'Funny Woman's Finale Passes With Flying Colo(u)rs

Series finales have a lot of work to do, and that sometimes can go double for the finale of a show’s first season as it tries to stick the landing for the first time. The goals they aim for can support and/or undermine one another. That baked-in tension can lead to the final episode being overstuffed, rushed, or both. Being overstuffed and rushed doesn’t preclude the episode from having enough oomph to be a satisfying watch, though it does dilute the degree of narrative elegance that we’ve come to expect.

This is exactly where we find ourselves with Funny Woman’s first series finale. After five episodes, the sixth and last installment has left itself lots of ground to cover. There are several plot lines to tie up, plus there are new plot lines to seed for the (confirmed) second season, confrontations and collaborations to dramatize, and a mostly happy ending to deliver. Let’s go!

Please note: All of my thoughts below are also presented through the lens of what might happen in the second series, as Funny Woman has been renewed and just completed that shoot. Though the series has not been confirmed to return to PBS as yet, here’s hoping to seeing it back sometime in 2025.