History SuddenDownerEnding / LiveActionTV

* In the ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' episode "Triggers in Leash," a woman uses her wits to prevent two acquaintances from dying in a pointless gunfight. The episode seems to end happily, until Hitchcock reveals that both men died later that day of food poisoning from the food the protagonist served them.

* In the last episode of ''Series/{{Alf}}'' our wise-cracking alien protagonist is captured by the Alien Task Force, presumably never to be seen again by the Tanners. The producers were told they'd get a MadeForTVMovie, ''Film/ProjectALF'', to WrapItUp, but it wasn't until years later that it actually happened, and the tone of it was distinctly darker than the series.[[note]]And to answer that question if the Tanners would see him again, it goes from presumably to definitely, as they were relocated to Iceland by the Federal Witness Protection Program. Even his friends, who were waiting to get him back, end up never coming for him. So technically, the movie combined this trope with DownerBeginning.[[/note]]

* In the last episode of ''Series/{{Alf}}'' our wise-cracking alien protagonist is captured by the Alien Task Force, presumably never to be seen again by the Tanners. The producers were told they'd get a MadeForTVMovie, ''Film/ProjectALF'', to WrapItUp, but it wasn't until years later that it actually happened, and the tone of it was distinctly darker than the series.[[note]]And to answer that question if the Tanners would see him again, it goes from presumably to definitely, as they were relocated to Iceland by the Federal Witness Protection Program. Even his friends, who were waiting to get him back, end up never coming for him. So technically, the movie combined this trope with DownerBeginning.

** In terms of individual seasons, ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' ends rather sadly. ''Turbo'', being based on [[Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger a parody sentai]], was written as light-hearted. However, the ending is downright depressing. The Rangers have to sacrifice all of their Zords and all of their weapons to defeat Goldgoyle. Dimitria and Blue Senturion leave to help Zordon, who has been kidnapped. The Power Chamber is raided and destroyed. The Turbo Rangers lose their powers and can't stop Divatox from taking over the Earth. The only reason she doesn't is because she is called away by Dark Specter, who has been behind all of the previous threats facing Earth. The four teen Rangers leave with Alpha 6, powerless, into space to find Zordon, with no idea if they can find him, or whether they can even rescue him if they do find him. Justin stays behind to be with his dad. It is, so far, the only season to end on such a sour note.[[note]]That said however, this isn't really an ending. It's more of a new chapter.[[/note]]

* The finale of the original ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' series, where it's revealed that the entire series was a book Roseanne had written after Dan died of a heart attack. When the series was revived, the death was retconned to be part of the book itself, with Dan (possibly jokingly) being annoyed about it.

* One occurs in the ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' episode "iGo Nuclear": Cal, the man that helped Carly make an exquisite nuclear power generator which gives her an A+, is revealed to be a wanted criminal as the rod he used to the generator's energy source was an illegal substance. As a result, Carly's grade reverts to a D- and she is forced to attend her class's "Root and Berry Retreat" for extra credit.

* In terms of individual seasons, ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' ends rather sadly. ''Turbo'', being based on [[Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger a parody sentai]], was written as light-hearted (even compared to ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' in general). However, the ending is downright depressing. The Rangers have to sacrifice all of their Zords and all of their weapons to defeat Goldgoyle. Dimitria and Blue Senturion leave to help Zordon, who has been kidnapped. The Power Chamber is raided and destroyed. The Turbo Rangers lose their powers and can't stop Divatox from taking over the Earth. The only reason she doesn't is because she is called away by Dark Specter, who has been behind all of the previous threats facing Earth. The four teen Rangers leave with Alpha 6, powerless, into space to find Zordon, with no idea if they can find him, or whether they can even rescue him if they do find him. Justin stays behind to be with his dad. It is, so far, the only season to end on such a sour note.[[note]]That said however, this isn't really an ending. It's more of a new chapter.[[/note]]
* The ending of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' came close, but the start of ''Zeo'' reversed most of its more serious consequences back to the status quo, whereas the start of ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' took the SuddenDownerEnding and ran with it.

