to nicely wrap up the futures of every main character, even with the season beginning with a three-year time jump. A final season of a show has to work hard to set the same standards as its predecessors, but New Girl season 7 had its own unique atmosphere.

The introduction and characterization of Ruth, for example, was a new element for the show, but one of the main reasons why season 7 was so brilliant. It also allowed more character development for the likes of Schmidt (Max Greenfield), who had blossomed into a more mature person all around since becoming a father. With everyone’s lives being so different compared to the pilot, the New Girl series finale allowed for both new and old storylines to reach a natural conclusion. Considering seven years of plot development, and the time jump, a shorter episode span actually worked better in this instance.

4 Fringe

Final Season: Season 5, 13 Episodes

Sci-fi hit Fringe finished with season 5 in 2013, with its final installment containing 13 episodes, as opposed to its standard 20–23. The first four seasons set up a lot of plot threads, and to wrap up all these storylines in less than half its usual airtime was impressive. From the mind of Star Wars and Star Trek‘s J.J. Abrams, Fringe‘s developed cast of characters managed to give the show a good send-off with season 5. Most notably, the Fringle finale is particularly praised for best representing the tone that the show had built over the years, and is considered to be a great ending on television.

3 Breaking Bad

Final Season: Seasons 5A & 5B, 8 Episodes Each

While Breaking Bad season 5 is technically longer than the previous four, this is only because of the way it was released. The final installment of the drama was split into seasons 5A and 5B, with the last eight episodes airing close to a year after the first. With season 5B, however, the Breaking Bad timeline moved around using flashforwards. While this can be a tricky concept in a television show, it made a lot of sense for audiences to see Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in the future, and made the damage he’d caused to his family significantly more impactful while on the run and knowing his end was near.

2 The Owl House

Final Season: Season 3, 3 Episodes

While Disney’s The Owl House only had three seasons, it managed to pack an incredible forty episodes in its first two. These episodes each had a 22-minute runtime, but season 3 had a completely different format, with only three episodes between 46 and 55 minutes each. Even though this was a significant change for the show, caused by The Owl House being canceled after season 3, the writers still managed to wrap up the animation in a beautiful way. Despite the limitations writers had with only three episodes, it was still able to meet the same quality it had become known for, which was impressive given its abrupt cancelation.

1 30 Rock

Final Season: Season 7, 13 Episodes

Inspired by her time on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey’s 30 Rock ended with season 7 in 2013. The show’s final season had only 13 episodes, whereas previously, an average season would see 22. While there was little growth in many of the characters for the majority of the show, which isn’t unheard of in sitcoms, season 7 saw some big changes for its cast.

The 30 Rock finale saw Liz (Fey) as a new mother and preparing for the final episode of her show, as she and the rest of the cohort prepared for the next stage of their lives. Despite having a short final season, it was a great ending for the hit comedy. Considering that 30 Rock had run its course, it wrapped up with a natural and satisfying conclusion.