History SeriesFauxnale / WesternAnimation

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The first film, ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', was indeed supposed to be the finale due to the creator's uncertainty concerning the continued popularity of the show. Nickelodeon insisted on producing more episodes as soon as production wrapped on the movie however, and the series has continued to run ever since, even spawning additional movies and spin-offs.

** ''Jimmy Neutron'' had the episode '''[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGeniusS3E20 The League of Villains]]'''", which was clearly intended to be the series finale, as it had a majority of Jimmy's enemies from the series gang up to try and beat him for good. Despite taking place after several episodes in season 3, it wound up airing [[OutOfOrder before those said episodes even premiered in America]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' parodies this in "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS5E9ForgettingSarickMortshall Forgetting Sarick Mortshall]]", the ninth episode of Season 5, which ends with Rick realizing what a toxic and unhealthy relationship he and Morty have and refusing to reunite with him, instead telling Morty that he's LeavingYouToFindMyself. It's [[StylisticSuck deliberately]] written to provide an [[TastesLikeDiabetes overly-cheesy]], [[DeusExMachina abrupt]], [[AntiClimax anti-climactic]] wrap-up for Rick's and Morty's character arcs, complete with ending on an AwardBaitSong and the post-episode behind-the-scenes segments with the writers treating it like Rick and Morty have truly "broken up" for good. There was little fear of viewers taking it seriously: not only had the series had already been renewed at this point for many more seasons, but "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall" wasn't even the ''season'' finale. The next episode and ''actual'' season finale, "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS5E10RickamuraiJack Rickmurai Jack]]", hit the ResetButton and [[StatusQuoIsGod restored their usual dynamic]] within the first ten minutes.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': The season 2 finale "[[Recap/HarleyQuinn2019S2E13TheRunawayBridesmaid The Runaway Bridesmaid]]" plays a lot like the end of the series with the Justice League being honored, Gotham City restored, and Ivy and Harley driving off into the sunset with their new relationship. The show's crew themselves appear to have no idea whether they'd get a third season while the episode was made, given the final "The End?".

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' originally ended with the season five episode MusicalEpisode, "[[Recap/ThePowerpuffGirlsS6EP16SeeMeFeelMeGnomey See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey]]" in which the girls make a deal with a reality-altering gnome to rid Townsville of the villains plaguing it in exchange for their powers. Realizing that evil still lurks in Townsville in the form of a cult formed by Gnomey, and that evil will always exist as long as there is good, the deal is broken and they go to stop him. The show would get one more season afterwards. Notably, this episode [[MissingEpisode never aired in the United States]], only becoming available years after the show's run through the complete series DVD set and digital download.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': The season two episode "[[Recap/AmericanDragonJakeLongS02E20Homecoming Homecoming]]" was originally written as the series finale, and while it does leave some plot points unresolved (Rotwood knowing Jake's a dragon, Jake's dad not knowing he's married into a magical family, etc.) it still saw [[spoiler:the show's main villain deceased, the overarching threat of the season neutralized, and Jake and Rose's relationship seemingly concluded]]. However, the showrunners found out during the writing process that Disney had expanded the season order, giving them an additional 10 episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' had two: "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E24To26Starcrossed Starcrossed]]", which is the GrandFinale to the original series, and "Epilogue", and episode of ''Justice League Unlimited'' that was the ''chronological'' end to the DCAU as we know it. It should be mentioned that every season finale was a multi-part blowout in case they didn't get picked up again. The reason for this is because the previous DCAU series (''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', and ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'') never got any major pay-offs due to being dropped unexpectedly. When the creators got to do ''Justice League'', they decided to always end each season with a bang, just in case there weren't anymore.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': The episode "Let's Play Bye Bye, Yoghurt" was originally intended to be the series finale, and it had the characters re-create moments from past episodes and ended with a PetTheDog moment between [[HiddenHeartOfGold Mr. Cat]] and Quack Quack. The show wound up getting renewed, but [[UnfinishedDub this was the final episode of the English dub]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' had the episode "[[Recap/KingOfTheHillS11E12LuckysWeddingSuit Lucky's Wedding Suit]]", in which Lucky and Luanne got married (and, in a shining example of ContinuityPorn, many single-episode characters showed up). The show was later renewed for three more seasons (with the final episode being "To Sirloin with Love" where Hank finally discovers that Bobby has a talent that doesn't embarrass him[[note]]identifying and inspecting the quality of meat[[/note]] and the series ends with everyone gathering for a small, neighborhood barbecue and showing that Kahn can give his daughter a break in studying, Luanne and Lucky are happy together as a married couple and parents, Dale can please his wife better than John Redcorn, and Boomhauer has a job [[spoiler:as a member of the Texas Rangers]]...and then there were the four {{Missing Episode}}s only viewable on syndication (both cable and free-to-air TV) and streaming sites, with "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day"[[note]]the episode where Hank and his friends use Kahn to build a grill after learning that he's very talented at robotics when he's not on his medication to curb his bipolar mood swings[[/note]] as the final broadcast episode).

