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A cliffhanger 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, if a next installment is made, audiences will return to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved. The phrase comes from the classical end-of-episode situation in silent film days, with the protagonist left hanging from the edge of a cliff. Some serials end with the caveat "To be continued" (the series finales for Duckman and Clone High parodied this caveat). In television series, the following episode usually begins with a recap (AKA a "previously") Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Cliffhanger may mean: Cliffhanger, a plot device in works of fiction. ... Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914) This work is copyrighted. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Clone High is an animated series that aired for one season (November 2002 - April 2003) on MTV and Teletoon. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... A narrative device used by many television series shows to bring the viewer up to date with the current events and plots. ...

History

The term is considered to have originated with Thomas Hardy's serial novel "A Pair of Blue Eyes" in 1873. At the time newspapers published novels in a serial format with one chapter appearing every month. In order to ensure continued interest in the story many authors employed different authorial techniques; in the aforementioned novel Hardy chose to leave one of his protagonists, Knight, literally hanging off a cliff staring into the stony eyes of a trilobite embedded in the rock that has been dead for millions of years. This became the archetypal — and literal — cliff-hanger of Victorian prose. Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) — an English novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement — delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. ... A Pair of Blue Eyes is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1873. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Orders Agnostida Nectaspida Redlichiida Corynexochida Lichida Phacopida Subclass: Librostoma Proetida Asaphida Harpetida Ptychopariida For the robot vacuum cleaner, see Electrolux Trilobite. ...

Once Hardy created it, all serial writers used the cliff-hanger even though Trollope felt that the use of suspense violated "all proper confidence between the author and his reader." Basically, the reader would expect "delightful horrors" only to feel betrayed with a much less exciting ending. Despite the rhetorical distaste all serial authors used the cliffhanger and Wilkie Collins is famous for saying about the technique: "Make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em wait – exactly in that order." // TROLLOPE is a Norman name that derives from Trois Loups, or three wolves. The name was first recorded as Trollope in Lincolnshire (UK). ... Suspense or tension is the feeling of uncertainty and interest about the outcome of certain actions an audience perceives in a dramatic work. ... Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and writer of short stories. ...

Collins is famous for the Sensation Novel which heavily relied upon the cliffhanger. Some examples of his endings include:

"The next witnesses called were witnesses concerned with the question that now followed--the obscure and terrible question: Who Poisoned Her? (The Law and the Lady) "Why are we to stop her, sir? What has she done?" "Done! She has escaped from my Asylum. Don't forget; a woman in white. Drive on." (The Woman in White) "You can marry me privately today," she answered. "Listen--and I will tell you how!" (Man and Wife)" The Law and the Lady, published in 1875, by Wilkie Collins, although still in print, is largely forgotten now. ... Original logo for the musical The Woman in White. ...

This anticipation and conversation inducing authorial technique would often be very contrived as the only purpose was to maintain interest in the monthly serial. Therefore, these were regularly removed from the plot when the serial was published as a full novel.

The cliff-hanger was converted into film and is best known from the very popular silent film series Perils of Pauline (1914), shown in weekly instalments and featuring Pearl White as the title character, a perpetual damsel in distress who was menaced by assorted villains, with each instalment ending with her placed in a situation that looked sure to result in her imminent death – to escape at the beginning of the next instalment only to get into fresh danger at its end. Specifically, an episode filmed around the New Jersey Palisades ended with her literally left hanging over a cliff and seeming about to fall. The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Pearl Fay White, born March 4, 1889 in Green Ridge, Missouri, United States - died August 4, 1938 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, was a singer and star of silent film. ... A poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... One popular concept of the villain, meant to mimic the purposely distinctive visage of villains, initially from the stage plays of the 1880s. ... Palisades is also a general term for steep cliffs next to a river. ...

