Many great TV shows had an intriguing mystery that plagued their storylines from early on, but some titles waited until the very last episode to finally offer an explanation. The best TV shows of all time often included one or more fascinating mysteries that kept viewers engaged in the hopes that one day an answer was going to be provided. While a solution to these problems occurred at different points in their respective timelines, some shows decided to save the juicy reveal until the very last moment.

However, only some shows were kind enough to do so. Many frustrating TV mysteries that needed answers were sadly left unsolved, which made their overall popularity dip. Ironically, the most irritating examples of these were often TV shows about mysteries, only for audiences to be left dangling instead. Thankfully, these incredible TV mysteries paid off in the very last episode of their shows.

8 The Purpose Of The Island

Lost: Notable Directors Include Jack Bender and Stephen Williams

The history and timeline of the Island in Lost weren’t fully explained in the finale, but some questions about the enigmatic central location were answered. Lost’s last episode, entitled “The End,” saw several of its characters return to the heart of the Island, an area bathed in golden glow and, at one point, a crucial location that helped ensure its protection against the Man in Black.

There were many theories about what the heart exactly was and how it worked, but Lost’s finale was able to shed some light on the matter. The cork used to hold back Jacob’s destructive force was, in fact, an actual cork, to many people’s surprise. The purpose of the heart was eventually revealed when Desmond removed the cork, which caused the light to cut out and made the Island start to collapse into the sea.

However, this discovery also allowed Jack to kill Jacob finally. There were multiple unanswered questions in the Lost finale, and although the truth about the heart’s cork was rather anticlimactic, it was still somewhat of an answer and gave audiences a better understanding of the Island’s mystical properties.

7 The Location Of Our "Earth"

Battlestar Galactica: Notable Directors Include Michael Rymer and Michael Nankin

The journey to find “Earth” was a core mystery from the first episode of Battlestar Galactica. The Battlestar Galactica pilot introduced the Colonial Fleet following a sudden attack by the Cylons, which sent the crew out to the stars in search of the rumored refuge that was similar to Earth. The survivors took a long time to reach their ultimate destination.

But in the last episode, “Daybreak,” which was split into three parts, humanity arrived at their new home. However, the location of this version of “Earth” was always a mystery that Battlestar Galactica failed to address. Battlestar Galactica’s controversial finale confirmed a theory that viewers were long suspicious of. It was explained that this new world wasn’t just a near copy of our blue and green planet; it was actually Earth from the past.

This unusual and shocking discovery proved that Battlestar Galactica as a TV show was also set in the past, and it also highlighted that the search for Earth was realistically very simple. After they abandoned their home in the hopes of finding another safe place, the Colonial Fleet crew settled down in the same place just years before the tragedy.

6 The Telenovela's Narrator

Jane The Virgin: Directed by Melanie Mayron and Gina Lamar

The identity of Jane the Virgin’s narrator was a sneaky TV mystery. It wasn’t a detail that was particularly questioned at first, but audiences quickly started to wonder who the enigmatic man providing a detailed voice-over of Jane’s life was. However, clues dropped throughout the show implied that whoever it was, they were a significant part of Jane and her family’s lives.

Jane the Virgin impressively saved this exciting revelation until the end of the episode, and it was mentioned so subtly that it made the moment even more unexpected.

For example, they were at Xiomara and Rogelio's wedding, two important of the Jane the Virgin cast. One popular theory was that the narrator was Jane’s late grandfather, Mateo. However, it was revealed after her wedding to Rafael that the hidden figure was their son Mateo instead, who was named after his ancestor.

Young Mateo was the driving force behind Jane the Virgin, even from the womb, so it made total sense that he was also the true protagonist of the show. Jane the Virgin impressively saved this exciting revelation until the end of the episode, and it was mentioned so subtly that it made the moment even more unexpected.

5 The Mother's Fate

How I Met Your Mother: Directed By Rob Greenberg, Michael J. Shea, and Neil Patrick Harris

The identity of the Mother in How I Met Your Mother was a massive TV mystery. Even though her face was finally shown in the season 8 finale, and she was a prominent character throughout season 9, there were still questions surrounding Tracy in the future. Ted’s conversations with his kids were never ed by anyone else, and it was always the three of them in his Westchester house, which made audiences concerned about where the Mother was.