* A rather GenreSavvy example: the season one finale of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' titled "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted" was actually produced halfway through the first season; that way the producers had a final episode that they could neatly wrap up the series with all ready to air, in the event that the Creator/DisneyChannel didn't renew the show for a second season or ended up cancelling it prematurely. [[HilariousInHindsight The series naturally went on to become one of the longest-running shows in Disney Channel history.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' originally ended with the season five episode MusicalEpisode, "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" in which the girls make a deal with a reality-altering gnome to rid Townsville of the villains plaguing it in exchange for their powers. Realizing that evil still lurks in Townsville in the form of a cult formed by Gnomey, and that evil will always exist as long as there is good, the deal is broken and they go to stop him. The show would get one more season afterwards. Notably, this episode [[MissingEpisode never aired in the United States]], only becoming available years after the show's run through the complete series DVD set and digital download.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' ended its third season assuming that there wouldn't be a fourth season, [[WrapItUp wrapping things up nicely]]. It unexpectedly [[UnCanceled got renewed for a fourth season]] and the creators went into ''that'' [[TemptingFate with the expectation]] they would have at least five seasons... and [[YankTheDogsChain promptly got canceled again]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': The Season 3 finale was written before the show was renewed for Season 4, and it shows. The show's main MythArc is resolved, as the heroes reunite the titular dragon with his mother, and there appears to be a chance for peace between humans and elves after they join forces against [[BigBad Viren's]] mystically mutated army, while Viren himself is given a DisneyVillainDeath. Even then, however, a SequelHook is thrown in at the last scene, where Claudia [[BackFromTheDead resurrects Viren]] and reveals that [[SealedEvilInACan Aaravos']] familiar has entered a cocoon, implying that the latter's own [[HiddenAgendaVillain agenda]] is going forward.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' had two: "Starcrossed", which is the GrandFinale to the original series, and "Epilogue", and episode of ''Justice League Unlimited'' that was the ''chronological'' end to the DCAU as we know it. It should be mentioned that every season finale was a multi-part blowout in case they didn't get picked up again. The reason for this is because the previous DCAU series (''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', and ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'') never got any major pay-offs due to being dropped unexpectedly. When the creators got to do ''Justice League'', they decided to always end each season with a bang, just in case there weren't anymore.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' had the episode "Lucky's Wedding Suit," in which Lucky and Luanne got married (and, in a shining example of ContinuityPorn, many single-episode characters showed up). The show was later renewed for three more seasons (with the final episode being "To Sirloin with Love" where Hank finally discovers that Bobby has a talent that doesn't embarrass him[[note]]identifying and inspecting the quality of meat[[/note]] and the series ends with everyone gathering for a small, neighborhood barbecue and showing that Kahn can give his daughter a break in studying, Luanne and Lucky are happy together as a married couple and parents, Dale can please his wife better than John Redcorn, and Boomhauer has a job [[spoiler:as a member of the Texas Rangers]]...and then there were the four {{Missing Episode}}s only viewable on syndication (both cable and free-to-air TV) and streaming sites, with "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day"[[note]]the episode where Hank and his friends use Kahn to build a grill after learning that he's very talented at robotics when he's not on his medication to curb his bipolar mood swings[[/note]] as the final broadcast episode).
* The final episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'''s first season, "Endgame", with the show first planned as a one-season MiniSeries. As such, it wrapped up all the major plot points: [[spoiler: Amon's true identity is revealed and he is defeated, Korra enters the Avatar State for the first time, the love triangles are resolved by Korra and Mako getting together, and Korra learns how to restore the bending that Amon had taken away from others.]] Nickelodeon would go on to commission a second season partway during production, followed later by a third and fourth during that season's production.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' had a shortened, 13-episode third season due to the series being intended as a SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon. The season finale was a MusicalEpisode that [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore changed the status quo]] when main character Twilight Sparkle authored her own magic, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence]], and returned as an [[WingedUnicorn alicorn]] [[LateArrivalSpoiler princess]]. However, the overwhelming popularity of the series resulted in a fourth season of the show and a SpinOff being ordered, leading to the episode being rewritten to loosely be the first part in a three-episode arc to be continued the following season. The main show would go on to have nine seasons, a movie, and a few specials, while the ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' spin-off would see several movies, specials, and shorts in its own right.

