A or '''cliffhanger ending''' is a Plot Device in which a Movie , Novel , or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. This type of ending is used to ensure that audiences return for the next installment of the story to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved. The phrase comes from the common end of episode situation of the protagonist left hanging from the edge of a cliff. Some serials end with the caveat "To be continued" ('' Duckman '' and '' Clone High '' parodied this caveat). In Television Series , the following episode usually begins with a " Previously ...".
Although a cliffhanger can be Enjoyable as a page turner at the end of a chapter in a novel, a cliffhanger at the very end of a work can be frustrating. Cliffhangers can build Anticipation (and, subsequently, Profit s) for Sequel s. However, if no sequel follows, effective Suspension Of Disbelief can leave the Audience or readership wondering what happened in the work's Fictional Realm . Sometimes (for example at the end of Blake's Seven ) that goes so far that people write Fan Fiction (or even publish a Novel ) deciding what happens next.
In the case of the cliffhanger in '''' which leaves Captain Picard held by the Borg , some television stations have decided that that cliffhanger inflicts too much mental cruelty on the audience, and show the cliffhanger Episode and the next episode strung together in one session.
In '' 1001 Nights '', Queen Scheherazade tells stories every night to her mad husband, King Shahryar , stopping at dawn with a cliffhanger, so the king will postpone her execution in order to hear the rest of the tale.
Cliffhangers were especially popular in 1930s Serial s when Movie Theater s filled the cultural Niche now primarily occupied by Television .
Cliffhangers are often used in Television Series , especially Soap Opera s which end each episode on a cliffhanger. Prior to the early 1980's season-ending cliffhangers were rare on US television (the first such season-ender on US TV was in the Comedy send-up of soap operas '' Soap '' in 1978), although several Australia n Soap Opera s which went off air over summer such as '' Number 96 '' and '' Prisoner '' had ended each year with major and much publicised catastrophies such as characters being shot in the final seconds of the closing episode for the year.
In the US it was the phenomenal success of the "Who shot JR?" season ending cliffhanger on '''' in 1990 is also cited as a reason that season-enders are popular today.
Cliffhangers are also used to leave open the possibility of a character being killed off due to the actor not continuing to play the role. The aformentioned ''Star Trek'' season finale worked around the possibility of Patrick Stewart 's contract expiring. Between seasons, his contract was renewed and as a result, the character of Captain Picard survived the cliffhanger.
Cliffhangers are also sometimes deliberately inserted by writers uncertain of whether a new series or season will be commissioned, in the hope that viewers will demand to know how the situation is resolved. Such was the case with the second season of Twin Peaks , which ended in a cliffhanger similar to the first season with a high degree of uncertainty about the fate of the protagonist. However, the cliffhanger could not save the show from being cancelled, resulting in the unresolved ending.
Commercial Break s can be a nuisance to Script Writer s because some sort of incompleteness or minor cliffhanger should be provided before each to stop the viewer from changing channels during the commercial break.
Sometimes (for example '' Invasion Earth '') a series ends with an unintended cliffhanger caused by a very abrupt ending without a satisfactory Dénouement but merely assuming that the viewer will assume that everything sorted itself out.
Of course, cliffhangers are the main "hook" of Soap Opera s. Other genres also use them as well, as can be seen here.
- '' 24 '' - drama/action: Almost every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
- '' Alias '' - the structure of episodes in the first season had the last ten-fifteen minutes spent on setting up the next episode with a cliffhanger, usually with the main character(s) in life-threatening jeopardy.
- '' Doctor Who '' - British Science Fiction Television show. In its original run ( 1963 – 1989 ), most stories were comprised of four to six episodes. All but the last episode of a story would end on a cliffhanger. One Episode ended with the Doctor literally hanging from a cliff by his umbrella. The new series ( 2005 –current) has also used cliffhangers, but less frequently.
- '' Early Edition '' - fantasy/drama -->
- '' Green Wing '' - Literal cliffhanger, With Guy, Mac and Martin all stuck in an Ambulance hanging over the edge of a Cliff .
- '' Inuyasha '' - Some episodes have cliffhangers (mostly 2 to 3 part episodes)
- '' JAG '' - often featured cliffhanger episodes at the end of seasons.
- '' King Of The Hill '' - The second and third seasons ended with cliffhanger episodes.
- '' Lost '' - drama/action: most episodes end with a cliffhanger, as did the first season finale
- '' Quantum Leap '' - Each episode ended with a minute or so long intro to the next episode's storyline.
- '' Smallville '' - A season of this show can be divided into thirds: September-December, January-March, April-May. Each third of the season (consisting of about 6-9 episodes) usually ends with a cliffhanger, with the most intense cliffhangers reserved for the season-ending episode(s) in May.
