It ended on a cliffhanger

By 1989, ratings had fallen dramatically so producers made the hasty decision to end the show immediately after the ninth season. But the episodes had already been filmed, meaning that in the finale viewers would never find out what happened to Blake, Fallon, Krystina, Alexis and Dex when they were left in mortal peril. John Forsythe blasted the "disgraceful" way the show ended so abruptly and they all agreed to a "reduced pay rate" to come back for a two-part miniseries two years later that would tie up all the loose ends. Reviews were largely negative, with critics complaining that the network simply wanted to "cash-in" on an old favorite.