10 Shocking TV Finales That Changed Everything

There’s nothing like an unexpected tone shift to make or break a great ending. Sitcoms like Cheers and Scrubs indulged in a little more wistful sentimentality than usual for their finales, leaving audiences misty-eyed as they said their respective goodbyes.

The opposite approach has been known to work wonders, too—Seinfeld’s famous final episode is, if anything, more mean-spirited and pointless than much of the already acerbic show had been. Therefore, a pretty fitting end to the “show about nothing” with “no learning and no hugging”.

That said, at times a tone shift can have the same effect as shifting lanes on a freeway while driving the wrong direction. Take Dinosaurs, a light-hearted and much-loved sitcom centred around an adorable family of the titular beasts. The series is best remembered for its catchphrases, adorable tyke Baby Sinclair—Oh yeah! And the ending where they’re all killed.

That’s right—Dinosaurs was so committed to its (admittedly admirable) environmentalist message that the show ended with every dinosaur dying due to the irresponsible actions of a corporation. A couple of decades on we may not have reversed climate change, but the sudden, incredibly bleak ending is looking a little more understandable.