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seasons have felt like a houseguest overstaying his welcome. Steve Carell's departure made it clear that sometimes it's best to end a show while it's still fresh. (The British original consisted of two six-episode seasons, and two holiday specials.) The series-ender is likely to be a sweet sendoff, though, with such guest stars as Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak returning. Will Carell appear? There's been no announcement that he'll reprise his role as Michael Scott. But surprises have been known to happen in series finales. (9 p.m. NBC/8)

"Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m. ABC/2)

"Elementary" (10 p.m. CBS/6)

"Scandal" (10 p.m. ABC/2)

MAY 19

"The Simpsons": The longest-running primetime scripted show in TV history wraps up its 24th season. Season 25 is on the way, though there's talk it may be the last one. (8 p.m. Fox/12)

"Call the Midwife" (8 p.m. PBS/10)

"Mr. Selfridge" (9 p.m. PBS/10)

MAY 20

"Mike & Molly" (9:30 p.m. CBS/6)

"Hawaii Five-0" (10 p.m. CBS/6)

"Bates Motel": The brief first season of this prequel to "Psycho," set in a fictional Oregon coastal town, has had storytelling bumps, but the performances by Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates, and Freddie Highmore as a teen-aged Norman Bates, are outstanding. They'll return for a second season. (10 p.m. A&E)

MAY 21

"Grimm": Season 2 of the fantasy/procedural based and filmed in Portland has been a step up in intensity, creativity and energy from Season 1. More characters have been brought into Detective Nick Burkhardt's (David Giuntoli) secret -- that he's a Wesen-thwarting Grimm -- which has been a breath of fresh air and opened up new storytelling possibilities. Giuntoli has said not all of the characters may survive the finale. Have tissues handy, there might be sniffling involved. (10 p.m. NBC/8)

MAY 22

"The Middle" (8 p.m. ABC/2)

"Law & Order: SVU" (9 p.m. NBC/8)

"Modern Family" (9 p.m. ABC/2)

"Chicago Fire" (10 p.m. NBC/8)

"Nashville" (10 p.m. ABC/2)

MAY 26

"Smash": Bid this a long goodbye, as Season 2 has been shuffled around the NBC schedule, languishing for a while in the dead zone of Saturday night before getting its two-hour finale moved to this Sunday slot. The final two episodes of the season -- and the show -- involve the casts of "Bombshell" and "Hit List" fretting about winning Tony Awards. Break a leg, kids. (9 p.m. NBC/8)

Feeling misty-eyed about all these farewells? Buck up. The spring/summer season is kicking in on broadcast and cable networks, bringing new series ("Graceland," "Mistresses"), returning favorites ("Longmire"), and the keenly anticipated series conclusion of "Breaking Bad."

TV PET PEEVES: Do you stifle the urge to throw heavy objects at the TV when those annoying network logos show up on the bottom of the screen during an intense emotional scene? I do. But that's just me. I'm interested in hearing what your particular TV peeves are. Shows that run long, and get cut off in your DVR? Loud commercials? Let me hear about 'em. Email me at kturnquist@oregonian.com. You'll feel better getting off it off your chest, and I'll compile some especially aggravating examples in a future column.

TV CREDIT SEQUENCES: But let's not end on such a negative note. I'm working on an upcoming column about the best TV series credit sequences of all time. The trend nowadays is to do away with credit sequences or make them throwaways, with credits appearing onscreen as the episode begins. But there's nothing like a stylish credit sequence to establish mood and tone. I have my favorites ("Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead" are two current examples). But I want to hear about yours. Again, if you're willing to be quoted in an upcoming column about your picks ("The Twilight Zone"? "Arrested Development"? "The Andy Griffith Show"? "The X-Files"?), email me your choices -- even if they include "The Brady Bunch."

-- Kristi Turnquist

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