32 Series Finale Callbacks That Are So Darn Clever But Went Over A Lot Of People's Heads

Buzz Feed

25-03-2025

We asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what TV series finale perfectly called back to their pilot episode. Here are some of the best ones:
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
1. In the first episode of Insecure, before going out for her birthday, Issa tries on multiple shades of lipstick before settling on just chapstick. In the series finale, she puts on lipstick before going out on her birthday and nods to herself confidently in the mirror.
2. In the final episode of Frasier, the man who takes away Martin's beloved easy chair from Frasier's apartment is the same one who delivered it there in the pilot episode.
3. In the series premiere of Superstore, Jonah put stars on the ceiling of the store, and then in the finale the stars were shown on the ceiling of his and Amy's sons' room
— clandahlina
4. In Supernatural, Sam and Dean wear the same outfits in the series finale as they do in the pilot.
5. In the pilot episode of Insecure, Issa gets on stage at a club and performs a rap about Molly's "broken" privates. In the series finale, Molly calls Issa while on vacation with her husband and says they've been having so much sex she might have broken privates.
6. In the Superstore pilot, Amy walks past an aisle where a child sits alone unsupervised and goes potty. In the Superstore finale, Amy walks by the child again, now older, wearing similar clothing, and going potty again.
7. In the very first scene of Shameless, Frank introduces viewers to each member of his family as they're gathered around a burning car. In the series finale, Frank speaks about each of them again as they are gathered around a burning Tesla.
8. One of the very first scenes in On My Block is Ruby, Jamal, Cesar, and Monse standing over the fence and watching Ruby's brother's party. In one of the last scenes of the series, the four of them are at a party to celebrate Ruby's late grandmother, and they notice four younger teens standing over a fence and watching.
9. In Modern Family, the final scene of the series perfectly mimics the first scene of the series by putting each character in the same situation they were in 11 years earlier.
ABC
"The last scene of the last episode is full of callbacks to the first one. Mitch and Cam were on a plane with their new kid (cream puffs in hand), Jay and Gloria were next to each other at their son's soccer game (now both of them were struggling to get out of their chairs), and Phil and Claire were planning. It was really neat."
— sararonai
10. In the first episode of Friends, Phoebe sings "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music to console Rachel. In the last episode, she says her, Mike, and their future kids can be like the von Trapp family.
11. In the pilot and finale episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Giles says, "The earth is doomed," after Buffy doesn't take things seriously.
The WB / The UPN
— sarcasticscorpio
12. In The Good Wife 's pilot, Alicia slaps her husband after he uses her for PR purposes because of his recent scandal. In the finale, Alicia turns into all the things she hated about her husband and is slapped by a coworker she used for similar PR purposes.
CBS
— yougotterotter
13. In the Chuck series finale, Sarah returned to the Buy More in the same outfit she wore to the store in the pilot episode.
NBC
— cbbsvino
14. In The Nanny, when the Sheffields get ready to leave the house for the last time, Fran grabs her makeup bag that she brought to the house the first time she went there with the intention to sell makeup.
CBS
— jordans43125d2f3
15. In the Parks and Recreation pilot, Leslie tries to get a drunk man (played by Jon Daly) to leave the slide at a park. In the series finale, he comes back wearing a suit and asks the Parks and Recreation Department to fix a swing at his local park.
NBC
— shelleye
— libbyeggert1
16. In the pilot of BoJack Horseman, BoJack and Diane talk on the roof and she offers to help write his memoir. He says she'll probably get sick of him and she responds, 'I don't think that's going to happen.' The series finale ends with them on the roof again and he says, 'Wouldn't it be funny if this was the last time we ever talked to each other?' She gets quiet and doesn't respond, making it clear to him that she doesn't want him to be a part of her life anymore.
Netflix
— jennierichardson394
17. Jim's first and final interviews in The Office are almost identical. In the first interview, he complains about his job at Dunder Mifflin, but in the last one he says he owes everything he has to his job and it shows how much he grew throughout the series.
NBC
— captain1943
18. In the first episode of Veep, Selina wants to address a recent scandal but Mike tells her not to because Tom Hanks might die and that would overshadow her scandal in the news. In the last episode, they show coverage on the news of Selina's presidential funeral. She's finally getting the attention she always wanted and then Tom Hanks dies and that news overshadows her funeral.
HBO
— emilysr
19. In The Vampire Diaries finale, Damon greets Stefan by saying "Hello, brother," after they have found peace. This is a nod to when they confronted each other in the first episode.
The CW
— s463b03bd4
20. In the Seinfeld finale, Jerry and George repeat the same conversation they had in the show's pilot. The pilot starts with Jerry talking about the second button on a shirt and it's the last thing they talk about in the finale.
NBC
— buzzzz602
21. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ends its pilot with Rebecca and Paula holding hands, facing each other, and singing 'West Covina," bonded together by the goal of getting Rebecca and Josh back together. In the finale, Paula sings a reprise of the song, but this time to tell Rebecca that what she needed to pursue all along was music instead of Josh.
The CW
— jennierichardson394
22. In the Sister, Sister finale, Tia and Tamera go back to the same clothing store where they met and see the same salesman who confused them in the pilot.
ABC
— yitzyzraven73
23. In The Good Place 's finale, Tahani becomes an architect and Michael gives her the same bowtie he wears in the pilot.
NBC
— mollyconnelley
24. In The Good Wife's pilot, Alicia slaps her husband after he uses her for PR purposes because of his recent scandal. In the finale, Alicia turns into all the things she hated about her husband and is slapped by a coworker she used for similar PR purposes.
CBS
— yougotterotter
25. In That '70s Show 's finale, Kitty wears the same outfit at her NYE party that she wore at her party in the first episode.
Fox
— chayavered116
26. In the Once Upon a Time finale, Emma arrives late to the coronation and says, "Sorry. I'm late," which is a callback to Regina saying the same thing when she crashed Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding in the first episode.
ABC
"It was a perfect callback and showed how much the character grew within seven seasons!"
— nyrupamd
27. The first episode of One Tree Hill starts out with Nathan Scott playing a high school basketball game. The series ends with Nathan and friends in the stands watching his son Jamie playing in a basketball game on the same team.
CBS
— jessicashog
28. The last scene of the Gilmore Girls pilot ends with Lorelai and Rory talking over coffee at Luke's, and the series finale ends the exact same way.
The WB / The CW
— rachell11
29. Lost starts with a shot of Jack opening his eyes with the dog lying next to him. The show ends with a shot of Jack lying down and closing his eyes.
ABC
— claire_mullen
30. In the first episode of Glee, the New Directions all wear red T-shirts during their first group number. In the last episode of Glee, everyone is wearing a red article of clothing during the last performance of the series.
Fox
— Ajani Bazile-Dutes
31. The series finale of That '70s Show, Eric and Donna kiss in front of the old Vista Cruiser and then sit on the hood where they had their first kiss in the pilot.
Fox
— chayavered116
32. And finally, in The Big Bang Theory, Penny wears the same light blue floral top in the finale's closing dinner scene as she wears in the first episode when she moves in.
CBS
— spaced
What are some other TV series finales that had great callbacks to their pilot? Let us know in the comments