** And the ending was nearly an accident, being almost entirely [[FixItInPost fixed in post,]] as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbR9-etyN6I here.]]
* The finale of the original ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' series, where it's revealed that the entire series was a book Roseanne had written after Dan died of a heart attack. When the series was revived, the death was retconned to be part of the book itself, with Dan (possibly jokingly) being annoyed about it.
* In the last episode of ''Series/{{Alf}}'' our wise-cracking alien protagonist is captured by the Alien Task Force, presumably never to be seen again by the Tanners. The producers were told they'd get a MadeForTVMovie, ''Film/ProjectALF'', to WrapItUp, but it wasn't until years later that it actually happened, and the tone of it was distinctly darker than the series.[[note]]And to answer that question if the Tanners would see him again, it goes from presumably to definitely, as they were relocated to Iceland by the Federal Witness Protection Program. Even his friends, who were waiting to get him back, end up never coming for him. So technically, the movie combined this trope with DownerBeginning.
* This trope began a season early in the BBC's version of ''Series/RobinHood''. At the end of season two, Maid Marian was brutally murdered at Guy of Gisborne's hands, changing an upbeat family show into something unimaginably bleak, and without any hope for a happy ending. Bizarrely, season three tried to regain its reputation as a family show, but the fed-up actors left for greener pastures, ensuring that the show ended with the deaths of Robin Hood, Allan-a-Dale, Guy of Gisborne, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Despite the gutted cast, there was an attempt to introduce a LegacyCharacter for Robin Hood, but the show was not commissioned for a fourth series. The show ended with the remaining outlaws vowing to continue the fight against Prince John, but anyone with [[FridgeHorror a rudimentary knowledge of English history]] knows how well ''that'' [[ForegoneConclusion would have turned out]].
* Season 1 of ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' ends with Pike on the bridge after returning from the BadFuture, with Makin' Memories playing…and then he and [[NumberTwo Una]] get summoned to the transporter room, where she’s arrested for violating the Federation’s NoTranshumanismAllowed law.
* Publicity for the last ever episode of largely light-hearted series ''Series/{{Lovejoy}}'' focused on the return of WillTheyOrWontThey love interest Lady Jane and Lovejoy's wedding to ReplacementGoldfish Charlotte. Instead, the VillainOfTheWeek kidnaps Lovejoy on the way to the wedding as revenge for foiling his plot and [[CassandraTruth Charlotte refuses]] [[YouHaveToBelieveMe to believe it]], [[RunawayBride thinks she's been jilted]], and takes a job away from the area. What's more, Lovejoy's other two friends also take jobs away from the area and he's effectively evicted from his home/shop. The final scene of him packing his things into the back of his truck and driving off alone is actually quite depressing.
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'''s two-part series finale. The show itself was about [[{{Jerkass}} selfish people]] [[KarmaHoudini coasting through life]], and the finale showed them finally [[LaserGuidedKarma getting their comeuppance]]. Still, it divided fans of the show, some thought that it was a very dark and uncharacteristically serious way to send off a sitcom, especially one that had prided itself on being a "show about nothing". It also didn't help that said comeuppance came at the hands of the minor and one-shot characters from the series, many of whom [[EvilVersusEvil were even worse]] than the protagonists.
* Although ''Series/{{Medium}}'' dealt with many bad things, its overall ethos was generally that the bad guys always got caught and everything turned out well in the end. Which made the series finale in which Alison's husband Joe is killed in a plane crash, most of the episode is taken up with a bizarre soap opera tale of it all being a ghastly mistake and an amnesiac Joe living in Mexico which turns out to be a dream, and then Alison spending the next 40+ years of her life without the one person who has kept her sane throughout her psychic travails and whom she has repeatedly been shown to depend on utterly, all alone because she never finds someone else or remarries all the more difficult to take.
* The ''Series/TrueLife'' episode "I Don't Trust My Partner" had two couples talking about their trust issues. The audience sees Nikki and Shawny, the second couple interviewed, fighting for the extent of the episode, thanks to Shawny flirting with girls behind his girlfriend's back, and eventually going to couple's therapy to see whether they should move in together. Fast forward some months later, the show pans over to the new apartment the couple talked about renting, with their stuff inside. Problem is, shortly after they moved in together, Shawny suddenly died after complications from a hernia, and Nikki went through a period of overwhelming grief. For a show that usually goes no further than a BittersweetEnding, this depressing conclusion came out of nowhere.
* The last episode of ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'': all of the main characters are forced to return home. Mary doesn't want to leave Earth, and she is given a MindWipe so she won't remember Dick. An alternate ending has Mary being abducted by Dick after the MindWipe, but it still ends on a depressing note.

