That would put Roseanne in the pantheon of Shows That Ended Badly — except that it came back years later with a 10th season to declare that the dream was a dream, or some such nonsense. The lottery win wasn’t real — but neither was Dan’s fatal heart attack. The family is still poor. Everyone is fine. Critics and fans love the show again in Season 10 (until Roseanne later implodes). Which leaves only one explanation for Season Nine: Gas leak.
The Office
The Office had an easy way out. A logical way out. When Michael quit his job at Dunder Mifflin to be with love-of-his-life Holly at the end of Season Seven, most every character arc had played out beautifully. The show was over!
Except, of course, it wasn’t. The Office was a money-making machine for NBC, and losing a star like Steve Carell was no reason to stop printing greenbacks. It also wouldn’t have been the first show to lose a major character and continue on with quality — Cheers and M*A*S*H come to mind. But unfortunately, there was a gas leak at the Scranton Business Park in Season Eight. Lovable, lovelorn Andy took over as regional manager, and carbon monoxide fumes morphed him into a spiteful, annoying replacement. Kevin went from slow-talking eccentric to an out-and-out moron. Pam’s seasons-long dream of being an artist went *poof*, apparently. And weirdos like Nellie and Robert California appeared out of nowhere, almost as if they were the products of some noxious dream.