We don’t just watch them, but we live on them, we feel what the characters feel, and we start a journey that we know will one day come to a conclusion, but we decide to savor the journey itself. Episode after episode, season after season, Television shows make us grow closer to them, make us connect to the characters in an inseparable manner and makes us feel like we’re a part of it. We’ve seen them all be it comedy, action, romance, family drama, crime, fantasy, mystery or thriller. And we’ve loved them too. But the feeling we get when our favorite TV series end is difficult to express.

We don’t know what comes next when we start watching a series. Some, we leave in the middle if we lose interest. But some we decide to stick with, cherishing all the good times, the good episodes and our curiosity and our love for the show, the characters and the plot increases by the day. Some of us grow very sensitive towards a particular show and keep watching it again and again refusing to let go. The charm of such shows is eminently captivating and they thus, become a memory.

As the American sitcom “How I met your mother” is nearing an end after 9 seasons of laughter, cries, love, friendship and utter awesomeness, let’s look back at the top 10 TV shows that have ended over the years but we would love to see them return.

10. House M.D.

One of the best medical dramas ever, House, also known as House M.D. first appeared on television in the year 2004. The story focused on Dr. Gregory House, an unconventional and antisocial medical genius who creates and leads a team of diagnosticians at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey to treat ordinary people with puzzling diseases or disabilities. The show ran 8 seasons and concluded in the year 2012. Hugh Laurie, the actor playing Dr. House won 2 Golden Globes for two consecutive years in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series. The show was distributed in 66 countries and was the most watched television show in the world in 2008.

9. Six Feet Under

Debuting on the HBO network, Six feet under was a dark comedy focusing on a dysfunctional family of California running an independent funeral home. The comedy-drama was first seen in the year 2001 and after 5 seasons, ended in 2005. Six feet under saw a lot of dark humor and surrealism and focused on the theme of human mortality and the aftermath of death. The actors playing the Fisher family received extensive critical acclaim for their acting and the show received 3 Golden Globes including the Best TV series – Drama category in the year 2002. The show was also said to have one of the best series finales of all time.

8. That ‘70s Show

That ‘70s show was an American period sitcom which was launched in the year 1998. The story focused on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, their misadventures and growing up in the 1970s. Addressing some of the social issues of the 1970s, the show was also high on the comedy factor along with tremendous performances by the actors. The series won 1 Primetime Emmy award along with plenty of Kids’ Choice and Teen Choice awards. After 8 seasons and a span of 8 years, the show finally ended in the year 2006.

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It came into existence after the 1992 movie of the same name which did not create much of an impression on the box office. But just like the creator thought, the series turned out to be a huge hit among the people. The story was about Buffy Summers, a young girl who is “the chosen one” to slay vampires, demons and other malevolent creatures who does the same along with her friends who came to be known as “the Scooby gang”. The series started in the year 1997 and won the Primetime Emmy award for its outstanding make-up in 1998. After 6 years and 7 seasons, the show came to an end in 2003.

6. The X-Files

The series centered around two FBI Special agents, Fox Mulder, who believed in the existence of the paranormal and Dana Scully, who on the other hand, was a skeptic. They are hired to investigate the X-files, i.e., disparaged and unsolved paranormal cases. The two leads also shared a remarkable chemistry on screen which the viewers adored. The show won 5 Golden Globes including the category Best TV series – Drama in the year 1995, 1997 and 1998. The thrilling science fiction came into existence in 1993 and concluded in the year 2002. It proved to be a super hit for the FOX network with plethora of positive reviews.

 5. Veronica Mars

Set up in the fictional town of Neptune, California, the show first came on air in the year 2004 and was a rather short series. The story focused on a young student, Veronica Mars who starts investigating and solving the toughest mysteries after her best friend is murdered and her father’s removed from the position of county sheriff. The series was like a small packet, big explosion as it came to an end after only 3 seasons but was loved by everybody nevertheless. Though the series didn’t win many awards, it became famous among teenagers and is one of the best teen mysteries that ever aired on TV.

4. Small Wonder

This science fiction comedy was one of the best sitcoms of its time. First aired in the year 1985, this show received a lot of positive reviews and even saw remakes in other countries in their respective languages. The story line revolved around the Lawson family where the father creates a robot and names it Vicki and the family decides to keep her identity a secret and pretend like she’s their daughter. The show came to a conclusion in the year 1989 after 4 seasons and 2 Young Artist Awards for the actor who played the Lawson family’s neighbor, Harriet.

3. Arrested Development

This American sitcom focused on the wealthy, dysfunctional Bluth family who make life a funny living hell for Michael Bluth who wishes to take over the family affairs after the imprisonment of his father. The series debuted in the year 2003 and ran for 4 seasons before ending in the year 2013 as the show took a long gap between seasons 3 and 4 because of cancellation by the FOX network after the 3^rd season. The show then released its 4^th season on Netflix. Jason Bateman, who played Michael Bluth, received a Golden Globe for his performance and the show won a total of 6 Primetime Emmys.

2. Breaking Bad

As it recently came to an end, Breaking Bad is thoroughly fresh in our memory. This thrilling crime drama came into existence in 2008 and since then has broken many records of being the best show to be telecast on TV ever. With being placed at the top 3 in IMDB’s all-time best shows and a rating of 9.6/10, this series won 2 Golden Globes including the Best TV Series – Drama category in 2014. The plot revolves around a chemistry genius turned high school teacher who along with an ex-student creates and sells the world’s purest crystal meth after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. The show concluded in 2013 breaking millions of hearts bad.

1. Friends

Now this sitcom is undoubtedly the best one of all time. Nothing like Friends ever existed and the fan following never died down. Set up in the borough of Manhattan, New York, the theme of the comedy revolved around 6 friends, their fun times, their bad times, adventures, misadventures teaching us all the true meaning of love and friendship. The show first aired in the year 1994 and was well acclaimed right from the beginning. Apart from the critical acclaim and the huge success the show received, it is said to have created a cultural impact on the people which can be seen even today. In its runtime, the show won 6 Primetime Emmys and 1 BAFTA and Jennifer Anniston who played “Rachel Green” won the Golden Globe for Best performance by an Actress in a TV series – Comedy/Musical. It was hard to say goodbye to the series when it ended after 10 seasons in the year 2004 but the memories associated with this sitcom lives on and shall forever remain with all of us.