* The final episode of ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. Things looked dark, darker than usual, but there was a clear path to victory set up that was going to make everything better. Except right before reaching it, the protagonist suddenly decided that RedemptionEqualsDeath (despite the ''entire show'' up to that point being explicitly about redemption via living a better life) and chose to just stay dead, leaving her soulmate alone. It wasn't even a HeroicSacrifice, as nothing was gained by it. This ending was quickly disavowed by the comic book continuation.
* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' had an interesting variant of this. The [[DiscussedTrope trope was discussed]] in the penultimate episode, with the duo deciding they wanted their last sketch to be this. The sketch at the end of ''that'' episode was a [[PlayedForLaughs spoof]] of the trope. Then the actual last episode came around, and it ended with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU one of the most depressing sketches ever made]].
* ''Series/{{Titus}}'' did this for every season finale -- but especially in the final ''three'' episodes of the series. In the first, Christopher's mother Juanita shows up suddenly in Christopher's house, apparently having broken out of the mental hospital she was in. The episode is mostly lighthearted as usual, focusing on Christopher and his family trying to catch/find Juanita...until they finally have her cornered, in a closet, when Erin comes in with a message from the mental hospital, that Juanita had committed suicide four hours prior; meaning Christopher had been hallucinating her the entire time. And THEN, there is the two-parter finale that continues the story, 'Insanity Genetic', in which the cast is on an airplane coming back from Juanita's funeral, Christopher has a mental breakdown, and they all cause a panic and get arrested under suspicion of being terrorists. They are all thoroughly interviewed, the authorities become convinced Christopher is mentally ill, and the rest of the cast end up admitting him to a mental hospital, where he reassures Erin that he'll be okay as she tearfully says goodbye, and we're left with a last, lingering shot of Christopher sitting alone in his cell.
* Series/ChinesePaladin I: after defeating the Big Bad, saving the world, and slaying the water-demon who killed her mother, Ling'er [[HopeSpot returns triumphantly from the battle]]; and then collapses in her husband's arms, having fulfilled her destiny to [[HeroicSacrifice die saving the world.]] The final scene--of her husband and newborn daughter returning home alone--becomes even worse with the realization that her daughter is going eventually to [[GenerationXerox meet the same fate]] as her [[PosthumousCharacter mother]], and grandmother.

** The infamous ending of ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman''. The Vyram have been defeated and all is well. We flash forwards two years to Ryo and Kaori's wedding and then Gai gets murdered by a random street thug after stopping said thief. Though it's more of a BittersweetEnding, as the rest of his friends get to live happy and Gai [[FaceDeathWithDignity manages to go out in peace]].]

* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'' is an informational comedy about a know-it-all named Adam that goes around, barging into people's lives and bothering them with harsh truths. The whole series is played for laughs and discusses a wide range of subjects, but the last episode of the first season, "Adam ruins Death", takes a pretty somber turn. It starts with Adam talking directly to the viewer, telling them the harsh truth that they, the person watching this, will die someday, and there's nothing they can do to stop it. Shortly after that, Emily, a recurring character, gets hit by a truck and ends up in a coma, with her fiance overlooking her unconscious body. Adam comes up and talks to Emily's spirit, before giving the harsh truths of the episode, revolving around the concept of death. At the end of the episode, Emily makes a miraculous recovery and comes out of her coma. Everything seems to leading towards a happy ending, until Hayley, Emily's friend and Adam's love interest, has a nasty fall while coming into the hospital room to check up on Emily, and dies. The episode ends with Adam having a breakdown at Hayley's funeral, telling Emily that despite his vast knowledge on the subject, he is still terrified of death. The two friends leave the church to go on a walk together, with Emily trying to cheer Adam up with random facts, like he used to do. Roll credits.

