Too Good to Say Goodbye Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Office

Based on the UK show of the same name, "The Office" first appeared on screens in 2005 before bowing out after nine seasons in 2013. The show features a revolving cast in a mockumentary on a paper company office in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Some of the actors, such as Creed Bratton and Phyllis Smith, play fictionalised versions of themselves. Throughout its history, "The Office" received 42 Emmy Award nominations, winning a total of five.

Despite shaky reviews for the ninth season overall, the emotional finale received almost unanimous praise from viewers and critics alike. Some of the tear-jerking moments include Erin finally meeting her birth parents at a fictional question-and-answer with fans, a highly anticipated marriage between Dwight and Angela and the final farewells from each character. Steve Carrell reprised his role as the well-intentioned-but-largely-dysfunctional Michael Scott, having left in season seven, returning to the show to be Dwight's best man and revealing himself to be living his dream life.

The other shows are also notable American sitcoms. "Parks and Recreation" is notable as it was originally planned as a spin-off series from "The Office", before taking on new life as a standalone show in production.

Answer: Dexter

"Dexter" followed the story of an anti-hero serial killer who works as a blood spatter pattern analyst with the Miami police. After eight seasons, the show was put to bed in September 2013 with "Remember the Monsters?" This episode was heavily criticised by legions of fans and critics, and even by cast members such as lead actor Michael C. Hall. The show concludes with Dexter now believed to be dead by those that knew him in Miami. However, the final scene shows him to be alive and well, living as a lumberjack in a pristine forest in Oregon; a non-sequitur ending if there ever was one.

Despite its shaky finale, "Dexter" holds a formidable reputation. seasons two and eight hold 100% ratings on review aggregate website "Rotten Tomatoes". The show also has 23 Emmy Award and nine Golden Globe nominations to its name, with two victories in the latter (for "Best Performance by an Actor In a Television Series - Drama" and "Best Performance by an Actor In a Supporting Role").

The other shows are also notable crime dramas.

Answer: Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" is one of the most acclaimed and successful children's shows of all time. It is set in a world of four kingdoms, with each holding inhabitants who are masters of controlling, or 'bending', the four elements of nature; Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The show follows the journey of Aang, who must learn to master all the elements and bring harmony to the world once again.

"Sozin's Comet" concludes the series after three seasons and is split in four parts. The episode explores Aang's fated confrontation with Fire Lord Ozai. Aang's pacifist ways puts him in a moral dilemma, as he does not wish to kill the Fire Lord, but must defeat him to restore peace. In the end, Ozai's powers are stripped, and a new Fire Lord is anointed. In a fan-pleasing moment, Aang and Katara finally enter a romantic relationship in the final moments of the show.

The show also had a movie adaptation, titled "The Last Airbender". The movie was directed by M. Night Shyamalan and released in 2010. However, with five, uh, 'wins' at the Golden Raspberries (including "Worst Picture") and a "Rotten Tomatoes" review aggregate score of 6%, most fans would like to pretend that never existed.

The other options are also animated children's shows that have nonetheless reached wide audiences of all ages. "The Legend of Korra" is a spin-off series from "Avatar: The Last Airbender".

Answer: Seinfeld

"Seinfeld" is widely considered to be one of the most influential comedy shows of all time, with shows like "Friends", "How I Met Your Mother", "Frasier", "Two and A Half Men" and even "The Simpsons" taking hints from the show's comedy style. Jerry Seinfeld plays a fictionalised version of himself, with the show centring on the life of himself and his friends in New York. Throughout its lifespan, it won big awards like "Outstanding Comedy Series" at the Emmy Awards and "Best TV-Series (Comedy)" at the Golden Globes.

The finale, however, has attracted divided opinions. The episode finds Seinfeld and his friends arrested and tried for a duty to rescue violation, with a bunch of series regulars testifying at the trial. They are eventually sent to prison, and Jerry gives a comedy routine to an unenthused audience of prisoners in the final moments. The episode aired to 76.3 million U.S. television viewers, and its merit (or lack of) is continued to be debated heavily today.

The other options are also notable sitcom franchises.

Answer: M*A*S*H

"M*A*S*H" follows the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital", stationed in Korea, and the antics of its staff and doctors. The comedy-drama ran for eleven seasons, kicking off in 1972 and finishing in 1983. It won fourteen of an incredible 100 total nominations at the Emmy Awards. The series was adapted from a 1970 film ("MASH"), which was itself an adaption of a novel by Richard Hooker ("MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors").

In the finale, the Korean War is coming to an end, as peace talks bringing about a ceasefire are in action. The episode delves into how the war has impacted on the lives of the characters. It culminates in a farewell party at the announcement of a ceasefire, leading to farewells and an iconic final scene involving "GOODBYE" written on a helipad with stones. The episode drew a total audience of 121.6 million, setting a new record for the most watched television broadcast in American history that wouldn't be broken until Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.

The other shows are also notable television dramas or comedies.

