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Some of TV’s most iconic finales almost ended in ways that would have shocked viewers even more than the episodes we got. From secret identities and ghostly twists to heartbreaking sacrifices and surprising reunions, these scrapped endings reveal what might have been for your favorite shows. Get ready for a wild ride through the most jaw-dropping alternative conclusions to beloved series!
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00:00You know, I don't exactly know how to feel about all this.
00:03For real, yo. The whole thing felt kind of shady, you know, like, morality-wise?
00:08Totally.
00:09Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:11And today, we're counting down our picks for scrapped finale plans for iconic shows
00:16that were even more surprising than the ones they aired.
00:19You young ladies need to go home, put on some decent clothes,
00:23and take a good hard look at your lives. Get!
00:26Number 10. Gossip Girl
00:31Viewers spent six seasons speculating on the identity of the eponymous anonymous blogger
00:36on the teen drama Gossip Girl.
00:38Okay, you need to explain everything from the beginning, the very, very beginning.
00:44Few were prepared for the truth that it was Dan Humphrey, Serena Vanderwoodson's boyfriend.
00:50The reveal was met with divisive reactions.
00:52OMG, you're not going to believe who Gossip Girl is.
00:57Wait, Gossip Girl is real?
01:03Some loved it, and others wished it had been anyone else.
01:07Executive producer Joshua Safran was in the latter camp,
01:11intending for Gossip Girl to be Serena's brother Eric Vanderwoodson.
01:14You're engaged, Serena's found a new guy, Eric found himself a boyfriend.
01:19Excuse me?
01:23Unfortunately, that plan had to be scrapped after it was published in the New York Post.
01:29Had they been able to continue with their original vision,
01:31there may have been actual stakes and social consequences for the perpetrator,
01:36rather than a time jump that conveniently skips past any potential drama.
01:39Who am I now? That's one secret I'll never tell. XOXO, Gossip Girl.
01:47Number 9. You.
01:49If you had a nickel for every time Penn Badgley was involved in a show with an alternate ending,
01:54you'd have two.
01:55It's unfair putting all this on me.
02:00Aren't we all just products of our environment?
02:02Hurt people. Hurt people.
02:04You followed him as obsessive serial killer Joe Goldberg,
02:07and ended on a high note with him being shot by Bronte,
02:11arrested, and left alone in a cell.
02:13But it was later revealed that the showrunners didn't decide the conclusion
02:17until well into the final season.
02:19So, in the end,
02:22my punishment is even worse than I imagined.
02:28It was clear Joe had to get his just desserts,
02:31with one unused resolution going about it more diabolically.
02:35In it, he doesn't survive the gunshot,
02:37but doesn't realize he's dead and a ghost until the last episode.
02:41You get to be the one who kills me, Bronte.
02:44This is how our story ends.
02:48My name is Louise.
02:51While that would have been a shocking twist,
02:53the finale they did opt for is more satisfying.
02:57Number 8. Sex and the City.
02:59So, what's going on? Where are you?
03:00I was out front.
03:03I just left.
03:08I can't do this.
03:09A series centered on girl power and the importance of female friendship
03:13was nearly ruined by a cookie-cutter ending.
03:15The final episode found each member of the group finding love in some way,
03:19with Carrie Bradshaw finally hearing Mr. Big say that she's the one.
03:23It took me a really long time to get here.
03:30But I'm here.
03:31This reportedly caused a fight amongst the writers,
03:34with some arguing that this conclusion went against the feminist themes.
03:38Others were planned in lieu of the one presented,
03:41including one where Carrie marries the Russian.
03:44I can't believe you got married to the Russian.
03:46I can't believe you got married to the Russian without us.
03:51I didn't.
03:52However, the most interesting one has her swearing off big
03:55and prioritizing her friends.
03:57While it may not be the most romantic finish,
04:00it would have been refreshing and genuinely unique.
04:02Well, let it go, ladies. It's big.
04:04It's the big ending we've all been waiting for.
04:08Well, you are handling all of this very well.
04:11And it wouldn't have been derailed by the 2008 movie.
04:14Number 7. Hannah Montana.
04:16The original ending to the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana was perfect.
04:20I'm sorry.
04:21For what? Being the best friend I've ever had?
04:29Having Miley give up the chance to work on a Steven Spielberg movie
04:32to attend college with Lily was a heartwarming,
04:36proper farewell to the Hannah Montana persona.
04:38However, there was a twist planned,
04:40which would have painted the show in a new light.
04:42You know, there's going to be a million concerts and tours and movies,
04:46but I only get one chance to go to college with my best friend.
04:50It begins with the two friends tearfully saying goodbye
04:53as the camera pans over to a girl playing with a Hannah doll.
04:56It then flashes back 12 years to Miley as a child,
05:00playing with toys and singing.
05:02Miley Cyrus, why are you still up?
05:05You know it's past your bedtime.
