"Come on Ace, we've got work to do" - The long running sci-fi series DOCTOR WHO/SYN/1963-89 finally ended after 26 years on episode No. 159 "Survival" when Timelord Doctor Who (Sylvester McCoy) turned to his traveling companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) and said "There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the river's dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on Ace, we've got work to do." When the Dr. Who franchise was revived in the form of a Fox TV movie Dr. Who: The Enemy Within (1996) starring Paul McGann, the Timelord's last words were "Oh no, not again!"   

    "God bless all the children of the world" - The final words of game show host Richard Dawson as he ended an nine year run on the popular game show FAMILY FEUD/SYN/1977-85.  The show's announcer 'opened each show saying" On your marks! Let's start "THE FAMILY FEUD!" With the star of "Family Feud", RICHARD DAWSON!" The entire closing statement from his July 12, 1985 departure follows: "The Mackans were our final winning family, and they won $5,504 and I'm proud of 'em. I've had the most incredible luck in my career. I've done lots and lots of jobs, and I've never, ever had a job like "Family Feud". I've never dreamed I would ever have a job where so many people could touch me and I could touch them. And it was a great magic about this show that I've never seen on any other show. I want to publicly acknowledge Howard Felsher, who is our Executive Producer. He was a producer in the beginning of this show, and he helped steer and guide the way that we went. And he and I fall a lot of times, but I tell you that he's important and I should acknowledge him, because he's the one, with me, that, we said, "Let anybody come on this show, anyone that can play this game, no matter what color or creed, no matter if they're in a wheelchair or they have no sight." And we've had anybody on this show, and he was very, very important in that and I acknowledge and thank him for it. I thank my crew, and I thanked my director already. I had the best staff you've ever dreamed of. You can't...and you don't have to dream of them, 'cause I'm gonna take them with me. Even if I never work again, they'll just be near me. They are so special and wonderful. ABC, Jackie Smith, Polly Welkman, Joe C. Alba; they kept us on the air probably a year more than they should have, 'cause we weren't really helping them. You know, our ratings weren't that good, and they were so great. They married themselves carrying us, and I love them for that, not that I wanted to hurt 'em, 'cause I love 'em. They were good people. There were people I know that got upset that I kiss people; I kiss them for luck and love, that's all. That's what my mother did to me. There were people upset that I would embrace or have someone of a different color. The first time I ever saw people of any color was when D-Day left from my hometown in England, to go and free Europe in the war. And there was every color you could imagine, and I'd not seen that in England. And I'd asked my mother about it; I said, "Is there something wrong?" She said, "God...God makes people. You understand that, don't you?" And I said, "Yeah!" She said, "Who makes a rainbow?" I said, "God." She said, "I never presumed to tell anyone who could make a rainbow what color to make children." And she changed my whole life with that statement. All I can tell you is, this has been the very special 9 years of my life! If I never do another thing, I've met the good, sweet people of the world. So I leave you, with love, and for the little girl that, 9 years ago, I first signed to - I guess she's 13, now - I'll think of you every day. God bless all the little children in the world. Thank you." TRIVIA NOTE: In 1994 the syndicated version of  FAMILY FEUD brought back Richard Dawson to replace Ray Combs as host for the show.

    "Goodbye" - This word was never spoken but only shown during the final moments of the sitcom M*A*S*H/CBS/1972-83. When the war in Korea ended, the medical staff of the M*A*S*H 4077 Unit left for the United States to family and friends. As Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) drove away on a motorcycle, a helicopter with Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) slowly lifted off the ground. Directly below, Hawkeye began to see a message left by his close friend B.J. Spelled out on the ground in a simple pile of stones was the departing message "Goodbye." (episode "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen" aired 2/28/83). The final episode had a non-sports viewing audience of 125 million people or 50.2 million households. 