- '' Star Trek series'' - Since ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', most of the seasons of the various series have ended with a cliffhanger
- '' Stargate SG-1 '' and '' Stargate Atlantis '' - Every season of each of these series has ended on a cliffhanger (Save for Season 8 of SG-1), sometimes the second part of a three-part episode. Most seasons have also featured a mid-season cliffhanger to ensure audience interest between the two halves of the season.
- '' The West Wing '' - political drama
- '' The X-Files '' - regularly had season-ending cliffhangers.
- '' Xena Warrior Princess '' - several episodes end with a cliffhanger
- '' Xiaolin Showdown '' - Each season ends with one of the Xiaolin monks having been temporarily turned to evil.
- '' Friends '' - Every season but season 2 and the series finale ended on a cliffhanger, with many episodes having a cliffhanger that would be picked up on the next week.
Some TV shows were cancelled in between seasons, and viewers were left wondering what happened. In addition some other media also have shown unresolved cliffhangers.
- The '' Animorphs '' series of children's books also ends with a cliffhanger, which disappointed many fans.
- '' Angel '' - The show's finale episode was written with the knowledge that it would be the last, but still creator Joss Whedon decided to end with a cliffhanger, involving the main characters about to square off with an army of demons, ending the series with ''"Let's get to work."''
- '' Benson '' - The famous "Who Won?" cliffhanger featuring a gubernatorial race between the title character and his former employer was never resolved.
- '' Blake's Seven '' - The last season is the 4th season, which ended with the hero and his followers apparently being all caught and shot by a Federation security squad. Those characters whose actors stayed in the series, were intended to survive in the cancelled 5th season. This frustration inflicted on the audience led to much Fan Fiction and a Novel showing what happened next.
- '' Caroline In The City '' - This sitcom ended with the sudden appearance of Richard Karinsky ( Malcolm Gets ) at Caroline's wedding.
- '' Clone High '' - The series ended with all the clones being frozen by Principle Scudworth.
- The Series finale of '' Crime Story ''.
- '' Dallas '' - A close up of Patrick Duffy 's character saying "Oh my god" in reaction to entering JR Ewing's room (from where a gunshot had just been heard) ended this primetime soap's final episode in 1991, and it was not until 1996 that it was revealed what happened (Ewing had shot a demon-possessed Mirror instead of himself).
- '' Darkwing Duck '' ends on a cliffhanger, which was intended to be resolved, but was canceled before production of next season.
- '' Duckman '' - In the final episode, Duckman's supposedly deceased wife, Beatrice, appears during his second marriage unexpectedly. It is soon revealed that Cornfed knew Beatrice was still alive the entire time.
- '' Dynasty '' - This soap ended with a multitude of cliffhangers, for example Alexis falling off a balcony and Blake getting shot.
- '' Exosquad '' ends with cliffhanger when an Alien Race of enormous power unexpectedly attacks the Solar System shortly after the end of the war between Neosapien s and humans.
- '' had seemingly returned to his old self, while its never explained why he sells himself out to a dark path. Galbadia was never officially disbanded after Seifer had "retired" as the Sorceresses' Knight. Timber has yet to become officially independent from Galbadia again. After NORG had been defeated by Squall Leonheart and his party, he turns into a cocoon. It later hatches, but what he becomes next is never revealed. After NORG's defeat, the Garden staff had mysteriously disappears without a trace or explanation. Esthar had the ''Lunar Cry'' summoned upon it while nothing had to be done about it other than fight off the monsters that it brought. What happens to Garden and SeeD, after Ultimecia is slain has had no explanation now that SeeD has served it's purpose. Its never explained how Laguna Loire , Kiros Seagill , and Ward Zabac all met each other. What Laguna, Ellone , and his friends will do now that Esthar is disaster stricken by the ''Lunar Cry'' remained indefinate. What happens to Squall and the others after they have saved the universe and gone back to there lives in Garden. All of this and more which was left in ambiguity has become the product of much Fanfiction by those who have played the game through the entire storyline and are not satisfied with the seemingly abrupt ending.
- '' First Monday '' - As Law Clerk Ellie Pearson and Justice Deborah Szwark's CIA attorney daughter walk to a restaurant, Szwark's daughter is struck by a car. Ellie cradles her and screams for help, as the season (and the series) ends with a cliffhanger ending.
- '' Flamingo Road '' - The primetime soap ended in May 1982 with the murder of villain Michael Tyrone. At the very end of the series finale, Michael rises from the dead in a burning barn.
- '' Halo 2 '', the popular Xbox game ended with Spartan John 117 ordering the UNSC fleet to cease fire on the Forerunner ship that he had stowed away on, to "finish this fight." No direct sequel to the game has been officially announced yet, though it is almost certain given the wildly successful sales of the first two games.