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) for sequels. 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 7) 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 the Season 3 finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation Best of Both Worlds 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 Shahrazad 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. This article is about an emotion. ... Anticipation can refer to: Anticipation (album), a 1971 album by Carly Simon. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same universe but at a later time. ... Suspension of disbelief is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize peoples relationships to art. ... An audience is a group of people who participate in an experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ... A fictional universe is a cohesive fictional world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. ... Blakes 7 is a British science fiction television series made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for their BBC 1 channel. ... Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The Best of Both Worlds is a two-part episode from the third/fourth seasons of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard Jean-Luc Picard is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe, the captain of the USS Enterprise-D and the Enterprise_E. He was played by British actor Patrick Stewart in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and resulting films. ... The Unicomplex, a huge Borg complex in the Delta Quadrant. ... TV Show Reference Episode is the word usually used to refer to a part of a serial television or radio program. ... (Redirected from 1001 Nights) The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (كتاب ألف ليلة و ليلة in Arabic or هزار و یک شب in Persian), also known as The book of a Thousand... Scheherazade or Shahrazad (Persian: شهرزاد Shahrzad) is the (fictional) storyteller of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. ... The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (كتاب ألف ليلة و ليلة in Arabic or هزار و یک شب in Persian), also known as The book of a Thousand Nights and a Night...

Serial media

Cliffhangers were especially popular in 1920s and 1930s serials when movie theaters filled the cultural niche now primarily occupied by television. Cliffhangers are often used in television series, especially soap operas which end each episode on a cliffhanger. Prior to the early 1980s, season-ending cliffhangers were rare on U.S. television (the first such season-ender on U.S. TV was in the comedy send-up of soap operas Soap in 1978), although several Australian soap operas which went off air over summer such as Number 96 and Prisoner had ended each year with major and much publicised catastrophes such as characters being shot in the final seconds of the closing episode for the year. The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... A typical multiplex (AMC Promenade 16 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, United States). ... A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market sector. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... Soap was a successful American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Number 96 was a revolutionary Australian daily soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. ...

In the US it was the phenomenal success of the "Who shot J.R.?" season ending cliffhanger on Dallas, which closed the show's second season, that led the cliffhanger to become a popular staple on television dramas and later situation comedy series as well. Another notable cliffhanger was the "Moldavian Massacre" on Dynasty in 1985, which fueled speculation throughout the summer months regarding who lived or died when almost all the characters attended a wedding in the country of Moldavia, only to have revolutionaries topple the government and machine-gun the entire wedding party. The "Best of Both Worlds" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990 is also cited as a reason that season-enders are popular today. Who shot J.R.? was a national obsession. ... The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family The original cast of Dallas. ... Dynasty was an American primetime television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 10, 1989. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Best of Both Worlds is a two-part episode from the third/fourth seasons of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...

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 aforementioned 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. Patrick Stewart OBE (born July 13, 1940) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated English film, television and stage actor. ... Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard Jean-Luc Picard is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe, the captain of the USS Enterprise-D and the Enterprise_E. He was played by British actor Patrick Stewart in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and resulting films. ...

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, but the cliffhanger could not save the show from being cancelled, resulting in the unresolved ending. Due to the multi-part storylines becoming the norm in comics (instead of self-contained stories) the cliffhanger has become a genre staple. Twin Peaks was an American Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody and Golden Globe-winning serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, which first aired in the United States on April 8, 1990 and ended on June 10, 1991. ...

Commercial breaks can be a nuisance to script writers 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 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. Commercial break is a period of time when a television station interrupts a programme to broadcast advertisements. ... A script is a story written for a particular medium. ... In literature, a dénouement (IPA: ) consists of a series of events that follow a dramatic or narratives climax, thus serving as the conclusion of the story. ...

Sometimes a movie, book, or season of a television show will end with the main villain and a second, evidently more powerful villain makes a brief appearance and becomes the villain of the next film. A good example of this is the TV series version of Viewiful Joe which ends with Captain Blue being defeated and returned to normal and then the episode ends with a large space craft approaching earth.