* One occurs in the ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' episode "iGo Nuclear": Cal, the man that helped Carly make an exquisite nuclear power generator which gives her an A+, is revealed to be a wanted criminal as the rod he used to the generator's energy source was an illegal substance. As a result, Carly's grade reverts to a D- and she is forced to attend her class's "Root and Berry Retreat" for extra credit.
* Companions being KilledOffForReal in ''Series/DoctorWho'' is a very rare event. Therefore the deaths of Adric in the 1982 storyline "Earthshock" and especially Clara Oswald in 2015's "Face the Raven" (a tragedy that still happens, despite the show playing with the TimeyWimeyBall afterwards) have impact on viewers who have avoided spoilers. The endings of the David Tennant episodes "Doomsday" (2006) and "Journey's End" (2008) are likewise extreme downers for an otherwise upbeat series.
** The Doctor's regenerations can be this, especially if they come out of nowhere (the Ninth Doctor), or if everything appears to be all right when the regeneration hits (Four, Nine again, Ten, and Eleven). Or, well, any of the Doctors, since they're always someone's favorite, and they all leave the show eventually.
* This happened with the episode "Second Chance" from ''Series/GrowingPains''. Carol's boyfriend Sandy (played by a young ''Creator/MatthewPerry'') gets in a car accident due to him drinking and driving and winds up in the hospital. When Carol visits him, Sandy looks like he's okay and we're to believed that he'll be out in no time. Carol then comes home and Mike tells her that the hospital just called and said that Sandy had just died from internal bleeding. The last shot shows Carol in tears as Mike and their parents try to comfort her.
* Done fairly frequently in ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'', particularly [[Series/LawAndOrder the original]] and ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU''. The story will be shaping up towards what seems like as decent an ending as there can be given the circumstances, only for there to be a last-minute twist that completely changes the tone of the ending. (This can be anything from a judge overturing a verdict to a witness ending up dead.)
** Special mention goes to the SVU Season 17 finale "Heartfelt Passages". After being shot in the abdomen, Mike Dodds pulls through the surgery and is recovering in the ICU, where he's apparently doing well enough to exchange a little banter with his father and Benson, only for his condition to take a rapid turn for the worse. It turns out that blood clots from the injury resulted in a massive and ultimately fatal stroke.
* In the ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' episode "The Little Victim," the titular infant's abusive father is jailed, and the mother divorces him to protect her son. Until a year later, when the father gets out of jail and pays his ex-wife a visit. She's so lonely that she lets him in. This time he beats his son to death.
* A channel-wide example: the Fine Living Network was a cable channel aimed at an upper-class lifestyle, not unlike OWN. When it shut down after the Great Recession, the [[NetworkFinale last thing shown]] before it became Cooking Channel was a clip of a pale-faced GrimReaper coming to a house, reading a card with the FLN logo on it, and [[KilledOffForReal ringing the doorbell.]]
* Subverted with the first season of ''Series/AngryBirdsOnTheRun''. King Pig drops the phone in the ocean, and the birds realize that their only chance of getting home is gone. Luckily, the mother and daughter happen to have a tablet with them that the birds can use to get home.
* In the season 1 finale of Nickelodeon's ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'', just as Astral's ''finally'' able to have a proper conversation with Tristan and gets to have a dance with him -- and he reveals himself to be a fairy like her ... Tristan turns out to have been the lost prince of Spartania destined to bring doom to Athenia, and is taken away by his father King Reed against his will, and Astral left all alone, [[DownerEnding meaning all of Astral's attempts to be with Tristan]] [[AllForNothing in the other world were completely in vain.]]
* ''Series/Akumaizer3'''s penultimate episode sets the series up for a happy ending, with the heroes reforming the Akuma Clan and finally defeating the BigBad. In the final episode however things take a dark turn. The GreaterScopeVillain sends his [[TheBrute strongest warrior]] on a rampage that claims the lives of the Akumaizer 3's demon allies and ends with them sacrificing themselves to kill him. The final scene of the episode is the Akumaizer 3's surviving allies somberly watching as their souls drift away.