Television is often considered one of America’s past times, for good reason. Television shows have become central to society since technology’s invention and have been responsible for some of the greatest pop culture influences of the last century. Yet, even the most popular shows drop the ball now and again.
Instead of simply dealing with the bad publicity, some shows choose creative ways to ignore their worst plot lines. Series like Will and Grace have famously attributed their more controversial endings to dream sequences. This lazy writing isn’t popular, but it can save the series from more embarrassing cancellations, or it can open the door for profitable reboots.
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To boldly go where we’ve been before.
Will and Grace
Goodbye, time jump
Will and Grace is one of the most popular Emmy-winning sitcoms of the late 90s. It was one of the first sitcoms to feature an openly queer leading protagonist and is still praised for its representation to this day. It challenges stereotypes in a major way while introducing beautifully written and highly entertaining characters. The original series ran for 8 seasons, only to conclude with one of the most popular sitcom endings of the time.
The original 2006 ending features a time jump in which Will and Grace had become estranged after a major fight. They only reconcile after their children’s engagement many years later. The finale ends with the reconstruction of their friendship as their family grows stronger than ever before. This entire plot line was completely abandoned once the reboot was announced and the time jump was simply labeled as a “crazy dream.”
The reboot continues in the same apartment as the original series and carries over many of the most popular plot lines from the original while discussing new cultural phenomena. The reboot ran for another three years and continued in 2017 with the series “ninth season.” Instead of being canceled, the reboot ran for a shorter run, ending in 2020 after the showrunners felt Will and Grace’s stories had been completely told.
Roseanne
Time to ignore a controversial death
Roseanne was once considered the most popular family sitcom in existence. It featured a truly star-studded cast of characters, including John Goodman, Roseanne Barr, Sara Gilbert, Johnny Galecki, and Laurie Metcalf. It was regularly the highest-rated sitcom on the air and regularly impressed audiences with its witty and groundbreaking humor.
Roseanne ran for 8 popular seasons before falling completely off the rails. The series decided to unceremoniously have John Goodman’s character pass away, while Roseanne became rich via an extensive book deal. The zany plot quickly lost audiences, and the show would quickly ruin its reputation relatively quickly after Dan was killed off the show.
The show decided to completely ignore the events of the 9th season, pretending they were a dream. Dan’s character was brought back before Roseanne’s character was eventually killed off after the actresses’ very real controversy. Ultimately, it might’ve been better if Roseanne stopped at season 8 and never continued.
Dallas
A case of a bad dream
Dallas is one of the longest-running and most popular soap operas of all time. The series would end in the early 1990s, but not before its own fair share of controversies. The series, like many others, would struggle during the show’s 8th season. During a pivotal point in the series, Dallas would decide to kill off one of its most beloved characters, Bobby Ewing.
Like many other examples of lazy writing, Bobby is simply brought back at the beginning of the 9th season, with the later events being labeled as another dream sequence. The show learned its lesson and refused to reverse the later deaths of Pamela and Sue Ellen, but it couldn’t leave the series without one of its most popular protagonists.
Ultimately, Dallas isn’t the only series to rely on a “dream gone bad,” but it is one of the first. The fact that Dallas was able to get by without too much controversy might be why later television series would adopt the “bad dream” plot. The moment was referenced several times but was largely forgotten about by the later series.
Dexter
The refusal to kill Dexter
Dexter is an interesting case because Dexter: New Blood doesn’t just disregard the series’ previous ending, it disproves it. The season 8 ending was widely disliked due to the fact that it killed the main protagonist. Dexter: New Blood begins with demonstrating how Dexter survived his mortal wounds and how he intends to carry on his extensive and terrifying legacy.
The series would receive another reboot in the form of Dexter: Resurrection, which continues right after New Blood. Ultimately, the show remains one of the best ways to write off a less-popular decision in television history. Instead of pretending the ordinary ending didn’t happen, the series works with it and explains that the protagonist miraculously survives, instead of pretending he was never shot. Future series could stand to learn from this, as it led to Dexter getting an additional reboot due to its consistent popularity and faithfulness to the source material.
Scrubs
Pretending something didn’t happen
Scrubs is another case in which the reboot simply ignores the events of the previous season. The events of Scrubs: Med School are not only not mentioned, but they are now considered non-canonical to the overall story. The season wasn’t even relegated to a dream sequence. The showrunners have simply decided the ninth season of the original show never happened.
This is somewhat controversial, because it does mean the show will be brought back, but it ignores some happier endings for some of the more popular characters. Certain aspects of the ninth season take place, like J.D.’s child, but the remainder remains non-canon for the time being. The decision wasn’t the most popular among fans, but they were able to largely ignore the blunder since it meant Scrubs was being officially renewed.
Overall, it’s incredibly surprising how many unceremonious seasons are simply written off as bad dreams. The shows that acknowledge their poor endings usually struggle to explain them, but those that are due go down in infamy forever. Yet, many of the best reboots are still proof that even a bad ending is worse than a forced, mediocre continuation.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
