History DownerEnding / LiveActionTV

* The season finale of ''{{Bones}}'', in which, even though Booth wasn't dead, it was revealed that Zach, one of the main characters, was Gormogon's (a cannibal serial killer) apprentice, having been duped by a much stronger personality and forced to kill. In the end, he realizes how wrong he was, tells them how to find Gormogon, pleads guilty, and is sent away to a mental correctional facility. And this from Bones, where the usual endings are light and fluffy.
** In the series premier Zach reveals to Sweets that he didn't really kill anyone, but telling the truth would land him in actual jail, where he'd be toast.

** In the series premier Zach reveals to the JerkWithAHeartOfGold therapist/profiler that he didn't really kill anyone, but telling the truth would land him in actual jail, where he'd be toast.

*** [[WildMassGuessing Was Kate awarded custody of all the children]] [[ExecutiveMeddling just so the show could]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal keep the alliterative title?]]

* ''[[StarTrekVoyager Star Trek: Voyager]]'' has the episdoe "Course: Oblivion" where the entire crew turns out to be clones created in an earlier episdoe. These clones start to die and spend the episode trying to give the real Voyager crew evidence that they existed. They fail.

* ''[[StarTrekVoyager Star Trek: Voyager]]''. Mention "Course: Oblivion" to any fan. I dare you.

* ''Emergency Vets'': The "Saving Missy" special. Despite their best efforts, the vets [[ShootTheShaggyDog failed to save her]].

* ''{{Eastenders}}'' - The Secret Mitchell storyline. In 2008, we discovered that Ronnie Mitchell had given up her baby daughter for adoption as a 14 year old. She'd spent a lifetime regretting it, and always wore a locket carrying a picture of the child. She'd given away an identical locket carrying her own photo as a keepsake to her daughter. We then learnt from Ronnie's cruel and manipulative father, Archie, that Ronnie's daughter had died as a young child. A few weeks later, a young woman called Danielle moved onto Albert Square. Danielle became friends with Stacey Slater, and Ronnie, not being Stacey's biggest fan, quickly took a dislike to Danielle too. It was then that the viewers learned that Danielle had a locket identical to Ronnie's. She was the daughter that Ronnie had given up. Later, the two began to bond, though Danielle was still scared of Ronnie's reaction if she found out the truth. Every time Danielle felt close to Ronnie, her mother would become emotionally distant. Ironically, this was because Ronnie was constantly tormented by her grief over her supposedly-dead daughter. When Danielle fell pregnant, Ronnie convinced her to have an abortion, telling her that she regretted having her own baby all those years ago. Unfortunately, Archie realised who Danielle was before she could tell Ronnie. Unwilling to let his lie be exposed, he convinced his granddaughter that Ronnie knew who Danielle was, and didn't want to know her. The plan backfired when Danielle confronted Ronnie. Archie convinced his daughter that Danielle was crazy and lying, causing Ronnie to throw Danielle out on the street, telling her "who would want a daughter like you?". A few minutes later, Ronnie found the locket that she'd given away with her baby and realised that Danielle was telling the truth. Running after her, Ronnie calls out to her long-lost daughter. Danielle turns and sees Ronnie, who pleads "Baby!" Danielle laughs with joy - for both of them, this is [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming the moment they've been dreaming about their whole lives]]. She runs across the road for an emotional reunion with her mother. And gets hit by a car. [[TearJerker Moments later she's died in her mother's arms]]. [[WallBanger Nine months that storyline went on for before that ending]].

** The death of [[TheScrappy Adric]] at the end of ''Earthshock'' is, to some, a downer ending, but YourMileageMayVary.

* StevenMoffat's teen comedy ''PressGang'' ended with an episode where the main character was either burning to death or had been sent to hell. She later appears to have survived the fire, however.

