25 TV Stars Who Really Hated Their Show’s Finale
Ever watch a show for years, only to feel totally let down by the ending?
You’re not alone, and neither are the actors who starred in them!
Some TV finales left such a bad taste that even the people who brought these characters to life couldn’t hide their disappointment.
1. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Jon Snow himself wasn’t thrilled with how the epic saga wrapped up in 2019.
Kit Harington openly admitted that exhaustion led to a rushed final season, which resulted in storytelling mistakes that fans noticed immediately.
The mad dash to the finish line left plot holes bigger than a dragon’s wingspan.
When your leading man says things went wrong, you know the finale missed its target.
Winter came, but satisfaction didn’t.
2. Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Dexter Morgan became a lumberjack, and nobody saw that coming, especially not in a good way.
Michael C. Hall confessed he felt mostly sadness when he read the 2013 finale script.
The decision to have his serial killer character fake his death and chop wood felt completely out of character.
Years later, Hall even agreed to return for a revival series specifically to fix what went wrong.
That’s how unsatisfying the original ending truly was!
3. Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie)
Watching your childhood home get demolished isn’t exactly heartwarming television.
Melissa Gilbert grew up on the set of Walnut Grove, so the 1984 TV movie that literally blew up the town hit differently for her.
She expressed genuine sadness over the destruction of a place filled with memories.
The finale felt like saying goodbye to family, but in the worst possible way.
Sometimes endings are just too brutal to celebrate.
4. Norman Lloyd (St. Elsewhere)
Imagine discovering your entire career on a show was just someone’s daydream.
That’s exactly what happened in the 1988 St. Elsewhere finale, which revealed everything was inside a child’s snow globe imagination.
Norman Lloyd, who played Dr. Daniel Auschlander, didn’t mince words when he called the ending a complete cheat.
Cast members felt confused and betrayed by the twist.
Talk about pulling the rug out from under everyone!
5. Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)
Even comedy legends make mistakes, and Jerry Seinfeld freely admits the 1998 Seinfeld finale was one.
The decision to arrest the main characters for their past misdeeds felt overly ambitious and divisive.
Seinfeld later reflected that trying to make the finale big was the wrong move entirely.
He famously said that big is always wrong in comedy, and he learned that lesson the hard way.
Sometimes simple is better than spectacular.
6. Evangeline Lilly (Lost)
Kate Austen’s journey ended in a church filled with glowing light and spiritual mumbo jumbo.
Evangeline Lilly wasn’t exactly thrilled with how Lost wrapped up its mysteries in 2010.
She felt the finale focused too heavily on Jack’s story while sidelining other characters she cared about.
After six seasons of island mysteries, fans and actors alike wanted more concrete answers.
The ambiguous ending left everyone feeling a bit lost themselves.
7. Ed O’Neill (Married… with Children)
Al Bundy deserved a proper goodbye, but the show just sort of fizzled out in 1997.
Ed O’Neill expressed disappointment that the long-running sitcom didn’t get a real finale episode at all.
The cast learned about cancellation after filming what they thought was just another regular episode.
No closure, no big sendoff, just an abrupt ending that felt disrespectful to loyal fans.
O’Neill wished they’d had a chance to say goodbye properly.
8. David Duchovny (The X-Files)
Mulder’s truth-seeking journey deserved better than what it got in 2002.
David Duchovny wasn’t satisfied with the original series finale, feeling it left too many threads dangling.
The show’s mythology became so convoluted that wrapping it up cleanly seemed impossible.
Duchovny’s frustration showed when he returned for revival seasons that attempted to provide better closure.
Sometimes the truth is out there, but satisfying endings aren’t.
9. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Buffy Summers saved the world a lot, but the 2003 finale left the actress wanting more.
Sarah Michelle Gellar felt the ending was bittersweet but wished certain relationships had been explored differently.
After seven seasons of vampire slaying, she wanted a clearer sense of what came next for her character.
The open-ended conclusion felt incomplete rather than empowering.
Even slayers deserve a satisfying final chapter to their story!
10. Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy)
Jax Teller’s final ride in 2014 was brutal, and Charlie Hunnam had mixed feelings about it.
Though he understood the character’s tragic arc, Hunnam admitted the ending was emotionally devastating to film.
He questioned whether the dark conclusion truly honored the journey fans had taken with the character.
The finale’s bleakness left a heavy weight that lingered long after cameras stopped rolling.
Sometimes tragic doesn’t equal satisfying for everyone involved.
11. Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Skyler White’s fate felt unresolved to the actress who brought her to life.
Anna Gunn appreciated Breaking Bad’s 2013 finale but wished her character had received more closure.
After enduring so much trauma and complicity, Skyler deserved a clearer future beyond just being left behind.
Gunn felt the ending focused heavily on Walt while other characters’ stories felt incomplete.
Everyone remembers Walt’s ending, but what about Skyler’s healing journey?
12. Matthew Perry (Friends)
Could this finale BE any more disappointing for Chandler Bing?
Matthew Perry later expressed that while the 2004 Friends finale was emotional, he felt it played things too safe.
He wished the writers had taken bigger risks with the characters’ endings rather than tying everything in neat bows.
Perry wanted something more surprising and less predictable for the gang’s farewell.
Sometimes happy endings feel a little too convenient to be truly memorable.
13. Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
Saul Berenson’s story concluded in 2020, but Mandy Patinkin had reservations about the direction.
He felt the finale’s political messaging was heavy-handed and overshadowed the character relationships fans cherished.