    "Goodbye, Kids" - Words uttered by Clarabell the Clown on the final moments of the popular children's program THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW/NBC/1947-60. As the clock ticked down the last seconds of the program, the silent clown looked into the cameras and spoke for the first and last time, the simple phrase "Goodbye, Kids." See also - CLOWNS 

    "I don't care what you say, I'm coming to work Monday" - The final words spoken on the sitcom COACH/ABC/1989-97. For the last program, the show's cast gathered together to view some of the funniest moments from the life of the series. As the program came to a close Jerry Van Dyke who played assistant coach Luther Van Dam refused to believe the show was actually over for good. His fellow actor Ken Kimmons (who played Howard Burleigh) interjected "Jerry,  its the final episode. They dedicated the stage to us. Here looks at this." [shows him a plaque] "Ah the prop department can make anything," snarls Jerry. Craig T. Nelson, the star of the show then interrupts, "Putting Jerry aside, the show is over and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for watching the nine years of COACH and letting us do something that we truly, truly love. Thank you and goodnight." As everyone leaves, Jerry refuses to go. "Come on Jerry," requests Craig T. Nelson. Jerry shots back "Until somebody in a suit tells me its over, its not over."  In walks a man in a suit. "Jerry, it's over." "That's not a suit," protests Jerry. As the studio light are turned off for the last time,  Jerry sits alone in the dark. A moment passes and then Jerry comments "Cheap special effects. Anybody can turn off the lights." Finally, in a last ditch effort, Jerry stubbornly says "I don't care what you say, I'm coming to work Monday." 

    "I killed her, Joey, she talked too much!" - At the conclusion of ABC's FUGITIVE series narrator William Conrad said "Tuesday, August 29, 1967, the day the running stopped." Richard Kimble (played by David Janssen) was a free man, exonerated for the murder of his wife. Later that night on ABC's night talk show hosted by Joey Bishop, there was a live interview with David Janssen who was working in Georgia on a new movie. Bishop asked Janssen whether he had anything to say now that he was a free man and beyond the reach of the law. "Yes," Janssen said. "I killed her, Joey. She talked too much." 

    "It's a long way to Tipparary..." - When the sitcom THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW/CBS/1970-77 ended its successful run, the show's cast in a tearful departure began singing the popular World War I song "It's a long way to Tipparary," as they slowly exited the newsroom of WJM-TV for the last time. Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), the last to leave, switched off the newsroom lights. 

    "It's been canceled!" - The short-lived sitcom I MARRIED DORA/ABC/1987-88 ended their last first-run episode in a very special way. On the final telecast, architect Peter Farrell (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) gets an offer to move to Bahrein for two years. Packing his bags against the wishes of his family members, Peter goes to the airport and then enters the plane. Suddenly, he exits and says "It's been canceled." "The Flight?" questions his wife Dora (Elizabeth Pena). "No, our series." The camera then pulled back to reveal all the show's actors and stage crew as they waved a final goodbye to their viewers. 

      "Ok, cut! That was beautiful. It's a rap everybody...for Once and Again" -  As the last scene of the series finale of ONCE AND AGAIN/ABC/1999-2002 concludes (Sela Ward and Billy Campbell kiss) the camera pulls away, the screen fades to black and we hear the director yell  "Ok, cut!. That was beautiful. It's a rap everybody...for Once and Again." Immediately, the set fills with actors, extras and crew members as they mingle and say their goodbyes. The camera then gets a close up of Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as they blow the camera a goodbye kiss. After the kiss, the screen fills with a series of interview snipets [shot in black in white] from the people involved with the show." The following dialogue is from the last scene of the show (aired April 15, 2002) followed by the show's actors commenting on their experiences on the show that immediately followed the finale signoff.  