Examples of films with cliffhanger endings

• The Italian Job (1969) Possibly the most famous film cliffhanger for being a literal example of the term, with the main character's escape vehicle hanging halfway off a cliff in the Swiss Alps.
• Halloween (1978)
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Back to the Future series (the second most blatantly so)
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
• Limbo (1999)
• The Visitors 2 (1999)
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) There is debate on the subject, as some say it has a cliffhanger ending, while others say it does not.
• The Rules of Attraction (2002)
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• Travels With My Aunt (1972 adaptation of the Graham Greene novel)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Saw (2004)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, (2005) unusual because the film that resolved the cliffhanger was released 28 years previously.
• Silent Hill (2006)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
• I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
• Final Destination
• Casino Royale (2006)
• Before Sunset (2004)
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
• Rush Hour 2 (2001)
• Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

The Italian Job is a British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. ... The Swiss Alps are the central portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. ... Halloween (also known as John Carpenters Halloween) is a 1978 American independent horror film set in the fictional Midwest town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween. ... Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) is a violent, English black comedy film directed and written by Guy Ritchie. ... Limbo is a 1999 film written, directed, and produced by American filmaker John Sayles. ... Monsters, Inc. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Rules of Attraction (2002) is a dark satirical film based on the novel The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. ... Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. ... The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of The Matrix series, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. ... Travels with My Aunt (1969) is a novel written by British author Graham Greene. ... The Incredibles is a 2004 Academy Award-winning animated feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, centering around a family of superheroes. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 superhero film developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Michael Chabon, written by Alvin Sargent, and directed by Sam Raimi. ... Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the third episode of the Star Wars film series (but the sixth film to be produced), to be released on Thursday, May 19, 2005. ... Silent Hill is the title of a well-known survival horror video game franchise, produced by Konami and developed by Team Silent. ... I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 horror film. ... I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a horror film released in 1998 as a sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer. ... Ill Always Know What You Did Last Summer is a horror film released straight to DVD on August 15, 2006 as the second sequel to 1997s I Know What You Did Last Summer. ... Final Destination is a 2000 horror film about a group of students who cheat death by avoiding a plane crash but must eventually pay the price. ... Casino Royale is the 21st film in the James Bond series and the first to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. ... Before Sunset (2004), is a film, the sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). ... Rush Hour 2 is a 2001 martial arts/buddy cop film, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. ... Freddy vs. ...

Examples of television series with regular (or notable) cliffhangers

Of course, cliffhangers are the main "hook" of soap operas (both daytime and nighttime). Other genres also use them as well, as can be seen here. For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ...

24 

Because of the format of the show (Each episode represents one hour of one day, with a season of 24 episodes representing a complete 24 hour period), each episode ends with a twist in one of the season's multiple plotlines that creates a cliffhanger ending leading into the next episode. However, several of the season finales have also involved a cliffhanger whose outcome would not be revealed until the next season, which always takes place months later.

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.

Angel 

Each season (and the show itself) ended on a cliffhanger.

Avatar: The Last Airbender 

The second season ended with a lot cliffhanger with many plot twists revealed, and LOT more questions to be revealed.

Batman (the 1960s series) 

Most of the episodes ran as two half-hour shows over two days, with an announcer famously saying "Same bat-time, same bat-channel" at the end of the first half.

Battlestar Galactica 

Season one and two both ended on cliffhangers, as did season two's midseason break. The show has also had many episodes with plotthreads left unresolved until later episodes, and many two-part episodes with the first part ending on a cliffhanger.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 

Several episodes end with a cliffhanger, and from the fourth season onwards, the season would end with a major storyline carrying over 4 or 5 episodes, and ending each episode with a cliffhanger.

Cheers 

Before most other sitcoms even considered the idea of the season-ending cliffhanger, many seasons of Cheers ended on such.

Dallas and Dynasty 

All seasons of both shows (even the last one, see below) ended on a cliffhanger.

Doctor Who 

In its original run (1963-1989), most stories comprised 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, with three two-parters per series, where the first part would end on a cliffhanger to be resolved in the following episode. There have also been cliffhangers at the end of both series.

Torchwood 

Series 1 ended with Captain Jack Harkness seemingly gone with the Doctor.

Dragonball Series 

Episodes sometimes ended during the powering-up of a special attack during a confrontation with an enemy, or just as the attack is about to be used.

Friends 

Every season but seasons 2 and 6 and the series finale ended on a cliffhanger, with many other episodes having cliffhangers that would be picked up on the next week. Among the show's most famous cliffhangers is the one with Monica's wedding, in which the audience thinks Monica is pregnant with Chandler's child until the camera's zoom on Rachel in the very last seconds of the season shows that it is in fact Rachel who is pregnant. Another notable one is the wedding of Ross and Emily, at which Ross misspeaks and says Rachel's name at the altar, ending the season on a shocking cliffhanger.