** "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master" was originally intended to be the series finale, until the immense fan outcry and demand caused the show to be renewed for a third season.
** "Endings" has all the trappings of a series finale, right down to the title. Downplayed however, as while the show is still going, this episode would end up being the GrandFinale for the Hageman Brothers era of the show and the last episode [=WILFilm ApS=] animated.

* Meet ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', the show so nice it did this twice! First was the Season 2 closer, "Last But Not Beast", a crossover where Dexter and his family, Monkey, and the Justice Friends battle a {{Kaiju}}. Creator/GenndyTartakovsky didn't think this episode was a satisfying conclusion so he made an hour-long TV movie, "Ego Trip", where Dexter teams up with versions of himself from other time periods. Three years later, Creator/CartoonNetwork noticed the amazing ratings even the reruns were pulling down and produced two more seasons without Tartakovsky's involvement.

** The Season 4 finale, "Take This Ed and Shove It", had Eddy refusing to grow up and [[AllJustADream dreaming he and the neighborhood kids have gotten old]]. This was followed by a number of holiday specials and a fifth season which had its own Fauxnale, titled "A Fistful of Ed", in which the Eds finally end an episode being fully content. The show was going to get a sixth season as well, but it was scrapped in favor of definitively wrapping thing up with a television movie: ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'', with the few S6 episodes that were finished being released beforehand as "lost episodes".

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' parodies this in "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall", the ninth episode of Season 5, which ends with Rick realizing what a toxic and unhealthy relationship he and Morty have and refusing to reunite with him, instead telling Morty that he's LeavingYouToFindMyself. It's [[StylisticSuck deliberately]] written to provide an [[TastesLikeDiabetes overly-cheesy]], [[DeusExMachina abrupt]], [[AntiClimax anti-climactic]] wrap-up for Rick's and Morty's character arcs, complete with ending on an AwardBaitSong and the post-episode behind-the-scenes segments with the writers treating it like Rick and Morty have truly "broken up" for good. There was little fear of viewers taking it seriously: not only had the series had already been renewed at this point for many more seasons, but "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall" wasn't even the ''season'' finale. The next episode and ''actual'' season finale, "Rickmurai Jack", hit the ResetButton and [[StatusQuoIsGod restored their usual dynamic]] within the first ten minutes.

