It may be unfair to judge a once-beloved show by its final few moments, but let’s face it: In today’s short-attention-span society, it’s the last impression that lingers the strongest. So for better and for worse, a show’s series finale may just prove to be its most important episode. Snakkle looks back at some of the best—and worst—in television history.

“Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in,” are we right? Well, for once-television stars who took a break from the medium that seems to be this season’s motto. See what Christina Applegate, Tim Allen, and Poppy Montgomery (to name a few) had to say about taking the plunge back into TV.