Germany's Next Topmodel, Cycle 2 

For the first time in German casting show history an episode ended with a huge cliffhanger leaving open the elimination of one highly popular contestant.

Green Wing 

Literal cliffhanger, with Guy Secretan, Dr. "Mac" Macartney and Martin Dear all stuck in an ambulance hanging over the edge of a cliff. The same thing has happened in the second series, except instead of Guy and Mac, it's Joanna Clore and Alan Statham in a camper van, though Martin Dear is still there.

Heroes 

Every episode ends with "To be continued..." A notable cliffhanger was that of the last episode before the seasonal break in 2006.

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, with the explosion of a department store with Hank inside and Peggy having a parachute failure respectively.

Lost 

drama/action: almost every episode ends with an intense cliffhanger or a twist, season finales on the other hand end with multiple cliffhangers.

The O.C. 

Every episode could be interpreted as ending with a cliffhanger. The most dramatic reserved for the season-ending episode(s) in May.

One Piece 

Every single episode ends with a black screen upon which the words "TO BE CONTINUED" are displayed in large letters which fill up the screen. Almost all episodes are cliffhangers, and those that aren't still have the "TO BE CONTINUED" screen at the end, implying that even if this episode's story has been resolved, the larger quest for Gold Roger's treasure continues.This is removed in the UK version.

Pokémon 

Even all of the episodes' conflicts are solved within the show, there are some exceptions. Some episodes (such as "Hello Pummelo" and "Enter The Dragonite") are two parters, where as others (like the "Indigo Arc") are mutliple part storylines that take more than a few to resolve, these usually take place during a major tournament that Ash has made his way towards. Also, all of the episodes end with the trite "To Be Continued..." with the show's picture shrinking to the upper-left corner of the screen. One episode of the series ("The Battle Of The Badge") also dovetails into Pokemon: The First Movie as Mewtwo escapes from Giovanni, having defeated Gary's Pokemon earlier.

Prison Break 

Most episodes spend the last minute or two setting up the main plot of the next episode, and produce a cliffhanger to be resolved. The season finales end with multiple cliffhangers that will be resolved over the course of the entire next season.

Quantum Leap 

Each episode ended with a minute or so long intro to the next episode's storyline.

Red Dwarf 

Series 2, 6, 7 and 8 all ended on cliffhangers (Especially 6 and 8).

The cartoon version of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show 

Often ends each episode in some sort of a cliffhanger, left to be resolved in the next episode.

The Simpsons 

The sixth season finale "Who Shot Mr. Burns? - Part 1" ended with a cliffhanger leaving a 'who done it?' ending for the audience to question themselves, and which was answered in the following season. This was the only multi-part episode of the series (as of 2007).

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.

South Park 

When the show became immensely popular, season one ended with a search for Eric Cartman's father. The next episode was supposed to air four weeks later, which happened to be April Fools Day 1998. The creators decided to pull "The Ultimate South Park Joke" by premiering season 2 with a completely unrelated episode about Terrance and Phillip. Fans were angered by this and the creators made the conclusion episode. Also, season 4 had a cliffhanger arc and season 10 had two separate arcs. During Season 6, the episode Professor Chaos had a spoof cliffhanger ending, by asking three questions that theoretically would be answered in the following episode(One of which had nothing to do with the events of the preceding episode). Instead of all three questions being answered in the following episode, they were answered verbally immediately before the closing credits. The following episode, The Simpsons Already Did It, simply elaborated on the answers to the three aforementioned questions.

Spooks 

All seasons have ended with major cliffhangers except season 3 (one of the main characters was killed off in the final episode instead). Seasons 4 and 5 both began with two part episodes shown on consecutive evenings which featured cliffhangers, and in season 5, episode 6 also ends on a cliffhanger.