* The original run of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' ended with an episode where Angelica was moving away, and Tommy told the others he would miss her. When the others asked for clarification, Tommy explained how it was Angelica who made them all friends, complete with a flashback origin story. It turned out Angelica didn't have to move, but it ended up in one of her purest JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments, and because of that the series later got renewed.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' had the episode "Aku's Fairy Tales", a largely comedic episode centered around [[BigBad Aku]] telling fables to a group of young children, [[FracturedFairyTale altered to feature him as the protagonist and Samurai Jack as the villain.]] After failing to entertain them, Aku leaves frustrated. The kids tell their own story, wherein Samurai Jack reaches a portal to his own time period after striking down Aku once and for all. This episode, despite taking place in the imagination of children, was meant to provide some semblance of closure if the show were not renewed.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': "The Wrong Jedi" at the end of the fifth season gives this impression, being an emotionally heavy conclusion, but they did intend for a sixth season that was meant to be more of an epilogue. After the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm the sixth season was truncated and released on Netflix, culminating in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS6E13Sacrifice "Sacrifice"]], an episode focusing on Yoda that brought the show to a philosophical resolution but largely disconnected from the actual war. It was then {{Uncanceled}} with a seventh and final season on Creator/DisneyPlus, providing an affirmative conclusion by [[SimultaneousArcs intermingling events]] with ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', the official conclusion to the war.

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': "Defender of All Universes", the Season 6 finale, has a sense of coming full circle in its conclusion that makes it feel a lot like a series finale, even when it was made with the full knowledge that they had two more seasons. If not for the fact that [[spoiler: Honerva was still out there]], the story could have wrapped up in that episode. There's even a unique credits sequence for it. Quite possibly a MythologyGag referencing the original ''Voltron'', which as mentioned above, also had a Series Fauxnale as its 52nd episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' was clearly intended to end with the first film, where Bloom finally finds her birth parents after three seasons searching for them and Sky asks her to marry him. But then we're given a SequelHook where the Ancestral Witches (whose spirits were freed when Bloom saved her home) possess the Trix. The creator of the series, Iginio Straffi, [[https://www.corriereadriatico.it/SPETTACOLI/rainbow_avventure_winx_iginio_straffi_villa_musone_marche_rai2/notizie/421983.shtml said in an interview]] that he always planned the show to end after the third season. The show was eventually renewed for more seasons and given two more movies (the first of which resolved the SequelHook), but Straffi wasn't heavily involved with them.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': The season 2 finale plays a lot like the end of the series with the Justice League being honored, Gotham City restored, and Ivy and Harley driving off into the sunset with their new relationship. The show's crew themselves appear to have no idea whether they'd get a third season while the episode was made, given the final "The End?".

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}'': The three-part finale of the fourth season, meaningfully titled "The End", pitted the Titans against [[GodOfEvil Trigon]] in a post-apocalyptic wasteland for the sake of the entire universe. Then the show was renewed for a fifth and final season, with two separate endings: a straightforward GrandFinale featuring every major character in the show, and a much more downbeat DenouementEpisode focusing on Beast Boy and a BackFromTheDead Terra.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': [[Recap/AmericanDragonJakeLongS02E20Homecoming Homecoming]] was originally written as the series finale, and while it does leave some plot points unresolved (Rotwood knowing Jake's a dragon, Jake's dad not knowing he's married into a magical family, etc.) it still saw [[spoiler:the show's main villain deceased, the overarching threat of the season neutralized, and Jake and Rose's relationship seemingly concluded]]. However, the showrunners found out during the writing process that Disney had expanded the season order, giving them an additional 11 episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': Even though the ending of [[Recap/AmericanDragonJakeLongS02E20Homecoming Homecoming]] does leave plot points (Rotwood knowing Jake's a dragon, Jake's dad not knowing he's married into a magical family, etc.) unresolved, there is still a lot of finality to this episode, to the point where it could serve as a satisfactory GrandFinale and one could be forgiven if they thought it was. The show's main villain is dead, the overarching threat of the season is neutralized, and Jake and Rose's relationship, [[MythArc which is ostensibly the show's main plot]], is seemingly permanently concluded.