05:07It implies that everything that had happened
05:11was merely a figment of her imagination.
05:14Surprising? Absolutely.
05:16But it would have come at the cost of the real finale's emotional impact.
05:19As long as you keep believing in yourself,
05:21you can do anything you want to do.
05:23Your mama's right.
05:25And if I know my little girl,
05:27someday your dream's going to come true.
05:29Number 6. Friends.
05:31I got off the plane.
05:41A series spanning a full decade needs to have a proper send-off.
05:45Friends did just that.
05:47With an emotional, if divisive, finale
05:49that saw Rachel choosing Ross over her new job in Paris.
05:53I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
05:54But I need to get off the plane, okay?
05:55I need to just tell someone that I love them.
05:57Miss, I can't let you off the plane.
05:59Let her off the plane!
06:00Most fans were elated,
06:02and none had any idea that it almost didn't happen.
06:06David Crane, one of the creators,
06:08admitted that the power couple nearly didn't make it to the end.
06:11I do love you.
06:12I love you too, and I am never letting you go again.
06:17Okay, because this is where I want to be.
06:19Okay, no more messing up.
06:20I don't want to mess this up again.
06:21Luckily, he realized that going down that route
06:24wouldn't have been satisfying for the fans and cast,
06:27who adored the two together.
06:29While the version they opted for
06:31was by far the better choice for the fans,
06:33some can't help but wonder what would have happened
06:35had Rachel stayed on the plane.
06:37This is ridiculous.
06:42Yeah, okay.
06:45Number 5. Nurse Jackie.
06:47Not every ending was made to be happy.
06:50Jackie?
06:52Jackie?
06:53Call Belle for you!
06:55Jackie.
06:57Baby! Jackie!
06:59Hey, hang in there.
07:00Nurse Jackie ends on a somber note,
07:02wherein the titular character collapses
07:04and her fate is left ambiguous.
07:07It was a bittersweet conclusion,
07:09nearly passed over in favor of a more dramatic one.
07:12In the alternate version,
07:14I wanted her to die.
07:15I really thought it was important that,
07:16even throughout the time of working on the show,
07:19people would say,
07:20it's so nice to see a show about addicts.
07:21My brother was an addict.
07:22He overdosed a few years ago.
07:24Whatever.
07:24A fire was to break out,
07:26and it would appear that Jackie died
07:27rescuing a handcuffed man
07:29suffering from substance use disorder.
07:31She then would have suddenly escaped and lived.
07:34Um, you have any idea what's next?
07:36I mean, besides kicking ass on your masters.
07:40I'm going to take a vacation.
07:42Go to an island for a couple of weeks.
07:44That's great.
07:45You deserve it.
07:46They were going to move forward with this plan
07:48and even had a set built
07:49before realizing it wouldn't have worked
07:51with the stakes the story had built.
07:53The climax was scrapped in lieu of the one we did get,
07:57which proved to be just as impactful.
07:59So anyway, we ended up with some sort of a compromise
08:01where people aren't sure that she died,
08:03and if you ask me, she died.
08:05Number four, Lost.
08:07Revelations like this make us wish
08:09production budgets didn't exist.
08:11Everybody buckle up, Mike!
08:14Hold on!
08:19The Lost finale is still controversial,
08:22with many fans considering it
08:24either the best or the worst moment of the series.
08:27The emotional conclusion finds the characters
08:29reuniting one final time in death
08:31and displaying the true depth
08:33of the flash sideways sequences.
08:36You died.
08:38Yeah.
08:40Yes, I did.
08:44Then how are you here right now?
08:46The ending was intended to be much more intense,
08:49with a volcano on the island erupting
08:51and causing a lava-filled battle
08:52between Jack and the Man in Black.
08:54Unfortunately, the production team
08:56didn't have the resources
08:57to bring that vision to life.
08:59Maybe there's another way.
09:02A better way.
09:07Can you help me?
09:08Of course, it's hard not to wonder
09:09what the fan reception would have been
09:11had that been the way it ended instead.
09:14Number three, Dexter.
09:16Antihero or not,
09:17many fans assumed Dexter would end with justice.
09:20I always thought that if I ever left Miami,
09:22I'd be running for my life.
09:25Not running towards a new one.
09:27When vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan
09:30started a new life as a lumberjack,
09:32the reception was poor to say the least.
09:34Even those who invested in his actions
09:36on some level wanted to see him answer for his crimes.
09:39In one sharp moment,
09:41you took away this foolish dream
09:45that I could have a happy life.
09:47Creator Clyde Phillips later admitted
09:49that he'd wanted a more subversive conclusion.
09:52He wanted Dexter to wake up,
09:53making the audience think it was all a dream,
09:56until the camera pulls back
09:57to reveal he's awaiting execution,
09:59all while the people he killed are watching.
10:02As much as I may have pretended otherwise,
10:05for so long,
10:05all I wanted was to be like other people,
10:08to feel what they felt.