Answer: Twin Peaks

Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, the original "Twin Peaks" series debuted in 1990. The show is a murder mystery focussing on an FBI investigation, headed by Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and assisted by local police, into the death of Laura Palmer, a local teenager, in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. The melodramatic aesthetics, supernatural undertones and the general sense of things being not quite true to reality (the "uncanny valley" effect) made it an instant cult favourite. The show even won "Best TV Series - Drama" at the 48th Golden Globe Awards, while cast members Kyle MacLachlan and Piper Laurie both received awards for their portrayals. However, declining ratings let to the show getting the axe after its second season. The "Twin Peaks" universe also features a film, titled "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"- a prequel to the first season.

The show was revived in 2017 for an 18 episode miniseries. The miniseries expanded the universe to new locations, including Las Vegas and South Dakota, while bringing in new cast members to compliment the returning cast. Bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Sharon Van Etten and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) perform almost every episode. The new series continued the story line from the original two seasons, 25 years in the future, and focussed on Dale Cooper's return to Twin Peaks. In typical David Lynch fashion, the finale left more questions than answers. Cooper believes the waitress working at Eat at Judy's is, in fact, Laura Palmer herself. After Cooper meddles with the timeline to mean Laura Palmer was never murdered but rather disappeared, it is hinted in the finale that he has now trapped himself in an alternate timeline, although this is just one explanation for what is a rather open conclusion.

The other shows are also notable television dramas that first aired in the 1990s.

Answer: Freaks and Geeks

"Freaks and Geeks" was a teen comedy and drama, with its only season airing in 1999. After poor viewing rates, the show was cancelled partway through the season, but fan pressure led NBC to air the remaining six episodes in 2000. The show focused on its ensemble cast of high school and middle school characters and the usual coming-of-age stories that arise in this time of life, but with an ironic bent that made it stand out. James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, John Francis Daley, Linda Cardellini and Rashida Jones all appear in some of their earliest roles, making the show famous for launching the careers of a string of young actors. Despite its premature death, the show still managed to appear on a string of "best television shows of all time" lists, including from "Time" and "TV Guide".

Lindsay Weir, an intelligent girl in the midst of an identity crisis who shuns her 'nerdy' ways to hang out with a gang of rebellious "freaks", and her brother Sam and his two "geek" friends, are the central characters in the show. Due to its cancellation, a proper finale was never made. The final episode of the first season saw Lindsay cancel her plans to attend an academic summit at the University of Michigan to follow the Grateful Dead on tour, the freak Daniel playing "Dungeons and Dragons" with Sam and his friends, and Nick getting into disco due to a new romantic interest. In a 2012 "Vanity Fair" interview, creator Paul Feig revealed the plot lines and character journeys he had in mind for hypothetical future seasons, if they were granted.

The other shows are also famous teen comedy-dramas.

Answer: Mad Men

"Mad Men" is set in the cutthroat industry of advertising in the 1960s. The show challenges and explores society and its progression from then to now through the lives of its diverse cast. Premiering in 2007, it saw instant success, winning 16 "Emmy Award" and five "Golden Globes" across its seven seasons.

The finale, "Person to Person", focusses on lead character Don Draper, who is in the midst of an identity crisis following the abandonment of close friends and family and his wife's cancer diagnosis. He undergoes group therapy, and is later seen undertaking meditation. The finale also explains the fate of much of its large cast, and concludes with a famous Coca Cola commercial from 1971.

The other options are also notable television dramas, many of them similar in tone to "Mad Men".

Answer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" follows Buffy Summers, a high school student who is chosen to be the next in a line of Vampire Slayers, tasked with holding the forces of evil at bay. The character first originated in a 1992 film of the same name, before creator Joss Whedon turned his attention to the small screen as he originally planned. The franchise later exploded into a string of tie-in graphic books, video games and novels, plus a spin-off series titled "Angel". Its cultural impact even reached into academia, with the term "Buffy studies" spawned to describe its influence on gender, literary and identity studies, amongst other fields.

Season seven was to be the final season of the show, with "Chosen" the swan song. In the episode, Buffy gathers her band of friends for one last battle with an army of dark forces at Sunnydale High. In the resolution, the entire town of Sunnydale sinks into Hellmouth (an area of extreme supernatural power), ending the conflict. Buffy then realises she is no longer alone in her fight against evil.

The other options are all notable supernatural dramas.

Answer: Breaking Bad

"Breaking Bad" was hit with rave reviews the moment it aired, with the "Guinness World Records" naming it the most acclaimed television series of all time in 2013. The show holds 16 Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, four Television Critics Association Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards to its name, amongst a whole lot of others. The crime drama follows Walter White, a teacher diagnosed with cancer who begins manufacturing methamphetamine to financially provide for his family, eventually building a drug empire.

Just as the rest of the show was, the finale was enormously acclaimed upon airing, with publications like "Rolling Stone" naming it amongst the best series finales of all time. As a country-wide manhunt looms over his shoulders, Walter seeks out revenge on a Neo-Nazi gang who has repeatedly wronged him. Meanwhile, he seeks to deliver his financial profits to his family and settle affairs before his cancer ends his life. In the final few moments of the show, Walter admits to his wife that he pursued his drug empire out of selfish reasons and not for his family, and in the final scene is presumed dead when a policeman checks his pulse.

The other shows are also notable crime dramas.