Line of Duty (season four)
The ending Nobody is “Balaclava Man”: it’s simply a dial-a-thug service accessed by corrupt coppers when they need to take someone out or fit them up good and proper.
The alternative Spurned AC-12 cop Jamie (Royce Pierreson) turns out to have been the masked bastard all along.
Would it have been better? No. A disgruntled rookie turning on the team who doubted him is finer drama than a cheesy “It was me from the start” reveal.
Sex and the City
The ending Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) finally commits to Mr Big (Chris Noth).
The alternative She decides her New York pals are much more important and returns from Europe alone, also rejecting the elegant Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov).
Would it have been better? Yes! This is the classic ending that betrays the show: it was conceived as an antidote to romcoms where everything is fixed by finding the right man.
The Replacement
The ending Invasive architect Paula (Vicky McClure) is arrested, having waged a campaign of murder and manipulation fuelled by grief over her daughter’s death.
The alternative Her daughter is alive; she killed Paula’s boss and, as a loving mum, Paula has been covering for her.
Would it have been better? Hard to know, since it would require a colossal rewrite. Even harder to imagine it being worse than the real thing’s notoriously slapdash finale, though.
13 Reasons Why
The ending Troubled student Hannah’s suicide, announced in episode one, is “explained” by the last of the accusatory tape recordings she left behind.
The alternative The author of the original novel almost concluded it by revealing Hannah to have survived.
Would it have been better? No: a show that’s attracted justifiably heavy flak for its portrayal of teen suicide would have really enraged viewers with a “she’s alive!” twist.
The Missing
The ending Cult-hero detective Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) lies unconscious, having surgery on his brain tumour – a procedure he might not survive.
The alternative In the last frame … he’s woken up! He’s (probably) OK!
Would it have been better? Maybe. At the end of a super-bleak drama that might never return for a third season anyway, we could easily have been spared yet another cruel cliffhanger.
Nurse Jackie
The ending ER nurse and clandestine drug hoover Jackie (Edie Falco) overdoses on stolen smack at work. Even if she doesn’t die, she is so fired.
The alternative Presumed dead when the hospital burns down and she’s trapped in the basement, Jackie escapes and starts life afresh.
Would it have been better? No. Jackie’s miraculous rebirths had made the show jump the shark two seasons previously; no need for another even more outrageous one.
Parks and Recreation
The ending One of the closing flashforwards reveals Jerry/Larry/Terry/Garry (Jim O’Heir) has served many happy years as mayor of Pawnee.
The alternative Lovable doofus Andy (Chris Pratt) becomes mayor, having befriended an electorally critical number of people while shining their shoes.
Would it have been better? Nah. Andy taking on the responsibility of a son, albeit a son called Burt Snakehole Ludgate Karate Dracula Macklin Demon Jack-o-Lantern, is grown-up enough.
Lost
The ending Er, hard to sum up in a sentence … basically, Jack kills the smoke monster and Hurley inherits the island, but also everyone’s been dead for a while.
The alternative The volcano on the island erupts, prompting a magma-drenched existential battle for the soul of humanity.
Would it have been better? Yes. Having boxed themselves in irretrievably, the writers might as well have said: “Screw it, let’s just set fire to everything.”
True Detective (season one)
The ending Louisiana cops Rust and Marty, 17 years since they started work on a nightmarish murder/child rape case, see a starry night as a metaphor for the battle between good and evil.
The alternative Something supernatural happens and they both vanish into … the darkness.
Would it have been better? No. The series might have gone to some very scary places and featured occult symbolism, but the basic point was that all the horrors were the reality of what men can do.
Breaking Bad
The ending Using a remotely controlled machine gun, Walter White rescues Jesse from his Neo-Nazi slavemasters, dying in the process.
The alternative Walter busts Jesse out of jail, killing prison officers indiscriminately. Or, he and wife Skyler reunite, but she then kills herself.
Would it have been better? No. Skyler dying would have been very grim. And although Walter had caused plenty of innocents to die, shooting them willy-nilly would have been breaking a bit too bad.
