Sitcoms are known for their light tone, particularly those that are more family-friendly, but one popular family sitcom from the 1990s has one ofthe most depressing finales of all time. The 1990s saw many popular sitcoms that have now become classics, and these had a bit of everything – from animated sitcoms likeDariato shows aimed at young adults likeFriendsand others more family-oriented, likeBoy Meets World. Falling into the latter category isDinosaurs, created by Michael Jacobs and Bob Young.Dinosaurspremiered on ABC in 1991 and ran for four seasons, ending in 1994.
Dinosaurswas set in Pangea, in 60,000,000 BC, and followed the Sinclairs, a family of dinosaursformed by father Earl, mother Fran, big brother Robbie, sister Charlene, grandma Ethyl, and Baby Sinclair.Dinosaursfollowed their daily lives, mirroring modern life but adapted to prehistoric times, and with a good dose of comedy. However, despite being a family-friendly sitcom,Dinosaurshas one of the most depressing finales in TV history.
Dinosaurs’ Finale Sees The Sinclairs Facing The Ice Age
Dinosaurs’ Finale Showed The Beginning Of The End For The Characters
Throughout four seasons,Dinosaursfollowed the Sinclairs as they adapted to life with a new baby, Earl continued to struggle at work, Robbie and Charlene dealt with the many struggles of being a teenager, and even some marital problems between Earl and Fran from time to time.Dinosaurshad a light tone with many comedic moments, mostly coming from Baby and his relationship with his father, but the show took a different route in its series finale.
Dinosaurs’ finale, “Changing Nature”, sees the Sinclairs waiting for the arrival of the Bunch Beetles, a type of insect that comes to Pangea every year to eat the cider poppies that grow excessively in spring. However, the Beetles don’t arrive, and the cider poppies take over Pangea. The family later learns that the mating grounds of the Beetles had been taken by a wax fruit factory, and the Beetles that arrived were killed. Despite their efforts to save the Beetles and poppies,all plant life in Pagaea is revealed to have been killed.
The bombings create clouds, but not the ones they need for rain, blocking off the sun and triggering the Ice Age.
Facing famine, the dinosaurs realize they need rain to revive the plants, so Earl’s boss suggests dropping bombs on volcanoes to make clouds. The bombings create clouds, but not the ones they need for rain, blocking off the sun and triggering the Ice Age. Baby asks if they will move, but Earl tells him there’s nowhere they can go, while Charlene and Robbie assure Baby they will stay together no matter what.The Sinclairs are last seen looking out the window as snow keeps falling, and the show ends with the news anchor saying a final farewell to viewers.
Despite Its Tone, Dinosaurs’ Finale Was Perfect
Dinosaurs’ Finale Is Fitting With The Show’s Themes
WhileDinosaurs’ finale is definitely somber and viewers know that the Sinclairs won’t survive, it’s a perfect ending for the show.Dinosaursaddressed serious issues despite being targeted at a family audience, such as religion, environmentalism, women’s rights, LGBT rights, sexual harassment, civil rights, substance abuse, body image, racism, and a lot more, all of them adapted to a family-friendly tone. With this in mind, it’s not surprising thatDinosaurswent for such a dark ending.
Dinosaurs’ finale covers environmentalism, endangered species, capitalism, and more, with Earl siding with the company that triggered all the issues that led to the Ice Age, though he ends up apologizing to his family.Dinosaurstruly couldn’t have ended any other way, but sadly, despite the important message of its final episode, the world has continued on the wrong path, and those same issues covered in that episode are now current.
Why Dinosaurs Is One Of The Best Sitcoms Of The 1990s
Dinosaurs Earned A Place Among The Best
Dinosaurscurrently holds a 91% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand has been praised by critics and general audiences for years.Dinosaurswas nominated for different awards throughout its run, such as the Emmys and the Environmental Media Awards, which it won three years in a row.Dinosaursearned that praise thanks to its tone, comedy, characters, puppets, and the themes addressed in it, which the show brilliantly made easy and fun to understand for younger viewers.
Dinosaurshas a place in TV history amongthe best sitcoms of the decade(and, perhaps, one of the best of all time) for its themes, concept, and the puppets used to bring the characters to life, and it further established its place in history with its depressing but perfect finale.
