The final seasons of That '70s Show are notoriously bad compared to the rest of the series, and a dark fan theory could explain why. The sitcom's plot headed in a different direction starting in season 7, and by season 8, the characters and their circumstances were unrecognizable. This had much to do with the departure of actor Topher Grace, who played Eric. Without the lead character, That '70s Show seemed to flounder.

However, Eric's absence and the strange events that happened after could have an in-plot explanation.

Other popular fan theories have attempted to explain the strange goings-on near the end of That '70s Show. An example is the one from Redditor NurseBerry, which stated that Eric had died in season 4, and the rest of the series was a coma dream. Another theory, this time from SMithsonIANPictures, comes to a similar conclusion.

However, instead of Eric dying years before, this Redditor guessed that the character died while in Africa and that Donna was left to use her love for writing to process it all in That '70s Show season 8.

That '70s Show Theory: Donna Wrote A Different Ending Because Eric Died

That '70s Show season 7 saw the decline of Donna and Eric's relationship. They called off their engagement, and Eric set off on a journey to find his path in life.

During this time, the character seemed extremely unlike himself. Though he had always been considered something of a wimp (compared to Red's idea of what a man should be), this was taken to an extreme in Eric's final season of That '70s Show. Then, the next thing anyone knew, he was heading off to Africa, where he stayed for the entirety (aside from the last episode) of season 8.

While in Africa, Eric broke up with Donna—something she kept a secret from the gang for quite a while.

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