* The Season 3 finale of ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' is a five-part episode called "Capture the Flag" and wraps up a long running plot-line featuring the king from the Other Side of the Creek in a massive event where characters from the entire series unite to defend their side of the Creek. However, a fourth season of the show was greenlit, making this no longer the show's swan song.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E58TilNephewsDoUsPart Til Nephews Do Us Part]]" ended the first season of sixy-five episodes. All the major characters, and many one-time characters, appear as guests at the wedding of Scrooge and Millionairia Vanderbucks. Scrooge finds out at the last minute that Millionaira is only marrying him for his money; but that doesn't save him from being chased into the parking lot by his old girlfriend, Goldie, brandishing a shotgun! ''[=DuckTales=]'' would go on to have an even hundred episode and a [[TheMovie cinematic motion picture]]. The real GrandFinale was the two-part (save-the-world) episode "[[Recap/DuckTalesTheGoldenGoose The Golden Goose]]".

** The Season 4 finale, "Take This Ed and Shove It", had Eddy refusing to grow up and [[AllJustADream dreaming he and the neighborhood kids have gotten old]]. This was followed by a fifth season which had its own Fauxnale, titled "A Fistful of Ed", in which the Eds finally end an episode being fully content. This was followed by a handful of specials and two more episodes, before the series was definitively wrapped up in [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow the movie]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': The MadeForTVMovie ''[[WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama So the Drama]]'' was expected to be the end of the show as a result of Creator/DisneyChannel's then-ironclad [[SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon 65 episode rule]], complete with LastMinuteHookup. Then they got another season due to fan demand. Oddly enough, ''So the Drama'' debuted while there were still '''five''' unaired episodes (including one [[ThreeShorts Two Shorts]] episode) [[OutOfOrder that nominally took place before it]], and one of those episodes didn't even air until ''[[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment over a year]]'' after ''So the Drama'', by which time the PostscriptSeason was in the works.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' originally ended with the season five episode MusicalEpisode, "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" in which the girls make a deal with a reality-altering gnome to rid Townsville of the villains plaguing it in exchange for their powers. Realizing that evil still lurks in Townsville in the form of a cult formed by Gnomey, and that evil will always exist as long as there is good, the deal is broken and they go to stop him. For years, this episode [[MissingEpisode never aired in the United States]], only becoming available years after the show's run through the complete series DVD set and digital download.

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' parodies this in "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall", the ninth episode of Season 5, which ends with Rick realizing what a toxic and unhealthy relationship he and Morty have and refusing to reunite with him, instead telling Morty that he's LeavingYouToFindMyself. It's [[StylisticSuck deliberately]] written to provide an [[TastesLikeDiabetes overly-cheesy]], [[DeusExMachina abrupt]], [[AntiClimax anti-climactic]] wrap-up for Rick's and Morty's character arcs, complete with ending on an AwardBaitSong and the post-episode behind-the-scenes segments with the writers treating it like Rick and Morty have truly "broken up" for good. There was little fear of viewers taking it seriously considering that the series had already been renewed at this point for many more seasons, and what's more, "Forgetting Sarick Mortshall" wasn't even the ''season'' finale. The next episode, "Rickmurai Jack", hit the ResetButton and [[StatusQuoIsGod restored the status quo]] within the first ten minutes.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' did this with "You're Getting Old". Many people at the time believed that it was, in fact, a surprise finale, as the show's creators said they were exhausted from working on it.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** The ending narration of the Lost Episode, "The Sponge Who Could Fly", implies that it's truly the last episode. Regardless, a few episodes were made soon after to start production back in preparation of the then- upcoming ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.
** Said movie was indeed supposed to be the finale, but naturally, the series carried on due to ExecutiveMeddling, and even spawned more movies (albeit with no direct links to the first one).
** "[=SpongeBob=]'s Last Stand" was thought to be the GrandFinale (and its name also suggests this), with a NearVillainVictory (Plankton has successfully driven away business from the Krusty Krab, and Mr. Krabs was ready to hand over the Krabby Patty secret formula, until a bunch a jellyfish stopped that from happening by going on a rampage, making it a DidntThinkThisThrough moment for Plankton).

