Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for multiple shows.The mark of an excellent show is how it ends. Luckily for Netflix, the streamer has a lineup of shows that have nailed the art of the ending. Traditionally, a finale is supposed to provide a concrete resolution and tie up every loose end. But sometimes, the best endings leave viewers surprised, emotional, or even questioning what they just watched.
These days, some shows have taken bold steps to deliver endings that might not meet viewers’ expectations but are exactly what the story needs. When that creative risk pays off, the result can become a masterpiece in its own right. From haunted houses to young adult coming-of-age stories, here are Netflix show endings that are genuine masterpieces.
‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)
Midnight Mass delivers one of the most sorrowful and lingering finales in this vampiric tale. The once-isolated Crockett Island is ultimately destroyed by the very “miracles” given to its residents. Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) has secretly been giving the congregation vampire blood through Communion, promising them healing and resurrection. Instead, they return as vampires and turn the island into a slaughterhouse.
The Midnight Mass‘ finale focuses on the final minutes before sunrise, as death becomes inevitable, and the remaining characters choose how to spend their final moments. The overzealous Bev Keane (Samantha Sloyan) frantically digs a hole in a desperate but futile attempt to protect herself from the sun. On the beach, Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) and Ali (Rahul Abburi) pray together, accepting what is about to happen. Meanwhile, the remaining infected townspeople solemnly sing the traditional Christian hymn “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” as death is about to sweep them. The imagery is graphic, but the finale itself feels strangely still and peaceful—a difficult balance for a horror series to achieve.
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014–2020)
The recurring theme of BoJack Horseman is that BoJack (Will Arnett) is beyond salvation, and when he nearly drowns in his former home, it seems to reinforce the idea that he might be better off dead. But the show doesn’t let BoJack off that easily without learning one final lesson. After surviving and being arrested, he gets a one-day release from prison to attend Princess Carolyn’s (Amy Sedaris) wedding, where he reconnects with the people closest to him.
BoJack doesn’t immediately turn over a new leaf—it would take a miracle for that to happen. Instead, he learns one vital lesson: the only person who can save him is himself, and the people he loves, like Princess Carolyn and Diane (Alison Brie), won’t always be there to save him. During BoJack’s final rooftop conversation with Diane, the two finally go their separate ways without any promise that everything will be okay. And that’s the point. Sometimes life moves forward without giving us the closure we want, and accepting that may be the closure BoJack needs to keep going.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) faces her biggest challenge in The Queen’s Gambit finale, returning to Moscow for the Tournament of Champions determined to defeat Vasily Borgov (Marcin Dorociński) after losing to him in Paris. This time, however, Beth is more prepared than ever, drawing on chess guidance from her fellow competitors-turned-coaches back in America, alongside Jolene’s (Moses Ingram) support as she confronts her grief.
But what makes the ending a masterpiece is that Beth’s victory isn’t really about defeating Borgov; it’s about finally understanding why she loves chess. Throughout the series, chess represents control in an otherwise chaotic life, becoming tangled with her addiction. After beating Borgov, Beth doesn’t immediately chase another tournament. Instead, she wanders through a Moscow park, where elderly men casually play chess. When one invites her to join, she happily accepts. After spending so long treating chess as a path to greatness, Beth finally finds peace in playing just because she loves it.
‘Baby Reindeer’ (2024)
Trauma is a deeply nuanced subject, and the Baby Reindeer finale explores its complexities without excusing the harassment Donny (Richard Gadd) has endured. By the finale, Donny finally begins processing the experiences behind Martha’s (Jessica Gunning) relentless stalking, particularly the sexual abuse inflicted by someone from his past. His public breakdown becomes a crucial step toward confronting the trauma he has spent so long avoiding.
Even after Martha’s arrest, Baby Reindeer acknowledges the experiences that shaped her intrusive behavior, suggesting that she, too, carries unresolved trauma without excusing her actions. The finale’s simplest visual moment brings everything full circle. When Donny realizes he has forgotten his wallet, the bartender gives him a free drink, mirroring the kindness that first brought him and Martha together when he offered her tea. The series shifts from the horror toward the complicated humanity behind it, suggesting that we never truly know what someone else is carrying.
‘Sex Education’ (2019–2023)
Some things in Sex Education aren’t meant to last—and that’s exactly what makes its ending so meaningful. After years of will-they-won’t-they tension, Otis (Asa Butterfield) and Maeve (Emma Mackey) finally admit they love each other, only to realize they’re better apart. Maeve isn’t the only thing Otis learns to let go of, either. He also gives up his role as the school’s unofficial sex therapist, accepting that he doesn’t need to be in control or constantly fix everyone else’s problems to be useful.
Sex Education refuses to give its characters the conventional happy endings audiences might expect. Otis and Maeve don’t end up together, and many of their friends don’t get tidy romantic conclusions either. However, the finale allows them to find happiness on their own terms, with the highlight being Aimee’s (Aimee Lou Wood) storyline. After struggling with the trauma of her assault, she’s still healing, but is finally ready to experience intimacy again on her own terms. Rather than suggesting that healing means forgetting the past, Sex Education ends by showing that moving forward can simply mean reclaiming the parts of yourself that trauma took away.
‘Grace and Frankie’ (2015–2022)
When legendary Dolly Parton guest-stars in your finale, chances are you’re in for a masterpiece. Grace and Frankie ends its seven-season run with what initially seems like a morbid goodbye, as Frankie (Lily Tomlin) becomes obsessed with her inevitable death after a psychic predicts she will die within three months. In a comically dark twist, Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie accidentally electrocute themselves and seemingly die together. They then meet Agnes (Parton), an angel expecting Frankie but surprised by Grace, whose death wasn’t supposed to happen yet.
In the white, limbo-like realm, the two share tearful goodbyes before Agnes has a change of heart and sends them back to Earth. That twist is what makes the finale so beautiful. Grace and Frankie aren’t sent back because they’ve escaped death, but because they’re given the chance to stop fearing it. After spending so much of the series proving that aging doesn’t have to mean giving up, they return with a renewed appreciation for the present.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (2018)
The Haunting of Hill House might have scared viewers with its tragic tale, but the finale brings the show’s family drama roots to the forefront. The Crain family finally escapes Hill House, but not without one last devastating loss. Olivia (Carla Gugino) tries to keep her children with her forever by trapping them in the Red Room, believing that death will free them from the “dream” of life. Hugh (Henry Thomas) manages to save the surviving siblings but realizes that the only way to stop Olivia is to stay behind.
The real tragedy of Hill House isn’t the ghosts living inside it, but the way the house feeds on people’s grief and uses their pain against them. For years, the Crains have tried to escape the trauma of what happened in the house, only to find themselves haunted by it in different ways. Death is still a major part of the finale, but instead of being portrayed solely as a terrifying ending, it represents peace.