Lily	[At the wedding reception] Rick, are you okay?
Rick	Come here. [pulls Lily into the kitchen] I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what got  into me. I have been horrible. I made you sick and I'm not going to Australia. I'm not going to do the damn job.
Lily	No, listen to me, Rick
Rick	Look. Look. you listen to me, Ok. I don't want to be away from you. I can't be away from you. Alright, listen to me. You are everything that I want!
Lily	You cant pass this up. I won't let you.
Rick	I am staying. I am staying right here.
Lily	No, you're not. I'm turning down the syndication job.
Rick	You can't turn down the syndication job.
Lily	Why not? Our family means to much to me. If they want me now, they'll want me in a year.
Rick	If he wants me now he'll want me in a year. I can't be away from you.
Lily	No, I can't be away from you...Plus I'm pregnant.
Rick	What?
Lily	Yes.
Rick	You're pregnant?
Lily	I suddenly remembered being nauseous like that before.
Rick	You're pregnant.
Lily	100%. Are you upset?
Rick	What...an incredibly smart thing to do.
Lily	I think so.
Rick	Oh, my God. Where are we gonna put it?
Lily	Uh...Uh...I don't know
Rick	Why didn't you tell me?
Lily	I am telling you.
Rick	You're gonna have a baby.
Lily	Apparently
Rick	Wow! [Lily kisses Rick]
Lilly	Should we go back in.
Rick	Where?
Lily	The wedding.
Rick	Yeah. [The two kiss as the camera pulls away and the screen fades to black]
Director	"Ok, cut! That was beautiful. It's a rap everybody...for Once and Again"  [The set fills with people clapping hands and shouting congratulations. The camera focuses on Sela Ward and Billy Campbell who blow the camera a big kiss goodbye. Next we see a series of interview snipets made by the cast/crew of the show].

Writers of the Show	A long time ago we realized that most of the process of making a movie and a television show was about the people who were involved. And, in fact, there was a deep connection between the people who were involved and the product we came up with.
Sela Ward	Oh my God! I have to play this woman. You know by the time I finished this script I went...Damn! I gotta do it. I gotta do it.
Billy Campbell	I've done...probably as many pilots as George Clooney.
Susanna Thompson	This one right here [points to Shane West] he just...um he just opens his arms and say hello...gives me a huge hug and I know it's OK.
Sela Ward	[to Billy] You don't remember that. We didn't meet there. No, we had a drink at a restaurant. Do you remember?
Billy Campbell	You were having lunch at the same restaurant?
Sela Ward	No, I wanted to meet you...to make sure you weren't a real jerk
Billy Campbell	[Laughs]
Jeffrey Nordling	The hardest thing for me I think was I had no experience with teenager daughters.
Evan Rachel Wood	I was only supposed to be one. And I stuck.
Marin Hinkle	[speaks to Steven Weber] "Do you remember when we first met...um that day we had to...to...passionately kiss?"
Sela Ward	[to Billy ] You were incredibly charming. We did have a drink you remember that.
Billy Campbell	I don't. Where was that?
Sela Ward	How frightening.
Writer on the Show	What I'm most upset about is the show ending and the possibility that no one will ever hire me to act again.
Evan Rachel Woods	I can hardly put it into words
Susanna Thompson	Oh, no, I feel way to much.
Jeffrey Nordling	I don't know how its gonna feel until I...um not there anymore
Julia Whelan	It' s gonna be weird being away...from the place
Meredith Deane	You know it's really sad because you become so close to all these people here.
Ever Carradine	We've gotten so close and we've just become a family
Sela Ward	I don't know if I can
Susanna Thompson	There a big part of me that hasn't let got off this show so I'm not so convinced that its over.
Marin Hinkle	Wow, this is hard.
Shane West	I never had a...a  [overwhelmed he leans back, places his hands in his hair and sighs]
Billy Campbell	[Face shot - Billy Campbell sighs then smiles at camera]
Sela Ward	[Face shot - Sela cocks her head and smiles at camera. A short musical score ends the spot. Cut to commercial]