Tracy’s demise, unfortunately, contributed to the hints of Tracy’s death in How I Met Your Mother, but they were simply vague references, and it was hard to determine whether the show had killed her or not. Despite this, Tracy’s heartbreaking demise was still a massive shock.

Considering that How I Met Your Mother’s entire premise relied on Tracy, the impact she had on the unlucky-in-love Ted, and the fact she was the mother of his children, it seemed heartless that she wasn’t there to share their stories with him. However, it also made sense, even if it was disappointing.

4 The Red Room

The Haunting Of Hill House: Directed by Mike Flanagan

The Red Room in The Haunting of Hill House, Everything the Red Room pretended to be was different for each occupant, which put viewers on edge. For example, it was a toy room for Nellie, a treehouse for Luke, and a dance studio for Theo.

The Red Room was baffling, however, as it was always locked and only seemed to open for the Crains on its own . However, the last episode of the chilling miniseries saw the grown-up Crain siblings return to the Red Room, and the show explained just what the confusing place was. It was established that the Red Room needed the Crains to enter it so that it could feed from them.

This was why each version of it was so specific to each character, and it tailored its look in order to appeal to them. Once they’d spent enough time inside, the Crains found out the horrifying reality of the Red Room and how it was the stomach of the house.

3 The Identity Of Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl: Notable Directors Include Mark Piznarski and Norman Buckley

The villain behind Gossip Girls’ iconic blog-writer was a prominent plotline from start to finish. The Gossip Girl finale was a disappointing ending for many dedicated viewers, who felt that the reveal of who was hounding the characters with petty gossip and dangerous rumors was anticlimactic, especially as it created some plot holes.

Gossip Girl won multiple Teen Choice Awards (2008-2012), Young Hollywood Awards (2009), and ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards (2008-2012).

subtle clues that Dan was Gossip Girl that went over viewers’ heads, but they were so brief or vague that it was hard to take them seriously.

Gossip Girl’s identity was hidden brilliantly throughout the show, and although Dan was suspected at times, so was everyone else. There were so many possible candidates who cropped up throughout Gossip Girl who were potentially the faceless threat, but Dan was a massive troublemaker and loved to create conflict, so he was the perfect choice realistically.

2 A.D.'s Connections To The Past

Pretty Little Liars: Notable Directors Include Norman Buckley, Ron Lagomarsino and Chad Lowe

Pretty Little Liars was another TV show that was plagued with a mysterious and hidden antagonist. While there ended up being multiple different people behind “A,” the finale managed to squeeze in one more shocking villain in the group.Every reveal of “A” in Pretty Little Liars was stunning, but nobody expected “A.D.” to have a connection to the show’s earlier installments.

Pretty Little Liars’ finale introduced one last addition to the group of killers, and it was established that A.D. was Alex Drake, Spencer and Charlotte’s sister. The astonishing announcement that Alex Drake was also an A was layered. Spencer was the first suspect, but this was proved to be untrue. However, she was kidnapped and almost killed by the first A, Mona.

Spencer pushed Mona off a cliff after she asked her to the A-Team, although she did later get involved, and this was what made it even more surprising that her twin also followed this path. Even though A.D.’s identity wasn’t teased from the beginning, her strange influence in the background was wrapped up in several other Pretty Little Liars mysteries.

1 Creed's Mysterious Past & Crimes

The Office: Notable Directors Include Randall Einhorn, Paul Feig and Ken Kwapis

Creed Bratton was one of the most hilarious characters in The Office cast. His wild behavior created some of the funniest moments throughout the show, but his most notable moments were generally when he was being rather suspicious. Creed was an odd guy who didn’t make a lot of sense, but it was heavily implied throughout the show that he was involved in criminal activities.

His wild behavior created some of the funniest moments throughout the show, but his most notable moments were generally when he was being rather suspicious.

In fact, it was even suggested that Creed was a murderer after he arrived at the Halloween party covered in blood splatters, and he was relieved when he realized what day it was.The Office’s two-part finale saw the documentary crew return to Dunder Mifflin Scranton to film DVD extras and to follow the events of Dwight and Angela’s wedding.

It was during the opening scenes that Dwight shared that Creed faked his own death after the police came looking for him over a plethora of offenses. Some of the crimes Creed Bratton committed in The Office included selling drugs, trafficking meat of an endangered species, and stealing LSD from the military. All of these made total sense, and if anything, these crimes were relatively tame compared to what Creed was capable of.