BackStory hosts Joanne Freeman, Nathan Connolly, Brian Balogh and Ed Ayers are shown on the stage of Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater before “BackStory Live: Who Speaks for America?,” a live show honoring University of Virginia’s Bicentennial, October 5, 2017. Photographer: Sanjay Suchak

The End of the Road

BackStory and the History of Finales in America

07.03.20

It turns out that all good things must come to an end…including BackStory.

So on this final episode of BackStory, Nathan, Brian, Joanne and Ed explore different kinds of finales throughout American history. They also consider what it’s like being a part of their own finale and how finales can sometimes lead to new beginnings.

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Segments

Cue the Credits

Ed speaks with author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong about some of the most notorious — and beloved — television finales throughout American history including M.A.S.H., The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Seinfeld. They also talk about how ending a series with a finale wasn’t always a given…

Music:

Classic Sitcom by Matthew Reid

Who Likes Jazz by Bobby Cole

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Goodbye or Good Riddance?

Historian Lindsay Chervinsky tells Joanne about the precedent George Washington set with the first presidential finale and why exiting politics is harder than it looks.

Music:

The Presidential Palace (V3) by Patrick Smith

Massive by Podington Bear

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Coach Tony Bennett knows a thing or two about big finales. He’s the head coach of the men’s basketball team at the University of Virginia. In 2018, the Cavaliers entered the NCAA tournament as a number one seed, but lost in the first round. A year later, the team bounced back in a big way and won the NCAA national championship.

Brian talks with Coach Bennett about the power of sports and how you have to be able to accept the outcome of a big game, whether it’s a buzzer-beater win or a heartbreaking loss.

Music:

OneEightFour by Blue Dot Sessions
Elmore Heights by Blue Dot Sessions

It’s Nationtime, Brother

In 1972, ten thousand Black Americans convened in Gary, Indiana at the National Black Political Convention to unify around Black Liberation and political progress for Black Americans. But finding common ground within a diverse movement was easier said than done.

Nathan speaks with historian Leonard Moore about the 1972 convention. Moore says that although the convention was a finale of sorts for Black Nationalism, it was also the beginning of something big.

In 1972, ten thousand Black Americans convened in Gary, Indiana at the National Black Political Convention to unify around a strategy for Black Liberation and political progress for Black Americans. But finding common ground within a diverse movement was easier said than done.

Nathan speaks with historian Leonard Moore about the 1972 convention. Moore says that although the convention was a finale of sorts for Black Nationalism, it was also the beginning of something big.

Music:

Smooth Actor by Podington Bear

Reckoning by Podington Bear

Driftwood by Podington Bear

Slotcar by Podington Bear

Logjam by Podington Bear

Saunter by Podington Bear

Enrichment by Podington Bear