    "Once upon a time there was a girl I knew..." - On the series finale of the adolescent drama THE WONDER YEARS  Kevin Arnold now grown looked back on his life in the late 1960s and summarized his youthful days and his adventures with his first love Winnie Cooper. He began: “Once upon a time there was a girl I knew, who lived across the street. Brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled. When she cried, I cried. Every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way had to do with her. That day Winnie and I promised each other that no matter what, that we'd always be together. It was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young. The next day Winnie and I came home. Back to where we'd started. It was the 4th of July in that little suburban town. Somehow though, things were different. Our past was here, but our future was somewhere else. And we both knew, sooner or later, we had to go. It was the last July I ever spent in that town. The next year, after graduation, I was on my way. So was Paul. He went to Harvard, of course. Studied law. He's still allergic to everything. As for my father...well...we patched things up. Hey, we were family. For better or worse. One for all...and all for one. Karen's son was born in that September. I gotta say, I think he looks like me. Poor kid. Mom, she did well: business woman, board chairman, grandmother...cooker of mashed potatoes. The Wayner stayed on in furniture. Wood seemed to suit him. In fact he took over the factory two years later....when dad passed away. Winnie left the next summer to study art history in Paris. Still we never forgot our promise. We wrote to each other once a week for the next eight years. I was there to meet her, when she came home, with my wife and my first son, eight months old. Like I said, things never turn out exactly the way you planned. Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers; next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place...a town...a house like a lot of other houses... A yard like a lot of other yards...on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is...after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.” 

    "O-O-O-KLAHOMA..." - On the last episode of the sitcom THE BOB NEWHART SHOW/CBS/1972-78 about the domestic and professional misadventures of a Chicago psychologist Robert Hartley (Bob Newhart) and his wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), the entire cast sang the Rodgers-Hammerstein classic song "Oklahoma," (a song Emily always sang when she was sad) as the last few moments of the successful comedy series slowly faded into television history.     

    "Sorry, we're closed" - The final words on the finale episode of the sitcom CHEERS/NBC/1982-93. As 93 million viewers watched, Boston bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson) closed out the successful series (275 episodes) by telling a customer at the door "Sorry, we're closed." The shadowy customer at the door was reportedly Bob Broder, the agent for Glen Charles, Les Charles and James "Jimmy" Burrows, the creators of CHEERS. TRIVIA NOTE: The December 8, 1992 installment of the talk show LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN listed the Top 10 reasons why CHEERS was going off the air: They were: 10) They ran out of beer nuts.; 9) It's all part of NBC's master plan to stay in third place.; 8) Ego of that postman guy out of control, constantly storms off set shouting 'I am Cheers!!'; 7) White men can't resist sequels; 6) Unlike this show, they decided to quit when they ran out of ideas; 5) Actors so bored with roles, they finish their lines by saying "etc, etc."; 4) Norm's liver now roughly the size of an ottoman.; 3) Ted Danson's toupee even more obvious than mine.; 2) Realization that if you're going to get really wasted, you don't want to do it in a bar where everybody knows your name.; And the number one reason that Cheers is going off the air: Stool rash. 

    "Thank You, Married...With Children For Eleven Great Seasons And a Million Laughs" - The final words seen on the TV screen as the sitcom MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN/FOX/1987-97 faded into TV history and into syndication heaven. The last episode "How to Marry A Moron" found Kelly Bundy (Christina Applegate) about to be married. But when Al Bundy discovers Kelly's husband  made a pass at another woman before the ceremony, he pounds him into the ground. The very last scene has Al (Ed O'Neill), Peg (Katey Sagal), Bud (David Faustino) and Kelly speaking the following dialog: 

            Peg:     Are you okay, honey?  
            Kelly:   Yeah, I guess so. You know, I'm going to miss Lonnie, but at  
                        least I have something that'll always remind me of him."  
            Al:        A $10,000 wedding debt?  
            Kelly:    No, Daddy, that's... that's YOURS. I've got this. [twiddles  
                        her finger with huge diamond ring on it). And my loved ones  
                        to console me.  
            Bud:     We're here for you, Kel.  
            Kelly:    Not you! [she moves to a crowd of old boyfriends, turns  
                        to face her family with a big smile and says] THEM, hahahahaaa!   

