This ’90s TV Series Ending Still Horrifies Us (And It Was Planned That Way)

Today, Dinosaurs, an ABC TV program following a family of dinosaurs realized through elaborate animatronics, isn’t super well-known, especially by younger viewers. The exploits of Earl and Fran Sinclair and their wacky family certainly haven’t had the pop culture longevity of The Simpsons or Bob’s Burgers. However, in its time, this production (which was developed by Jim Henson) ran a respectable four-season run that included 65 episodes. These installments touched on a variety of heady topics (like political scandals and drug use) that helped to accentuate the program’s all-ages appeal.

Dinosaurs certainly wasn’t afraid to get challenging, as seen by episodes like “The Greatest Story Ever Sold” or “The Last Temptation of Ethyl” which skewered organized religion. Still, even longtime fans aware that Dinosaurs had a willingness to go provocative places could’ve never imagined where the program’s finale was heading. The last Dinosaurs episode was “Changing Natures,” and it’s become infamous for even traumatizing adults who watched ts original airing.

What Happened With “Changing Natures”?

Typical sitcom series finales are full of bittersweet goodbyes, realizations that kid characters are finally growing up, and cappers to popular running gags. Off-kilter takes on this format, like Two and a Half Men’s infamously zany finale, tend to go in a still palatable meta-direction. Dinosaurs, despite having an audience heavily comprised of kids and their parents, opted to embrace a horrifyingly grim demise for the Sinclair family and their neighbors. Director Tom Trvoich and writer Kirk Thatcher depicted the titular prehistoric critters succumbing to the Ice Age.

This installment begins with the reveal that the WESAYSO corporation (which protagonist Earl Sinclair works for) has killed the Bunch Beetles to create a wax fruit factory. This instance of corporate greed means that the intrusive Cider Poppies (which the Bunch Beetles took care of) begin causing mayhem to the ecosystem. Once Earl is placed in charge of handling this mess, he opts for a quick-fix resolution that eliminates the Cider Poppies and also all the flora. Eventually, this creates further problems, inspiring further terrible Earl-concocted solutions that eventually spur an Ice Age caused by volcanic activity.

Even the doofiest of sitcom fathers never caused the apocalypse to happen to their loved ones. As the Sinclairs reckon with their impending demise, no sudden solution appears to rectify all these problems and revert the show to its status quo. Instead, the camera follows Earl apologizing for his sins and having to explain the sheer scope of his transgressions to his youngest child. “Daddy was put in charge of the world and he didn’t take good care of it,” Earl explains to Baby Sinclair. “And now it looks like there won’t be much of a world left for you or your brother or sister to live in.” After this, Earl’s other two children reassure Baby that nobody will leave him alone, no matter how bad things get.

The last we see of the Sinclair family is the clan sitting in their home as snow continues to build outside. Newscaster Howard Handupme delivers a final bleak weather report before saying “good-bye” as the credits begin to roll. No final joke to lighten the air, just a recognition of inescapable mortality. Given that the main characters of Dinosaurs were always meant to reflect human beings and real-world issues we face every day, this series finale bleakly puts the Sinclairs into the inevitable endpoint of real-world environmental chaos. It’s one of the more harrowing sitcom endings of all-time and, incredibly, it was part of a long-term plan for Dinosaurs.

[RELATED: The Simpsons Showrunner Teases How the Series Finale Will Surprise Fans]

The Dinosaurs Ending Was Always In The Cards

In 2022, Kirk Thatcher revealed to Collider that the earliest stages of himself and Jim Henson cooking up Dinosaurs involved thinking of the inevitable endpoint of what he called “dinosaur-thinking.” This mindset consisted of “thinking that you could do whatever you want, and you’re the apex predator and the planet is yours, and it doesn’t matter what you kill, or eat, or destroy because you’re the biggest SOB in the valley.” For Thatcher and Henson, this approach to existence would inevitably have staggering consequences, including the end of the world.

That’s where this gruesome ending came from, with Thatcher stating the precedent of Dinosaurs constantly exploring weighty social commentary gave the creative team the leeway to do such an abnormal conclusion. Though this finale is a massive departure from sitcom standards in tone, Thatcher’s comments reflect how this was really the only way Dinosaurs would end. Between the show’s consciousness of humanity’s foibles and the finite nature of dinosaurs, there was never a chance everyone on this production would walk away happy into the sunset.

The Dinosaurs series finale also fits nicely into the grand tradition of seemingly “silly” Jim Henson Company creations proving shockingly moving. Who knew a little felt frog like Kermit could get tears flowing by singing “Rainbow Connection”? Various Sesame Street segments covering hefty topics like the death of a loved one also wring effective pathos out of “silly” puppets. Dinosaurs committing to such a grim and realistic conclusion with its cast of puppet prehistoric pals was right in line with this phenomenon. It may have traumatized an entire generation, but this bleak ending was the right call on countless levels.

Dinosaurs is now streaming on Disney+.