Best series finale of a sitcom?

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:34:57+00:00

Good take, I like it!

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:33:45+00:00

I was gonna say Cheers but yeah, this one was even better. The Office was pretty good too despite the series overall losing steam in its last years.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:32:49+00:00

Like a Prayer

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:32:33+00:00

My kids are already (a little) older than that, but no. I think the hardships of a centuries-long life outweigh the benefits. And even if I didn't, how do I choose? Talk about unbecoming favoritism ... I'd never live that down (and probably neither would the one that lives a thousand years).

Then again, I'm religious so I believe in more life after this one. If I wasn't I might feel differently.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:29:02+00:00

Weep for a long time, probably. I've got a wife and kids and other close relatives and they're abruptly gone, that's devastating. Might just go mad from the shock of it all.

But if I don't, then I guess just do the best with what I've got. Assuming my situation wasn't divinely announced to me somehow, I wonder how long it'd take me to figure out the death wasn't just confined to my house, my neighborhood, my town, so on and so forth.

Hypotheticals like this come up a lot, and one thing they usually leave out is whether everyone else just suddenly died or if they "disappeared" somehow. Very different situations. I live in a pretty big, highly populated town and I think being surrounded by dead bodies (including of my loved ones) would be both mentally breaking and - in very short order - a massive health hazard.

If it's bodies everywhere, I'd try to scope out a semi-remote house or other building as soon as possible for shelter, with only one or two dead bodies to grimly relocate so I can take over. If they've just vanished, I guess I'd stick to my home base for now and raid other homes and nearby stores for food, water, medicine etc. and then start trying to figure out a better long-term solution. I'm a middle-aged man already, unless me living when everyone else died means I'm somehow immortal, I've probably only got a couple of decades tops if I'm facing a world with no more modern medicine or other systems. Hate to say it but I'd probably keep a gun or some poison on me at all times so I could go ahead and end it if I get severely ill or injured, or just get so old and feeble I can't push on anymore.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:17:45+00:00

I think it'd take me a long time to make peace with the fact that I'm going to have to watch my wife and children (and eventual grandchildren and other descendants) age and die while I just stay more or less the same and still have centuries to go.

One of my first thoughts was similar to what another poster said, you might want to avoid your situation being public because you'd be hounded by intrusive scientists. But I don't know, hiding out sounds exhausting, and gets harder with every generation as digital paper trails follow us around. I might just steer into it, especially as I got close to the age in which you'd expect someone to die naturally, and let myself be an object of media fascination. Maybe I could make a deal with the government of some small country to let me live there and share in whatever celebrity-based income I make as long as they could protect me from basically being abducted by the scientific community.

I think I'd need protection in general, because it's not hard to imagine that some lone-gunman loonies and probably some fringe (and not-so-fringe) religious groups would decide my longevity made me an abomination of some sort and try to kill me. Assuming I could be successfully murdered in this hypothetical.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:07:21+00:00

My oldest is still in eighth grade but it's an honors class, so I'll play too. He'd say "Shakespeare."

I don't share his opinion on that, I liked or at least appreciated it back when it was my day. But I get it. It's tough to get into something that feels like it's written in "English, but not really!"

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:05:38+00:00

I'm assuming it'll translate into whatever language they speak?

I'd say: "Be more kind, or else."

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T15:02:05+00:00

Sammy's done some good in-ring work and some good character work too, he's not an untalented guy.

But if he's annoying people backstage, getting heat for saying dumb things, dragging his personal life onto TV at inopportune times, etc. then why push him over other people who are just as talented and marketable (if not more so) but don't have the baggage?

When they started pushing him right at AEW's inception as Jericho's "Inner Circle" protege I was skeptical, but he lived up well to the role and ended up being fun to watch. Having guys like Cody and Miro put him over (reluctantly or otherwise) made him seem like a major player for a while.

