These days, Oprah Winfrey seems to bring out some very strong emotions in people. Many seem to either love her or hate her. Whatever you think about her, it’s hard to deny that The Oprah Winfrey Show has been groundbreaking in many ways and will leave a void in the daytime schedule.

The final three episodes will surely be interesting and are sure to attract big ratings. As is the case with many hyped TV show finales, lots of past viewers will tune in to see how the show comes to a close. It’s unclear what May 25th’s last episode will hold but the May 23rd and 24th episodes are expected to be a star-studded extravaganza.

Whether or not Winfrey’s series finale will be memorable or not remains to be seen. Her production company seems to think it will be and is hyping it alongside some of television’s most popular last episodes — those of Cheers, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, M*A*S*H, The Cosby Show, and the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.

Fittingly, clips from The Mary Tyler Moore Show start off the special finale-themed commercial. Winfrey reunited the sitcom’s surviving cast on May 19, 2008 and she has said that Moore’s Mary Richards inspired her to enter broadcasting.

What do you think? How will Winfrey’s finale stack up against these memorable last episodes? What are your favorite finales?