The 5 Most Tear-Jerking Series Finales of 2022, Ranked
Sadly, many television shows came to an end this year. From award-winning broadcast series to relatively short-lived streaming shows, many series finales in 2022 made us shed a tear. Read on for our ranking of the five most heartbreaking endings we witnessed in the past 12 months.
5. ‘Legacies’ earned a spot on our 2022 list of heartbreaking series finales
It’s never easy to say goodbye to a television show that has been on for multiple seasons. However, it’s a little tougher when the show might be the final spinoff of a wildly popular universe.
The Legacies series finale aired on June 16, 2022. It might not have included a shocking, painful death or a devastating loss, but knowing that it could be the end of The Vampire Diaries universe was enough to make fans cry. Plus, seeing Candice King and Joseph Morgan return as Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson was the cherry on top.
Hopefully, one day, fans will see these characters return to their screens. But for now, The Vampire Diaries universe has concluded.
4. ‘The Walking Dead’
The Walking Dead had its share of ups and downs over its 11 seasons. But its legacy added an extra weight on fans’ chests when the series finale aired in November 2022.
The last episode was relatively light compared to a few other heavy installments in the show (we’ll never forgive the writers for Glenn’s death). Don’t get us wrong; the series finale was still dark and depressing — characters died, after all. And “Rest in Peace” made audiences cry everywhere, but it ended on a hopeful note.
Plus, this isn’t the end. Fear the Walking Dead will air its eighth season in 2023. And three more spinoffs — The Walking Dead: Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and an untitled series about Rick and Michonne — will premiere in 2023.
3. ‘Dead to Me’
We can all agree that Dead to Me ended prematurely, right? The Netflix series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini aired on the streaming service for three seasons before its finale in 2022. There was nothing like it on television, and we will greatly miss it.
But what came as more of a shock to fans was when Cardellini’s Judy died from stage four cervical cancer in the series finale.
Despite the show’s dark nature, Judy was a ray of sunshine. She was the perfect foil to Applegate’s cynical character, Jen. Sadly, karma targeted Judy in the end, and a pregnant Jen was left to pick up the pieces. And we don’t think there was a dry tear in the house when Jen walked into her son’s performance and saw all of the paper cranes Judy made.
2. ‘This Is Us’
For the past six years, This Is Us has been the saddest show on television. So we wouldn’t expect its 2022 series finale to be anything less than depressing. However, it surprised us when its penultimate episode was the real tearjerker.
“The Train” and “Us” — This Is Us‘s last two hours — go hand in hand. The first episode is a thoughtful and beautiful tribute to Mandy Moore’s Rebecca as she died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. And the second episode perfectly summed up what the show is about: finding beauty in the most mundane places.
Both episodes were heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. And we couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to This Is Us than with a box of tissues.
1. ‘Killing Eve’ had one of the saddest series finales of 2022
When a show kills off one of its two main characters, it’s easy to call it the most tear-jerking series finale of 2022.
Killing Eve ended in April 2022, and when fans learned Villanelle died, they were deeply saddened and outraged. She almost got her happily ever after with Eve, but that all came crashing down when Carolyn hired an assassin to kill Villanelle.
And since the series ended with Eve screaming in anguish as Villanelle’s dead body floated away, it’s safe to say that the finale is one of the most heartbreaking episodes of 2022.
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