10:10If you just got chills,
10:11we wouldn't blame you.
10:12Despite that sounding like the perfect end,
10:15it was passed over for the unsatisfying one
10:17that aired instead.
10:19Hi Harrison,
10:20I just wanted to tell you one last time
10:21that I love you.
10:23I love you too.
10:25I want you to remember that every single day
10:27until I see you again.
10:29Daddy loves you.
10:30Number two, Breaking Bad.
10:32It's over.
10:35And I needed a proper goodbye.
10:39Not our last phone call.
10:41Out of every show
10:42that possibly needs a gimmicky ending,
10:44this is at the bottom of the list.
10:46To say that Breaking Bad
10:48had an emotionally gripping finale
10:49would be an understatement.
10:51I just look like a partner to you.
10:53Come here, take a look.
10:55Come here!
10:56Walter White admits
10:57he entered the drug trade for himself
10:59and dies rescuing Jesse Pinkman
11:02from Jack's gang.
11:03It's the perfect resolution,
11:05but Vince Gilligan couldn't help
11:07but film an alternate one
11:08for a DVD extra.
11:10Do it.
11:14You want this?
11:21This one has a totally different tone.
11:23Walt solidifies himself as Heisenberg
11:26before we cut to Hal,
11:27Bryan Cranston's Malcolm in the Middle character,
11:30waking up from a nightmare
11:31and explaining Breaking Bad
11:33to his wife Lois.
11:34I was this world-class chemist
11:36and I cooked
11:37and I sold this ultra-pure meth
11:39and an adephedrine.
11:41You cooking anything?
11:43It's an unexpectedly hilarious twist
11:45and would have most likely
11:47infuriated fans and critics
11:49if it aired.
11:50Before we unveil our top pick,
11:52here are a few honorable mentions.
11:54The Hills.
11:55The original ending
11:56brought Lauren Conrad back
11:58and implied that she ended up with Brody.
12:00How you been?
12:00I was just saying goodbye
12:02to a friend of mine.
12:03You okay?
12:04Yeah.
12:06Yeah, I'm all right.
12:08It's hard to say goodbye.
12:10Yeah, it is.
12:11Supernatural.
12:12Before pandemic disruptions,
12:14the brothers and past characters
12:16were to reunite in Roadhouse.
12:18Hey, Sammy.
12:26Dean?
12:27Killing Eve.
12:28Eve was going to die
12:30rather than Villanelle.
12:31I did it, Eve.
12:37Don't you mean we did it?
12:39Yeah, but mostly me.
12:42Schitt's Creek.
12:43Alexis and Ted
12:44nearly got married
12:45alongside David and Patrick.
12:47I now pronounce you
12:48husband and husband.
12:50You may kiss each other.
12:53Squid Game.
12:54Rather than die,
12:55Ji-hun lived
12:56and got to see
12:57his daughter in America.
13:06Before we continue,
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13:24Number 1.
13:27How I Met Your Mother
13:28A finale can make
13:29or break a show.
13:31Tonight is about
13:32celebrating our
13:33enduring bond
13:34as friends,
13:35nay,
13:36family.
13:37Because that's
13:37what we are, Ted.
13:38We are fa-
13:39Okay, fun night, guys.
13:40Keep in touch.
13:41Damn it!
13:42We're fine.
13:43After nine seasons,
13:45Ted Mosby finally gets
13:46to the part
13:46where he meets
13:47Tracy McConnell.
13:48The chemistry was
13:49immediately palpable,
13:51but that was
13:51immediately snuffed out
13:52by Tracy getting sick
13:54and passing away.
13:55All I could do
13:56was thank God.
13:58Thank every God
13:59there is or ever was
14:00or will be
14:01and the whole universe
14:03and anyone else
14:04I could possibly thank.
14:05After hearing
14:06the whole story,
14:07Ted's kids tell him
14:08that he's clearly
14:09in love with Robin,
14:10whom Ted then visits.
14:12It was a slap
14:12in the face to fans
14:13who felt like it destroyed
14:15multiple character arcs.
14:16And that, kids,
14:18is how I met your mother.
14:19That's it.
14:23That's it.
14:24Luckily, the DVD
14:25featured an alternative ending
14:27that followed Ted
14:28and Tracy's meeting
14:29with a series of photos
14:30of them building
14:31a life together.
14:32As Ted says,
14:33it was easy,
14:34which leads us to wonder
14:35why they strayed from it
14:36in the first place.
14:38And I never thought
14:38I'd see it again.
14:44Funny how sometimes
14:45you just find things.
14:48Which of these
14:49alternative endings
14:50would you have wanted
14:51to see the most?
14:52Let us know in the comments.
14:54Dude, why the hostility?
14:56Well, it's just that
14:57I made a huge romantic gesture
14:58and you doing the same thing
14:59kind of makes it
15:00a little less special.
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