Mom
Series finale: Thursday, May 13 at 9pm ET/PT on CBS
Total run: Eight seasons, 170 episodes
How it started: Newly sober single mom Christy (Anna Faris) tries to pull her life together by reuniting with her mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney), in Napa Valley.
Signature episode: “Terrorists and Gingerbread,” Season 3, Episode 1: Bonnie and Christy disagree about forgiveness when Bonnie’s estranged mom wants to be a part of their lives.
Awards: Primetime Emmy Awards 2014-15, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Janney)
Notable guest stars: Yvette Nicole Brown, Ellen Burstyn, Kristin Chenoweth, Beverly D’Angelo, Patti LuPone, Joe Manganiello, Emily Osment, Kevin Pollak, Richard Schiff, June Squibb, Octavia Spencer, French Stewart, Kathleen Turner, Steven Weber, Bradley Whitford, Rainn Wilson
How will it end? Janney wishes Mom had more time for a bigger ramp-up to the finale, but at least the series will go out on its own terms. Bringing Faris back for a guest appearance would give a proper send-off for Christy, but that path might be too worn for a show that has continually shunned expectations. In the series finale, “My Kinda People and the Big To-Do,” Bonnie gains a new outlook on her sobriety after dealing with difficult news. Could that news have something to do with Christy?
Too sad. Too soon. Best TV on TV.
So long, my friends.