** Season 5's finale [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind "Change Your Mind"]] concluded the show's MythArc ([[spoiler:the Crystal Gems defeat the Diamonds and convince them of the error of their ways, the Corrupted Gems are cured, Steven makes peace with his mother's legacy, Homeworld is heading towards a brighter future]], and most of the major plotlines are conclusively wrapped up). Creator Rebecca Sugar believed that this would be the final season, as the network was adamant that they wouldn't order more, forcing her to argue for a handful of extra episodes so she could even wrap things up. Then the network changed their minds, not only allowing her to do the [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie television movie she wanted]], but also greenlighting a sixth season which she decided to turn into the mini-series ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture''.

** There was also "Beyond Good and Evil", written to be the finale. It was a massively massive four-parter where [[BackForTheFinale damn near everybody]] takes part in an epic that crosses time and space, from ancient Egypt to the present to Bishop's future to Cable's future ''and'' Deathbird (who was standing in the background when Fabian Cortez met Apocalypse back in "Sanctuary;" you knew there was something to that!) shows up. In the end, Apocalypse appears to be defeated once and for all. And they get renewed. The second of the intended series finales was more quiet and emotional than either of the blockbuster epic finales: Professor X is dying, and we get some TearJerker moments, character exploration, and ''one'' fight that ends when Magneto is told he can help save Xavier's life. As it ends with Xavier [[spoiler: leaving for intensive care in the Shi'ar galaxy, with those he taught as the caretakers of his dream]], it is named "Graduation Day". Several decades later, Disney renewed the series for another season, to premiere exclusivley on Disney+.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': "Til Nephews Do Us Part" ended the first season of sixy-five episodes. All the major characters, and many one-time characters, appear as guests at the wedding of Scrooge and Millionairia Vanderbucks. Scrooge finds out at the last minute that Millionaira is only marrying him for his money; but that doesn't save him from being chased into the parking lot by his old girlfriend, Goldie, brandishing a shotgun! ''[=DuckTales=]'' would go on to have an even hundred episode and a [[TheMovie cinematic motion picture]]. The real GrandFinale was the two-part (save-the-world) episode "The Golden Goose".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' had the final ''[[{{Crossover}} Jimmy Timmy Power Hour]]'', which was the intended finale for both shows. However, both series were renewed and the crossover rewritten as a result.

** ''Jimmy Neutron'' had the episode "The League of Villains", which was clearly intended to be the series finale, as it had a majority of Jimmy's enemies from the series gang up to try and beat him for good. Despite taking place after several episodes in season 3, it wound up airing [[OutOfOrder before those said episodes even premiered in America]].

** The episode "[[Recap/AquaTeenHungerForceS11E9TheGreatestStoryEverTold The Greatest Story Ever Told]]" plays off as a GrandFinale, which ends with [[spoiler: Shake and Frylock dead and Meatwad starting a family.]] Three days later, the ''real'' final episode, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" was leaked onto the Creator/AdultSwim website (and aired on TV a week later), which was more in line with a typical ''Aqua Teen'' episode.

* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' was supposed to be the last, with "It's Goin' Down" to serve as the GrandFinale.
* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': The season two two-parter "Summit To Save Earth" plays out a lot like an endgame for the series, with Gaia's rival Zarn teaming with all of the Planeteers eco-villains, traps Gaia and depletes her powers to the point she ages signficantly, and turns the world into a toxic pit. After the Planeteers and Captain Planet defeat their enemies and send Zarn packing, the titular 'Summit' goes off without a hitch and the goverments of the world all agree to do more to keep the planet cleaner, which evokes an emotional reaction from Gaia.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' has the aptly titled episode [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS2E40TheFinale The Finale]], the final episode of the show's second season. The episode parodied the notion of {{negative continuity}} by showing that everything the Wattersons have done in the series had serious consequences, leading to them being imprisoned and, at the end, mobbed by the entire town who wants them dead. The show would end up running for another four seasons, seemingly concluding with the [[LeftHanging cliffhanger ending]] of "The Inquisition" before a television movie was put into production two years later to tie-up the remaining loose ends.

** "Mortal Folly" and "Mortal Recoil" were originally intended to be the final episodes of the show in case Creator/CartoonNetwork didn't renew the show for a third season.
** The original series ended with "Come Along With Me", an hour-long finale that concluded many of the show's major plotlines, most notably [[spoiler:Betty's quest to cure Simon of being the Ice King]]. Two years later, a series of specials called ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTimeDistantLands'' began streaming on Creator/HBOMax, following various characters after the events of the GrandFinale.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' has the aptly titled episode "The Finale", the final episode of the show's second season. The episode parodied the notion of {{negative continuity}} by showing that everything the Wattersons have done in the series had serious consequences, leading to them being imprisoned and, at the end, mobbed by the entire town who wants them dead. The show would end up running for another four seasons, seemingly concluding with the [[LeftHanging cliffhanger ending]] of "The Inquisition" before a television movie was put into production two years later to tie-up the remaining loose ends.

** The infamous season 7 opener, "Hot Water", was written to be aired as a finale when the writers weren't certain Fox would renew the show. When it ''was'' announced that ''American Dad!'' would continue, the episode became a non-canon season premiere.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': Despite the massive CliffHanger ending in which [[spoiler:the main character is seemingly murdered]], the Season 7 finale was this. By WordOfGod, they weren't sure if they were going to get renewed or not, but felt that [[spoiler: Archer's death]] would be a good place to end the series if they didn't. However, they also included a few hints towards ways the CliffHanger could be resolved if they did get renewed, which, luckily for fans, they did.

** The episode "The Last One Forever and Ever (For Real This Time) (We Fucking Mean It)" plays off as a GrandFinale, which ends with [[spoiler: Shake and Frylock dead and Meatwad starting a family.]] Three days later, the ''real'' final episode, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" was leaked onto the Creator/AdultSwim website (and aired on TV a week later), which was more in line with a typical ''Aqua Teen'' episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': The "War of the Worlds" 2-parter has a very GrandFinale-esque feel, with Ben having saved the entire universe from the Highbreed (including the [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum Highbreed]] [[HeelFaceTurn themselves]]), and thus reaching his peak as a hero. The episode also ends with the Omnitrix resetting itself, with Ben implying that he had yet again been locked into another new set of 10 alien heroes, an obvious {{Bookend|s}} to both the original and ''Alien Force'' pilot episodes. Of course, this wasn't actually the end of the series (and nowhere near the end of Ben's [[WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien adventures]] [[WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse overall]]), with him going on to have many, many more adventures afterward. The HereWeGoAgain ending was also {{retcon}}ned to Ben only having unlocked a single new alien, which he starts using in the third season.
* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'': Even though a third season would be confirmed and the ending to the second season did leave plot points unresolved, there was still a lot of finality to the episode, to the point where it could've served as a satisfactory GrandFinale and one could be forgiven if they thought it was. Wasabi, [=GoGo=], and Honey Lemon graduate from SFIT, Hiro accepts Tadashi's honorary degree, Chief Cruz exonerates Big Hero 6 and Globby and is allowed to know their secret identities, and the threat that was started in the beginning of the series is completely neutralized.