* Despite its premise, "[[Dexter]]" usually ends on a more or less upbeat note. Season 1 ends with [[spolier:Dexter killing the Ice Truck Killer]] although it can be seen as a Downer Ending because [[spoiler:The Ice Truck killer is actually Dexter's [[LukeIAmYourFather brother]] and the only person who understands him.]] Season 2 ended with [[spoiler:Lila dead and Dexter back together with Rita]] although it's also got a bit of a Downer ending [[spoiler:because Lila killed Sergeant Doakes and he never gets the chance to acquit himself of the accusations that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher]]. Season 3 ends on the happiest note of the entire show with [[spoiler:Miguel Prado killed, Miguel's brother on the road to recovering from the grief of losing his two brothers, the Skinner killed, and with Dexter happily married.]] Season 4, however, has a complete Downer when [[spoiler:after Trinity is killed, Dexter comes home to find [[RosebudWasHisSled his wife dead with her blood drained in the bathtub]] when they were about to go on a retreat.]] This becomes even sadder when you realize that Dexter could have killed [[spoiler:Trinity]] several times throughout the season but chose not to. Dexter also hints that [[spoiler:his son Harrison may grow up to be like him.]]

** Of course, they deserved it. The real tragedy? They had apparently run out of things to talk about, and started to repeat the first conversation from the first episode.

** It's actually even more depressing if you believe the theory that the plane actually crashed, the characters died, the courtroom scene was their respective judgments, and the jail sentence was their sentence to hell.

* The Canadian show TheCollector was about a man trying to save those who've sold their soul to the devil before they're damned to hell. To keep from getting too boring and predictable it would an episode would end where the hero doesn't get to save his client in time just as often as he does.

* The first season of "[[TwentyFour 24]]" when [[spoiler:Jack rushes to his wife only to find her dead]]. While certainly depressing, it arguably set the tone for all [[HopeSpot subsequent]] [[AnyoneCanDie seasons]] of the show.

** In Sid's episode in Season 2, after beginning to repair the fraught relationship between himself and his father, he wakes up to find he him dead in their living room, having silently passed away in the night.

** The first season of "[[TwentyFour 24]]" when [[spoiler:Jack rushes to his wife only to find her dead]]. While certainly depressing, it arguably set the tone for all [[HopeSpot subsequent]] [[AnyoneCanDie seasons]] of the show.

* Also in ''{{Zoey 101}}'', in the episode Chase's Grandma, Zoey and friends plan a surprise birthday party for Chase. At the same time, Zoey discovers that Chase's grandmother has the same borthday of Chase, also that she is sick. Finally in the day of the party, just after Zoey prepares for it, she is told that Chase is gone, which upsets her. Michael reveals that Chase's Grandmother died from, according to him, something "more than a flu". Inmediately Zoey looks for Chase, catching him in the PCA's fountain, mourning his late grandmother.

** The first season of "TwentyFour" when [[spoiler:Jack rushes to his wife only to find her dead]]. While certainly depressing, it arguably set the tone for all [[HopeSpot subsequent]] [[AnyoneCanDie seasons]] of the show.

** ''KamenRiderDecade'': All Worlds are about to be wiped out during the Rider War.

* FlashForward2009. Not only was it [[ScrewedByTheNetwork cancelled]], the entire cast's struggles were rendered moot when the blackout they spent 22 episodes trying to prevent happened anyway.
* ''[[StarTrekVoyager Star Trek: Voyager]]''. Mention ''Course: Oblivion'' to any fan. I dare you.
* ''Glee'' does this on a regular basis. One of the best examples is the episode Mattress. Will is forced to resign as New Directions' coach as a HeroicSacrifice, Quinn being kicked off the Cheerios because she's pregnant, and the club taking a yearbook picture that gets defaced. Despite the fact that they had spent half of the episode trying to prevent it from being defaced.

** ''KamenRiderDecade'': All Worlds are about to be wiped out during the Rider War.
* Mortal Combat: Conquest. Rocks falls. Everyone dies apart the BigBad.

** Some fans of the series would suggest the REAL downer of that particular ending was that it marked the departure of Rob Grant from the writing team, leading to a marked decline in quality in the series, as it slowly limped its way to a lingering death.

** And let's not forget the one where Hilary's boyfriend, bungee jumping on television, is killed when it turns out the bungee chord was too long. Not only is Hilary watching it happen, but he was proposing to her at the same time.