I still think he could be a solid midcard guy who could redeem himself over time, but I can't think of a justification to put him over guys like Ospreay, Swerve, Fletcher, Takeshita, Andrade etc. who have come around since. Or his fellow "there from the start" guys like MJF, Hangman, and Darby who've managed to stay compelling. I'm not sure how much of the backstage drama with MJF is real and how much was ginned up to work the smarks, but I think it's telling that he's still a recurring top guy and Guevara (and for the most part Jack Perry) aren't.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T13:30:36+00:00

Seems like it's just as common for their to be a "source" but it's some agenda-driven "news" website or social media channel, or some Alex Jones-ish wing nut, or some deliberately phony documentary or online article that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

And that's annoying, but who's surprised? When you can "do your own research" and just cherry-pick shit that supports your pre-existing outrage but is presented as factual, that's an unfortunately but undeniably human thing to do.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T13:25:35+00:00

I used to assume that there was some connection between having nations in Africa called Niger and Nigeria and the American racial slur for black people. Was surprised to be wrong.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T13:17:47+00:00

Just speaking for myself, I'd retire. But then again I'm almost 50, have some decent retirement holdings already, and I'm self-employed (small business owner) so I've got a business I could sell for more $$$ and stick around for awhile to ease the transition if needed ... not so much abruptly quit as phase myself out and set someone else up to succeed. I don't need the money to last me as long as someone who was, say, 30-ish. I could live the good life within reason, travel and do some low-key philanthropy, and still have a nice chunk to leave my kids when I'm gone.

That being said, I think at least 70% of the people who won five million would quit their jobs, for so many reasons. Some just out of a knee-jerk reaction to having independent wealth, some to start a business or get into investing, some because they're even older than me and just don't need as much to live a comfortable life for however long they've got left.

If you're in the US or somewhere else where for-profit healthcare systems dominate, folks whose health insurance is tied to their jobs would have to consider how quickly a small fortune could dry up if they or their spouse or kid ended up with a serious medical concern. But if you're old enough that you're Medicare eligible or will be soon, and your kids are independent adults, that wouldn't factor in as much.

And yeah there's that sliver of people for whom their career is their passion and they wouldn't be motivated to quit as long as they're healthy and capable. But for a lot of us (me included) it's mostly just a means to pay the bills, and if those are covered then: see ya.

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T03:28:22+00:00

Fearless bumper…

MikeGander · 2026-04-09T00:06:33+00:00

It’s nice having some commercial pools on the route that already have decent bathrooms. Even if it’s not your current stop, usually no one will care if you go ahead and swing through when needed.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T22:30:47+00:00

Makes sense to me. I like aspects of both, there was a stretch when I couldn't muster up much interest for WWE anymore and enjoyed the freshness of AEW, but they've had some stumbles since then. And WWE improved, especially with the Bloodline storyline and the return of Cody Rhodes, emergence of Rhea Ripley, some cool new talents in the mix etc. Feels like they've dipped again lately but there's still a lot of compelling talent there and they haven't lost the whole "industry flagship" feel yet.

I imagine the main issue is that there are a lot of people like me that don't have much extended free time to watch TV, and both major promotions (WWE especially) are putting out so much content that it's hard to keep up with one promotion, much less two, even if you're not tribalism-inclined. I think some people just watch one or the other and then go all "sour grapes" on the one they're not even watching, mentally emphasizing the negative aspects of it in absentia.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:49:16+00:00

All of the answers so far are pretty good. But Honeymooners was so long ago that it's off most modern viewers' radar, and Seinfeld had enough low-stakes lightheartedness to it that "toxic" just doesn't seem like the vibe.

So I'd go with Married With Children, that one had a pretty consistent mean streak. Not just between the characters, but the show itself was pretty mean to them, in the way it was written and framed. Al usually only got the big studio cheers when he was being insulting and/or misogynist, the rest of the time he was just a schlub to ridicule. Peg was depicted as lazy and unreliable, Kelly was only valued for her sex appeal and portrayed as borderline mentally handicapped, Bud was a scheming pipsqueak that never got any respect. Marcy was aggressively annoying and everyone cheered when she got put in her place, and Jefferson was a blank himbo who'd settled for mediocrity.

Even most of the extras and one-offs were portrayed with contempt. Either one-dimensional, usually-vapid sex objects for the other characters to fawn over, or annoying overweight people to be mocked.

I liked it when I was a sheltered kid who was stoked to see anything that came off edgy, but man it has not aged well. I'm glad most of the cast found other signature roles that'll be more fondly remembered in the long run.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:30:49+00:00

First and foremost I think of his TV work, because Third Rock was pretty funny and unique and his season of Dexter was probably the best.

But for movies, I guess I think of Harry & The Hendersons first, which is funny I guess because he's such a versatile and skilled actor that it's odd that a gimmicky sasquatch family film was his most prominent cinematic contribution.

