Is it just me, or does every hour-long television drama nowadays end with a five minute musical montage in which the camera pans by every major character in the act of contemplating the events of the episode?
I want to say it started with Ally McBeal (1997-2002), David E. Kelley's madcap counterpart to his more serious legal show, The Practice. At the end of every episode, the gang would go to some nightclub where real-life musician, Vonda Shepard, would sing some weepy ballad while we watched scenes of characters walking home wistfully, staring into space longingly, or having some other kind of "moment".
Later, it started appearing on The Practice and other dramas. Now it's even a mainstay with otherwise high-quality shows like Nip/Tuck, House, and LOST.
I think that, while the show-ending montage may have been artistically relevant at some point, it has become so widespread and hackneyed that it's been reduced to just being a crutch for weary writers with nothing left to say. Suck it up and write a solid denouement, guys!