9 Alternate TV Show Endings That Would Have Been Better Than What We Got

Quite a lot of beloved shows, especially long-running ones, have botched their finales in the worst way possible, and the saddest thing about it is that these series have come really close to giving their characters perfect endings. Some shows have even gone so far as to air the best conclusions imaginable and then decided to film a few more seasons — such as the case with Sex and the City that ended two years too late. Unfortunately, when a series gains a following, creators might get blinded by the success and miss the mark on when and how to wrap up the storylines best.

In other cases, an actor’s departure might interfere with the writers’ plans for the ending. In fact, Nina Dobrev’s exit changed The Vampire Diaries‘ finale, which was supposed to be even more devastating than it was. There can be plenty of other factors that contribute to altering the original plan for the show’s farewell, including actors’ chemistry, viewers’ expectations, pressure from the network, change in showrunners, and even actors’ blatant refusal to film the intended scene. Either way, sometimes, alternate endings to TV shows turn out to be more fitting and make more sense for characters than the ones that aired.

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9 Tracy Doesn’t Die

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother‘s ending is easily one of the most loathed series finales in television history, as it has rendered Barney and Robin’s growth and relationship useless, reverted Ted to his old stalked self, and killed off a great character with a lot of potential. However, How I Met Your Mother‘s alternate ending fixes everything. In this scenario, Tracy doesn’t die from a mysterious disease, and Ted gets his happily-ever-after with her. In addition, Robin and Barney stay together as they should, and the group doesn’t fall apart. This ending would have been close to perfect.

8 Carrie & Big Don’t End Up Together

Sex and the City

Sex and the City used to be about four women’s indestructible friendship and how they were willing to go above and beyond for each other. Their romantic relationships were never the focus of the story. Unfortunately, the show betrayed its premise in the finale by having Carrie first move to Paris for Aleksandr and then reunite with Mr. Big of all people. Sex and the City‘s alternate ending would have seen Carrie renounce both Big and Aleksandr, go back to New York, and be with her girls. If she had said no to Big, she could have finally grown as a person, and the proposed ending would have reinforced the idea that friends come first.

7 Rachel Doesn’t Get Off The Plane

Friends

Ross and Rachel came rather close to not being each other’s lobsters after all. Friends‘ ending almost didn’t have Ross and Rachel get back together. At the reunion, the creators revealed that they wanted to have an ambiguous ending for the ex-couple, which would be open to interpretation. Rachel wouldn’t have gotten off the plane, and her future with Ross would have been left uncertain — they might have ended up back in each other’s lives, or they might have moved on. Considering how toxic Ross and Rachel’s relationship was for years on end, the grimmer finale option would have been fairer.

6 Damon & Stefan Both Die

The Vampire Diaries

In The Vampire Diaries’ bittersweet finale, Stefan sacrifices himself to take down Katherine and give Damon a chance at a peaceful life with Elena. Back when season 2 was on air, Julie Plec envisioned a different conclusion to the series, in which both Salvatore brothers would give up their lives to save Elena and watch her live her mortal life from the beyond. Nina Dobrev’s departure changed things up, and the creator made an executive decision to have Damon survive. In reality, the original scenario would have been the best way for both Salvatore brothers to earn true redemption for their crimes.

5 Caroline & Klaus Get Their Happily-Ever-After

The Originals

In turn, The Vampire Diaries’ altered finale interfered with The Originals’ ending. Klaus wasn’t initially meant to die. Instead, he was supposed to go traveling around the world with Caroline, his one true love (via EW). Sadly, Plec felt that after the emotional journey that Caroline had been on with Stefan, it wouldn’t be right to send her and Klaus off into the sunset quite like she had imagined. It is a shame that this ending never came to fruition since it would have perfectly completed Klaus and Caroline’s arc by having them find their way back to each other.

4 Hannah Survives

13 Reasons Why

Hannah Baker’s suicide and all its implications are the central theme of 13 Reasons Why season 1. However, at some point, the novel’s author, Jay Asher, wanted Hannah to survive, shifting the narrative to the concept of second chances (as per EW via IndieWire). Seeing as the book stirred up quite a lot of tensions, and the series was surrounded with controversy from start to finish, the alternate ending might not have been a terrible idea. It would have had the same emotional impact, but the tone would have been a lot more lighthearted, and the show itself would have been easier to watch.

3 Lorelai Is Pregnant

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls ended on a high note with Rory spreading her wings and flying away from Lorelai into her own bright future, and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’s finale shockingly saw Rory announce her pregnancy to her mother. Neither ending felt quite right, as the first one was underwhelming for a series finale, and the second one ruined Rory as a character for good. Gilmore Girls‘ costume designer, Valerie Campbell, shared on TikTok that there was an alternate ending where Lorelai was the one telling Rory about being pregnant. With this scenario, the story would have come full circle: Lorelai and Luke would have started their own family, and Rory would have been off on her own adventures.

2 Eric Is Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl

In a mind-blowing finale plot twist, Dan Humphrey turns out to be the infamous Gossip Girl, which doesn’t seem believable plot-wise. That could be because he wasn’t intended to be the face behind the mask in the first place. Another character was supposed to be Gossip Girl, and that was Eric, Serena’s brother. Unfortunately, the New York Post guessed the culprit a bit too soon, and the creators were forced to go in another direction to keep the show interesting. If Connor Paolo, who played Eric, hadn’t left the show in season 4, the reveal that Eric was the Gossip Girl would have been the most logical move.

1 There Is A Big Reunion In Heaven

Supernatural

After 15 seasons on air, Supernatural was expected to end in a grand way, and the finale was supposed to have plenty of guest stars from the previous seasons and become one of the best, most tear-jerking episodes of the series. According to Jerry Wanek’s book with stories from the set, the original ending would have featured Dean being welcomed into Heaven by all the people the Winchesters had helped in their years of hunting. Instead, Covid-19’s restrictions intervened, and all the cameo appearances were no longer possible, so Dean had to settle for Bobby and his Baby.

Sources: EW, IndieWire, TikTok