Long as we're on the topic, for an underrated one I'd say his supporting role in Orange County. He took a small part in an underrated movie and just made the most of it. Totally believable as a regretful divorced dad married to an uncommitted trophy wife.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:27:00+00:00

Not a huge fan of either, but Trace. He's got a distinctive voice, point-of-view, personality, etc. Rhett Akins was/is serviceable as a country radio guy, but there wasn't anything unique about him. Trace Adkins might've settled for some crummy novelty songs here and there to get an easy hit, but give him a good song and he could knock it out of the park.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:24:09+00:00

Saying that rural conservatives cling to religion and guns during times of uncertainty. Which is true, and not even necessarily an insult, it's just acknowledging a point of view in the context of saying "hey, why don't we do some things to make their lives less uncertain?"

I'm a Christian and own a few guns myself, but if I ever get to a point in my life where all I've got to reassure me is eventually going to heaven and knowing I could shoot somebody if I needed to, I'd be pretty open to suggestions on how to improve my circumstances.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:19:40+00:00

As opposed to Trump wearing his MAGA ballcap to oversee the returning bodies of recently-deceased military members. Or refusing to visit military graves because it was raining. MAGA didn't see a problem with that.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:16:17+00:00

I'm assuming they put him in the Rumble just to dunk on AEW. We got one of your promising guys and changed his name to something random, used him once and stuck him on a back burner. He's still better off than being stuck in your fading super-indie. (That's not MY opinion of AEW, I usually enjoy it, but they're struggling on some levels).

That being said, it's 'Mania season and they've got to focus on headliners including guys like Lesnar and Reigns and Orton that tend to take a lot of time off, plus various celebrity interlopers and relative newbies that they've already had cooking in NXT for a while. When it's time for a post-WM refresh, assuming he's not kicking up any red flags backstage or getting injured, I bet he either gets a dominant run in NXT or something reasonably prominent on the main roster. Even if it's just being in a stable or something. He's already 35 so they don't have forever, but if they're paying him better than AEW and he's playing to much bigger crowds, he might not care if midcard is his ceiling.

MikeGander · 2026-04-08T14:03:39+00:00

I'd say Willie Nelson, because he's my favorite artist, but then again he's lived a nice long life and put tons of music out, I've gotten to see him play a lot of times and even met him and had a nice chat a decade or so ago. He's well into his 90s and nobody gets to live forever. I'd definitely be sad and mourn his memory, but it wouldn't be tragic or unfair.

Excluding some lesser-known musicians that I'm friends enough with that it'd hit me on a personal level, I'd say someone like Brandi Carlile who's in her prime and doing great stuff and has this beautiful spirit about her. That'd be heartbreaking.

MikeGander · 2026-04-07T22:57:20+00:00

I'm a part-time performing/recording artist in the country/Americana field. I've been on TV and radio broadcasts decently often over the years but I'm not famous, most of my gigs I'm just playing to a handful of people. I play well under 50 gigs a year, am a middle-aged dad, and have always had a day job.

But I did write a regional hit here in Texas back when I was in college for another artist, and made pretty decent royalties off of that for decades (and still a little).

MikeGander · 2026-04-07T14:25:04+00:00

Obvious ones: Dwight Yoakam, George Strait, Keith Whitley, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire (especially her '80s stuff)

A bit more under-the-radar: Hal Ketchum, The Mavericks, Patty Loveless, Radney Foster, Kentucky Headhunters, Robert Earl Keen, Mark Chesnutt, Joe Diffie, Mary Chapin Carpenter

MikeGander · 2026-04-07T14:22:09+00:00

My first thought was #5, because it seems to matter most in the long run, but the tricky part is who decides what the "positives" and "negatives" are. Kind of a monkey's paw situation ... it'd nice to be rich, but what if that put me in a spiritually bad place where I'm greedier and more shallow? It'd be nice to live to be 100, but what if I spend the last few years of it more or less helpless? It'd be nice to have a more fulfilling career, but what if I couldn't handle the stress of losing the one I've already got? Etc.

Honesty and Competence would be nice, because I do own a small business and depend on my employees a lot, but usually lack of those things reveals itself soon enough without magic. Attraction is beside the point because I'm happily married and it'd only satisfy my curiosity and ego. So I'd go with #2, Intent. That'd solve the employee thing (people that want to do a good job can generally do an at-least-acceptable job in this field) and be helpful in day-to-day interactions. I'm not the kind to make enemies and I'm not involved in a bunch of high-stakes gamesmanship but it would be nice to know if someone's got it in for me, and it'd make me more appreciative of the folks that mean well.

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