            The screen freezes, fades to black as white letters flash the message: THANK YOU, MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN FOR ELEVEN GREAT SEASONS AND A MILLION LAUGHS. Followed by the Fox logo in white and then fade out.   

"A toast to you Falcon Crest, and long may you live" - The final words spoken on the drama FALCON CREST/CBS/1981-90. After years of manipulation and skullduggery to keep the Falcon Crest winery in her control, iron-willed matriarch Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) proposed a final private toast on the May 17, 1990 series finale.

The series ends at the wedding ceremony of Richard and Lauren as Angela Chase steps outside onto a porch overlooking Falcon Crest and ponders the past:

Grandfather! How long has it been since you came to the valley and planted your first vine from Italy? I remember how you use to hold me on the saddle, ridding through the fields, and teaching me about the land and the vineyards, and how precious they are together. Seems like only yesterday. I think of all the people who've come to the valley: Chase, Maggie, Cole, Vickie, and that feisty Melissa Agretti; and Erickson, killed in the plane crash that almost killed all of us - but I was spared to carry on your heritage. Julia is safe and happy in the convent, and Emma and Frank will both be coming home soon. And Stavros - ooh it was tempting, Grandfather, but in the end you knew I could not follow him to Greece. Training Lance to take my place has been a challenge, but I think he's coming around. And for the first time, Richard and I are beginning to understand each other. Meanwhile, I'm going to do everything I can to keep the vineyard and the winery the jewel of the valley, just as you always dreamed it would be. Yes, the past has its place; but I'll keep looking to the future. After all, there's a wedding today; children are playing, more children on the way; and of course, the land - always the land. People come and go, but the land endures. "A toast to you Falcon Crest, and long may you live," Angela said, as she held her glass up in a toast to the land.

   "You got the job" - On the series finale episode of the sitcom WHO'S THE BOSS/ABC/1984-92, Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) returns from Bradford, Iowa to rekindle his romance with his former employer, Angela Bower. In the final scene, back in Connecticut at Angela's house, the doorbell rings. Angela comes down the stairs in the same bathrobe she wore in the first episode and answers the door to find Tony standing there in a tuxedo.

Angela:	Tony...
Tony:	Hi.
Angela:	What are you doing here?
Tony:	Well, I, ah, I heard you're looking for a housekeeper?
Angela:	Yeah, but what are you doing here?
Tony:	Uh, I heard you're looking for a housekeeper? Can I come in?
Angela:	Yes, of course.
Tony:	[Walking in] Do you, uh, you always wear that outfit when you're interviewing housekeepers? I seem to remember that you were wearing that the first time I interviewed for this job.
Angela:	Oh, yea. How about that? Boy, you seem to be dressing better.
Tony:	Yea, well I just came from picking up this award for "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" and then I quit.
Angela:	You quit?
Tony:	Yea, you know, they gave me this big banquet, you know, and they gave me the award. It was terrific. And then I went back to my beautiful apartment and I realized I have nobody to show my plaque to. See? (Shows Angela the plaque)
Angela:	Oh, that's a nice one.
Tony:	Yea, it is, isn't it... has a little lamp of education.
Angela:	Yea.
Tony:	Um, so, about the job? Not for nothin', looks like you could use me.
Angela:	Tony, that's very sweet of you, but I thought we both agreed...
Tony:	No, we were both wrong, Angela. I mean, I can apply for jobs in the area. I just now that it's very important that I be in the area.
Angela:	I see.
Tony:	Yea, you know, it was kind of bothering me that I was... out of the area.
Angela:	Look, Tony. I don't ever want you to resent this.
Tony:	Angela, the only thing I resented was being without you.
Angela:	[Smiles] So, what are your qualifications?
Tony:	Well, um. [Passionately kisses Angela]
Angela:	You got the job.
Tony:	No kidding! [Tony and Angela kiss again as the screen fades to black]

 

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