- '' John Doe '' - In the unplanned series finale the Stocking Cap man seemingly in charge of the evil Phoenix Organization is revealed in the last seconds as "Digger" one of John Doe's closest friends.
- '' Last Man Standing '' - The show was cancelled on a cliffhanger, with Cam about to confront Adam having just remembered a drunken conversation about his affair with Zoe.
- '''' - This ended with then married Lois and Clark finding a baby left in their living room, with a note "Lois and Clark - This baby's for you".
- '' Models, Inc. '' - Emma Samms getting shot.
- '' Moesha '' - The show was cancelled on a cliffhanger, with Moesha's younger brother Miles having been kidnapped and a positive pregnancy test suggesting that one of the girls in Moesha's dorm was pregnant. The cliffhanger was originally planned to be solved on the Moesha spinoff The Parkers but the writers of the show ultimately declined, feeling that the spinoff had a cliffhanger of its own to solve with the season premiere.
- '''', due to the cost of making the show it ended with only one season being made despite its popularity. The series ended with all the major cast dead and Shao Kahn being victorious is pulling off his plan to get rid of his foes. The next season was suppose to start with the Elder Gods resetting everything because Shao Kahn broke the rules.
- '' Peyton Place '' - When this evening soap opera was cancelled in 1969 the final episode made no attempt to tie-up the various story threads in the expectation another network would pick-up the show.
- '' Popular '' - This show's second season finale ends with a cliffhanger that was never resolved due to an unexpected cancellation by the network after the episode was already shot. In the cliffhanger, Tammy Lynn Michaels ' character runs over a former friend of hers (played by Leslie Bibb ) with her car and it is unclear if the latter survives the hit or not. Also, it was revealed a drag queen ( RuPaul ) was the father of Leslie Grossman 's character.
- '' ReBoot '' - In the end of the last season, it is revealed that the clone of Bob is an upgraded version of the virus Megabyte, who is inside Mainframe's core office and in a position to destroy it.
- '' Return To Eden '' - Ended on a dramatic cliffhanger in Australia. For subsequent international sales a specially shot new ending hurriedly tied-up the unresolved story threads.
- '' Shenmue II '' - The saga is abruptly cut off shortly after the main protagonist Ryo Hazuki travels to Guilin China and meets the girl he was destined to encounter, Ling Shenhua. They discover giant replicas of the two mystical mirrors as the screen fades to black with text'the story goes on...' A third game is yet to be announced.
- '' Silver Surfer '' - After 13 episodes the story was cut as Silver Surfer starts his battle with Thanos for the existence of the universe leaving the viewers with a white screen and a yellow "The End?" sign.
- '' Sliders '' - In the last episode ('' The Seer ''), Rembrandt Brown went to Earth Prime to defeat the Kromagg s, while the other sliders remained on the previous parallel earth, not knowing if Rembrandt would live or die.
- '' Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM) '' - The final scene set up the introduction of a new villain for the next season. It was revealed in 1999 that Ixis Naugus was the mystery villain being set up. A third season was planned and a plot put out eventually after the show ended. The reason for there not being a third season was explain that it was due to the auction of a scene from the Adventures of Sonic the hedgehog being sold without SEGA's permission.
- '''' - In the last episode Benjamin Sisko is taken by the Bajoran Prophet into the Celestial Temple , leaving his Son and Pregnant Wife behind on DS9 .
- '' Strip Mall '' - In what nobody realized would be the series finale, Tammi gets thrown out of an airplane by Barry, who then yells, "Goodbye Tammi Tyler!" It wasn't until June 2001 that Comedy Central made a cost-cutting move due to a rough economy, cancelling both ''Strip Mall'' and '' That's My Bush! ''
- '' The Big O '' - In the last episode, Angel becomes the Fourth Big, Big Venus, and begins removing Paradigm City from reality. Roger and Big O attempt to negotiate with her on the survival of humanity. Afterwards, Big Venus and Big O walk towards each other and the screen fades to white. In the last few minutes, the opening of the first episode is shown, with Dorothy and Angel watching Roger drive off unlike in the original footage. This does not tie up any plot threads, and simply confuses people further, as not only was Roger driving off to rescue Dorothy in the first place, but Angel should not appear until Episode 3. The cryptic ending is the rushed result of the series being cancelled unexpectedly, instead of being extended to a third season.
- '' Twin Peaks '' - Two words: "How's Annie?"
- '' XIII '' In the last ten seconds of the game, the ultimate conspirator is revealed and the hero is left in a potentially deadly situation. Poor sales of the game led to the conclusion that the story would not be completed, in game format at any rate.
More TV cliffhangers can be found (including details of what happened) at To Be DIScontinued! - The Hall of Unresolved TV Cliffhangers .
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