Rhonwyn Newson: Worst TV finales of all time (spoilers)

David Duchovny (L) as Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson (R) as Agent Dana Scully from The X-Files

Sometimes, shows end when the going's good. Other times, the ending just angers fans. Rhonwyn Newson takes a look at some of the shows that did just that.

Thank heavens for the Nothing Trivial TV special on Sunday night. I, along with the rest of New Zealand, was left desperate for closure after the show was suddenly and controversially axed.

• TV review: Thank goodness for happy endings
• Nothing Trivial's Cory gets in his last mad laugh

I was not let down. I'm pleased Catherine lived - even though I was positive she had been killed off - and I'm glad Emma and Brian are going to live happily ever after.

Although I probably wouldn't have let my husband off that easily if he admitted going to a meat-market singles' bar while I was home holding the babies.

I do enjoy watching TV, but here are my top five worst TV finales of all time.

5. The X-Files (2002)

By the time the final season came along, I had already lost interest. But the finale was called The Truth and Mulder (David Duchovny) made his return. However, the finale was confusing and open-ended. I assume the producers were thinking of spin-offs.

4. Sex and the City (2004)

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I was a SATC fan from the beginning, but the finale was so sickly sweet and lame I couldn't help but be disappointed. Everyone got what they wanted: Carrie got Big, Charlotte got a baby, and Miranda and Samantha learned to be better people. Meh.

3. Prison Break (2009)

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Oh the potential of season one. To begin with, Prison Break was gripping, clever and interesting, but by season four the show was none of these things. I reluctantly watched the two-hour finale, but could barely keep up with all the convoluted plot twists. I lost all hope in the series when Michael (Wentworth Miller) was killed off.

2. Lost (2010)

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The writers had already explored just about every plot-line known to man during Lost's six seasons. There were so many loose-ends I had no idea how everything would be tied up in the finale. The answer, apparently, was to gloss over everything and explain the characters were in some sort of purgatory all along.

1. Seinfeld (1998)

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"The Finale" was just a cast reunion, one that wasn't very funny. Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer end up on trial for failing to help the victim of a car-jacking. During the trial, the characters own up to all of their past transgressions. For nine years we laughed at the hapless gang's selfishness and manipulations - and then a moralistic twist which sentenced them all to jail happened which went against everything the show was about.

- nzherald.co.nz