Patinkin wanted more focus on the emotional connections rather than geopolitical commentary.
After eight seasons of espionage drama, he hoped for something more intimate and personal.
Sometimes shows forget that characters matter more than messages.
14. Misha Collins (Supernatural)
Castiel’s angel got a raw deal in the 2020 Supernatural finale, according to Misha Collins.
His character’s emotional confession scene felt rushed, and then he barely appeared in the final episodes.
Collins expressed disappointment that after 12 years, Castiel didn’t get proper closure with the Winchester brothers.
Fans and the actor alike felt the beloved character deserved better treatment.
Even angels deserve a heaven-sent farewell after that long a journey!
15. Roseanne Barr (Roseanne)
The original 1997 Roseanne finale revealed the entire final season was fictional, written by Roseanne Conner.
Even Roseanne Barr herself later admitted this twist was confusing and alienated the working-class audience.
The meta-narrative felt pretentious for a show that prided itself on authentic, relatable storytelling.
Barr acknowledged the ending was a creative misstep that didn’t honor the show’s roots.
Sometimes getting too clever ruins what made something special originally.
16. Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)
Ted Mosby spent nine seasons telling his kids how he met their mother, only to reveal he still loved Robin.
Josh Radnor defended the controversial 2014 finale initially but later admitted understanding fans’ frustration.
The twist felt like it undid years of character growth and relationship development.
Radnor recognized that while the ending was technically planned from the beginning, execution matters tremendously.
Sometimes sticking to the original plan isn’t always the right choice.
17. Stana Katic (Castle)
Beckett’s story ended abruptly in 2016 when Stana Katic wasn’t even invited back for the finale.
She expressed deep disappointment at being excluded from the show’s conclusion after eight seasons.
The hasty rewrite to accommodate her absence felt disrespectful to the character and fans.
Katic deserved the chance to give her detective a proper sendoff alongside Castle.
Being written out of your own show’s ending is the ultimate finale disappointment.
18. Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries)
Elena Gilbert’s happily-ever-after in 2017 felt rushed after Nina Dobrev had already left the show.
Though she returned for the finale, Dobrev felt her character’s conclusion was squeezed into limited screen time.
After being the show’s center for six seasons, her ending felt like an afterthought.
Dobrev wished there’d been more time to properly explore Elena’s final chapter and relationships.
Coming back for a cameo ending doesn’t equal a satisfying conclusion.
19. Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy)
McDreamy’s death in 2015 wasn’t technically the series finale, but Patrick Dempsey wasn’t happy about his exit.
He felt the character deserved better than a random car accident after 11 seasons.
Dempsey believed Derek Shepherd’s ending lacked the emotional depth and planning such an iconic character warranted.
The abrupt nature of his departure left both actor and fans feeling cheated.
Sometimes how you leave matters just as much as the actual finale.
20. Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D.)
Erin Lindsay’s departure in 2017 left Sophia Bush with bitter feelings about how things ended.
Though not the series finale, Bush’s exit was complicated by behind-the-scenes issues she later discussed publicly.
She felt her character deserved a better farewell and more respectful treatment overall.
Bush’s disappointment extended beyond just the storyline to the entire experience of leaving.
When workplace issues affect your character’s ending, satisfaction becomes impossible to achieve.
21. Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy)
Izzie Stevens left Seattle Grace in 2010 under a cloud of controversy and incomplete storytelling.
Katherine Heigl’s rocky relationship with the show’s creator meant her character didn’t get proper closure.
She later expressed regret about how things ended, wishing for a more amicable and complete conclusion.
Heigl recognized that her departure, while not the finale, left Izzie’s story frustratingly unfinished.
Burning bridges means your character’s ending gets burned too, unfortunately.
22. Rob Lowe (The West Wing)
Sam Seaborn’s exit in 2003 happened mid-series when Rob Lowe left over contract disputes.
Though he returned briefly, Lowe expressed disappointment that his character wasn’t part of the show’s journey to the end.
He felt Sam deserved to be there for the final episodes alongside the rest of the Bartlet administration.
Lowe later admitted wishing he’d stayed to see the complete story through properly.
Missing your show’s finale because of timing is its own special kind of regret.
23. Mischa Barton (The O.C.)
Marissa Cooper’s death in 2006 was meant to be shocking, but Mischa Barton wasn’t thrilled about it.
She later revealed feeling pressured into leaving the show and disappointed by how her character’s story ended.
Barton believed Marissa deserved a happier conclusion after three seasons of teenage drama and trauma.
The tragic car accident felt unnecessarily dark for a show about California youth.
Killing off your lead female character rarely sits well with anyone involved.
24. T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy)
George O’Malley’s death in 2009 came after T.R. Knight decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy.
Knight felt his character had been sidelined and that the tragic ending was unnecessarily brutal.
Being hit by a bus and rendered unrecognizable seemed like an extreme way to write someone off.
Knight wished for a more hopeful or at least less traumatic conclusion for beloved George.
Sometimes shows punish characters when actors choose to leave, which feels petty.
25. Shannen Doherty (Charmed)
Prue Halliwell died in 2001 when Shannen Doherty left Charmed after three seasons.
Doherty later expressed sadness that she wasn’t part of the show’s 2006 finale with her sisters.
Behind-the-scenes tensions led to her departure, but she wished things had ended differently.
Not being included in the Power of Three’s final stand felt like unfinished business.
Family shows should end with the whole family together, magical or otherwise!
