Has there been a show with a genuine secret finale?

I don’t remember anything about that oddly. Was this widely known?

That was a really good finale. Fan service to the max in the best possible way.

Lost’s epilogue [The New Man in Charge](https://youtu.be/lMjPzV2RvO8?si=JAf9mPdDOcHO_yku) So many people have no clue this is out there. Since it was a bonus feature on the Blu-ray and not aired or looked at as an actual episode it’s not on any of the streaming sites where people currently watch the show.

"Epitaph Two: Return" did air on TV. (EDIT: Token plug for /r/dollhouse - come join us!)

Epitaph 2 did air on tv, which would have been a wild swerve for anyone who missed Epitaph 1 originally. But yeah Epitaph 1's whole existence and effect on the show is a wild story from what I remember. Season 1 was contracted for 13 episodes, but Fox hated the pilot and made Joss make a different one, bringing the show down to 12 actual episodes. Then near the end of production, Fox sprung on him that they still expected 13 episodes because some DVD contract they already signed promised 13 episodes, but there would be no extra budget to make one. So they conceived of Epitaph 1 as something that could be filmed as part of the production of the final episodes they were already working on, which is why it is all on one set and uses almost an entirely different cast than the rest of the show. And then supposedly their ability to get that episode together on such little budget is what got the show renewed for a second season at all. Though really the notable thing here in relation to OP's question is that even Epitaph 1 isn't "secret finale that fixes all the issues of the previous episode" because the the inherent problem with that idea is that it requires the writers to intentionally sabotage their own show in the second to last episode just so they can save it from their own (in this theoretical scenario) intentional bad writing in the finale. What a big waste of time that would be when you could have instead just written two good episodes. Even if one of them was secret. You wouldn't want your second to last episode to be a waste of time so egregious that your finale now needs to be spend undoing it. we probably will get a show someday with a "true" secret finale in the style these theories always said. If only because the longer the idea exists out there, the more likely someone who finds the idea compelling will end up in a position to actually make something.

Epitaph 1 was released online. I don't remember how, but I remember I had to download it or stream it from some shady site. Then, a few weeks later, they announced the second season pick-up and everyone was like "how?!"

I loved Dollhouse when it came out but I'm sure in the UK those Epitaph episodes were broadcast as normal because I remember watching the post apocalyptic episodes and never seen it other than on TV.

Sadly, both episodes were the best of the series.

Joss did it because of Firefly. He wasn’t going to be caught flat footed again with no series finale to fall back on.

That was just the first episode of Change Gamer.

It is *delightful* that this is the top response

We did it with the first season of Dimension 20, too. Although that was a secret two-parter.

For future readers, they mean the most recently released season, i.e. Season 7.

I'm pretty sure the On a Bus Adventuring Party claims itself tk be the missing Stranger Things episode.

This. I remember the “final” episode and then the TV said the next episode was Rabbot (the first episode) and instead it was the *real* finale.

I think this might be the only fully genuine example.

The fake finale playing out in this big dramatic way where Shake and Frylock die and Meatwad moves on after a big timeskip, while the real one followed that up with them all alive and fine while Shake went "Boy what a crazy week" was an all-timer bit

And the DCAU as a whole! The ending shot of the episode is the same concept as the opening shot of On Leather Wings (first episode of BTAS that kicked off the DCAU)

I hate that they choose to make Terry into Bruce's biological son, would have been so much more meaningful if he was some random kid that always had the capacity and goodness to be Batman.

What a fantastic episode. I wasn’t a big fan of the twist reveal, but this episode is a great epilogue to the DCAU, and a love letter to DCAU Batman. That flashback scene where Batman sits with Ace, an extremely traumatised metahuman child who at that point was essentially a weapon of mass destruction, so she wont die alone is one of the best Batman scenes in any media. A perfect showcase of his bravery, how his trauma shaped him, and most of all his compassion. Everyone else saw a weapon. Potentially the single most dangerous metahuman on the planet. But all Batman saw was a traumatised child who was scared and needed help.

The alternate ending was so shit. Just the same thing with the kiss removed pretty much. Would have rather they had filmed a proper farewell scene with the full cast or done the kiss with more of an optimistic ending rather than the shock value cliffhanger of the original ending. The alternate ending just left me feeling like the show got less closure. It added nothing.

They also filmed several different characters in a coffin for the season finale of season 4 to hide who it was which is fun.

Remind me to watch this later!

This show was so damn underrated.

For anyone who has not watched this series go watch it now. Such a hidden gem of comedy.

WHAT

See "Review" also came to mind for this question because I remember three episodes into the final season it was like "yep that's it, thanks for watching everyone" and I was like "wait what that's it? Only three episodes?"

How have I never seen this?!

We just finished the series. Honestly, worth the hype. I know it’s ridiculous to say because she’s amazing, but Patti LuPone was amazing. And Kathryn Hahn, that last episode … *you were made from scratch*. I cannot.

There's an arc for Bluey? My kids are watching it in French, I have no idea what's going on most of the time.

SO THERE'S NO MORE BLUEY COMING?! 😭

Is that right? Wild. There’s also a movie coming out.

That show was a wild ride. I have such fond memories of watching it when it was airing and seeing it go from a pretty funny parody of reality TV to… whatever you would call what it ultimately turned into.

I just can’t watch reruns. It ruins the entire f****** show.

Which was a homage to the ending of Newhart.

If Hal was in the circumstances of Walt, he would have made more meth, purer, faster, and wouldn't have gotten caught. Honestly the whole cast probably would have helped him

But was it just a bad dream? >!Heisenberg's hat was on a chair in the bedroom...!<

It's canon to me.

Super interesting! I hope we get to see this eventually

People were SO mad about that episode! I remember being very confused

Those characters also appear in the newer DnD movie, they show up during the arena part as one of the other teams.

I still don’t understand how a room full of people thought this was ever going to appeal to LeBron.

Partially correct. They released one movie in 1997 that was an alternate ending to the TV show. Then they released 4 REBUILD movies that were complete remakes of the story more in line with what the creator wanted.  “Has been releasing new episodes” makes it sound like it’s been a continual process of releasing new finales. When really it was one new finale and then an alternative story 

I gotta be the only one who didn't think the ending was bad 🤣

Except it was already renewed for a 4th season before they went back and said "actually we're done". So it's sort of the opposite?

I maintain they got way too self indulgent with the episode runtimes. Some of those 90 minute episodes just went on. And on. And on.

You could say that it was wrapped up a little too fast and neat with (almost) everyone getting their happy ending. That coupled with Vecna's powers makes it possible to entertain the notion. But crucially, if you were to pull a twist like that, it should be revealed at the end of the "finale" and set up properly. There was no reason to expect it after the fact other than cope.

Nah, Aqua Teen Did it for real. That's it though.

That was a season finale, not a series finale.

Prisoner was speculated to be a continuation of Secret Agent Man but that may just be very early tv theory/conspiracy/speculation.

Although we like to pretend the Dead Like Me movie doesn't actually exist. I certainly prefer the season 2 finale being the end over that.