TV retcons can make or break a show, but some were quickly reversed shortly after being introduced. A retcon can occur in a TV show for several reasons, such as to make up for an actor’s departure from the show or because of the backlash that was received over a poor story choice. Some TV shows got more confusing with each season, so in order to regain more control over the story and fix the mess, the writers implemented a retcon.
Over the years, there have also been TV plot twists that had no setup, and some of these storylines were later retconned for similar reasons. What was always particularly weird, however, was when a retcon would be either disregarded or reverted, leaving audiences wondering just what was happening behind the scenes.
6
The Fate of Gallifrey
‘Doctor Who’
When Doctor Who returned in 2005, audiences were excited to see the Doctor on their screens once again. Although the Doctor was always the main focus of the show, it wasn’t unusual for them to cross paths with the Time Lords from time to time, whether that was just the Master or the High Council of Gallifrey. Therefore, when the Ninth Doctor revealed that Gallifrey had been destroyed in the Time War, it was a huge shock for viewers.
The Time War allowed Doctor Who to come back after several decades with a real bang. The 50th anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor” saw multiple incarnations team up to save Gallifrey from burning, and together, they froze the planet in time instead. However, this Doctor Who retcon didn’t last for long. When the Master returned in the 13th Doctor episode “Spyfall: Part Two,” he announced he’d burned Gallifrey yet again.
Although it wasn’t immediate, this happened quickly enough that it threw audiences off. It was later revealed that the Master destroyed Gallifrey after learning of the Doctor’s origins as the Timeless Child, which made complete sense for the character. It was odd that Chris Chibnall chose to retcon this story change from former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat so swiftly, though, especially as it now makes the Time Lords’ fates even more confusing.
5
Armin Tamzarian/Seymour Skinner
‘The Simpsons’
The revelation that Seymour Skinner wasn’t who he said he was in The Simpsons episode “The Principal and the Pauper” was a huge shock, and viewers struggled to get on board with the idea for a long time. After returning from serving in the army, Armin Tamzarian took on the identity of Seymour Skinner, something that Mrs. Skinner seemingly never noticed. However, the return of the real Seymour caused Armin’s scheme to crash around him.
The real Seymour vanished from the show for years after this episode, and even Agnes Skinner herself said she preferred the imposter to her own child. Technically, The Simpsons never unretconned Seymour Skinner’s true identity, as the real Skinner appeared briefly in Season 36’s “Bart’s Birthday,” as well as in archive footage in various other episodes. However, in the installments following “The Principal and the Pauper,” several flashbacks featured Armin Tamzarian instead of the actual Skinner.
While the real Skinner wasn’t officially removed from existence, it was clear the writers disagreed with this retcon, and perhaps this played a part in why the show ignored it, other than the audience backlash. Despite this, it can still be considered a reversed retcon, and one of The Simpsons’ biggest retcons (within reason), too.
4
Sara’s Death
‘Prison Break’
Prison Break had several fake-out deaths that irritated viewers, but one that actually worked in the show’s favor was Sara’s. Sara suddenly vanished in Season 2’s finale, and in Season 3, the show revealed she had been killed off-screen. After she was taken hostage by the Company, it was announced that Gretchen had beheaded Sara, something the villain happily boasted about after the event.
The scene in which the box that contained Sara’s head arrived at Lincoln’s garage was one of the most horrifying scenes in the show, and a moment that the upcoming Prison Break reboot will likely struggle to top. Even though audiences never saw the actual head, this made the moment even more disturbing. Behind the scenes, Prison Break faced an awful lot of backlash over killing Sara off.
Thankfully, in Season 4, Michael discovered Sara was still alive after he hunted Gretchen down. The show explained that because Lincoln was so sickened by the sight of the head, he failed to realize it wasn’t her. While viewers were glad to see Sara again, many believed Prison Break’s explanation was poorly executed, but were also thankful this retcon was somewhat reversed.
3
Abed and Rachel’s Relationship
The “gas leak year” in Community, also known as Season 4, was a bit of a mess. This was due to behind-the-scenes issues with the writing team, so when Dan Harmon returned in Season 5, the show explained away the problems with Season 4 by stating that a gas leak at Greendale had altered everyone’s behaviours.
One of the things that was heavily implied to be a part of the “gas leak year” was Abed’s connection with Rachel, who was portrayed by Community guest star Brie Larson. While most things about the “gas leak year” stayed retconned, one thing that was reversed was this romance. Rachel made a return in Season 5, and things between the pair got a lot more serious. At one point, Abed even wanted her to move in with him and Annie.
Weirdly, though, Rachel was absent in Season 6, although some references were made to her. It can be assumed that this was due to Brie Larson having filming conflicts, although perhaps Community had run out of stories for her. Perhaps we’ll see her reprise her role in the upcoming Community movie, maybe as Abed’s wife now, but audiences will have to wait patiently to find out.
2
Bobby Ewing’s Demise
‘Dallas’
Dallas has always been renowned for its retcons, but its most famous was one that didn’t last for too long. Dallas’ Season 8 finale saw the shocking death of Bobby Ewing, who was struck down in the middle of the street by Katherine in her car. A large focus in Season 9 was the fallout of Bobby’s death, and while many of the Dallas characters grieved him, nobody was affected by his absence more than Pam.
However, after several episodes of heartache, and everyone had started to slowly move on (to a certain degree), it was revealed that Dallas Season 9 was actually all Pam’s dream when Bobby suddenly appeared in the shower. While it was a little extreme that Pam conjured up this story of Bobby heroically sacrificing himself to save her, this was actually a way for the show to cover its back.
Behind the scenes, Bobby Ewing actor Patrick Duffy had asked to be killed off in the Season 8 finale as he wanted to pursue other roles. Unfortunately, this didn’t exactly work out for him, and paired with the fact that audiences were extremely vocal about Bobby Ewing’s demise, Dallas decided to fix this issue with arguably one of the most notable TV plot twists of all time.
1
The Events of Season 9
‘Roseanne’
Roseanne Season 9 was another installment of TV that was famously revealed to all be a dream, too. Season 9 saw a huge uptick in luck for the Conners. The family won the lottery, J.D. found love, and Darlene gave birth, but one less than favorable thing to happen was Dan’s affair. However, none of this was real, and instead, it was an imaginary storyline created by Roseanne while writing her book.
It was also revealed that Dan was dead, and his unfaithfulness was simply a way for Roseanne to process her grief. Within a matter of episodes, the Conners’ happy ending was nowhere to be seen, and it was quite the whirlwind. Roseanne Season 9 was originally meant to be the last installment of the show, hence the 11-year gap between it and Season 10, but it was devastating to see the Conners have so many things they deserved just snatched away from them like that.
Dan Conner’s demise was retconned when the show returned over a decade later for Season 10, which audiences were overjoyed about, especially as it was a sitcom death that changed the show forever. Still, it was baffling that more of Season 9 didn’t become canonical again. Thankfully, Roseanne Season 10 did fix a few things that were established in the final moments of Season 9, like the odd romantic pairings with Darlene and Becky, for example.