Star Trek series 

The only cliffhanger pair in the original series was The Menagerie, which incorporated footage of the aborted pilot, The Cage. However, since Star Trek: The Next Generation, most of the seasons of the various series have ended with a cliffhanger, and later seasons have included cliffhangers in the middle of a season.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis 

The first four seasons and the ninth season of SG-1 ended with cliffhangers. The last episodes of the fifth through eighth seasons were all written as possible series finales. In contrast, all three seasons of Atlantis ended with cliffhangers, and the trend seems likely to continue. Both SG-1 and Atlantis also have mid-season cliffhangers, as the seasons air in blocks (one from July to September; one from January to March).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) 

Seasons 1, 2, and 4 have all ended with different cliffhangers.

Tru Calling 

Season 1 (and the unfinished season 2) both ended on a cliff hanger with many questions left unanswered.

The West Wing 

Season 1 ends with the President and his staff being shot. Season 2 ends with the President, after just revealing his failure to disclose he has MS, is asked the question, "Will you seek a second term in office?" Season 4 ends with the President's daughter has been kidnapped, and temporarily with no Vice-President, he evokes the 25th Amendment, naming the Speaker of the House, who is from the opposing party, Acting President. Season 5 ends with an attack on the Presidential envoys sent to promote peace in the Middle East. The blast kills the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and seriously wounds Donna Moss.

The X-Files 

Regularly had season-ending cliffhangers.

Xena: Warrior Princess 

Several episodes end with a cliffhanger

Xiaolin Showdown 

While most Saturday morning shows shy away from season ending cliffhangers, this show (and the TMNT revival) has embraced them. Seasons 1 and 2 end with one of the Xiaolin monks having been temporarily turned to evil.

24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. ... A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program. ... Alias was an American Spy-fi television series created by J. J. Abrams that aired on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006. ... Angel is a spin-off of the American television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television program created by Ronald D. Moore that first aired on October 18, 2004 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky One, and January 14, 2005 in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 2x Emmy-Wining Golden Globe nominated American cult television series that initially aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. ... Cheers was an American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ... The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family The original cast of Dallas. ... // For other uses, see Dynasty (disambiguation). ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, (and a 1996 television movie). ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dragonfire is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from November 23 to December 7, 1987. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the eponymous fictional institute, see Torchwood Institute. ... Son Goku Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) is a Japanese manga by Akira Toriyama serialized in the weekly anthology magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 1984 to 1995 and originally collected into 42 individual books called Tankôbon. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Germanys Next Topmodel Cycle 2, the second season of GNTM started on March 01, 2007. ... Germanys Next Topmodel Cycle 2, the second season of GNTM started on March 01, 2007. ... Green Wing is an award winning British television comedy, set in a hospital. ... Guy Secretan is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Stephen Mangan. ... Mac is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Julian Rhind-Tutt. ... Dr. Martin Dear is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Karl Theobald. ... An ambulance in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico A Helicopter used as an Ambulance. ... “Precipice” redirects here. ... Joanna Clore is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Pippa Haywood. ... Alan Statham is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Mark Heap. ... A campervan is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. ... Dr. Martin Dear is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Karl Theobald. ... Heroes is an American science fiction drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article is about the manga and anime series. ... JAG (the American Military acronym for Judge Advocate General) is a popular American adventure and drama television show, that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television. ... 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Other unresolved cliffhangers

Some TV shows were cancelled in between seasons, and viewers were left wondering what happened. Some other media also have shown unresolved cliffhangers.

Television series

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 go to work."

Aquila 

The owners of Aquilla are able to activate the onboard computer to discover that it was in fact a liferaft of a much larger battlecruiser orbiting the sun, declaring that "We could have some serious fun with a battle cruiser!"

Benson 

The famous "Who Won?" cliffhanger featuring a gubernatorial race between the title character and his former employer was never resolved.

Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot 

The animated series ended with the doctor saying that there was a seventh Legion X bot created. It was never seen or mentioned again.

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.

Blade: The Series 

Ends in a cliffhanger that is supposed to set up a second season for the show, with Marcus Van Sciver grabbing Krista Starr by the throat asking her how long she worked for Blade. Despite a large success, actress Jill Wagner stated on her MySpace blog that Spike TV would not renew the series.

Blake's 7 

At the end of the fourth and final season the lead characters were surrounded and shot by a Federation security squad. The intention was for those actors who chose to continue on into the fifth season to have merely been stunned by the shots instead of being killed. In the event, there was no fifth season and the frustration inflicted on the audience led to much fan fiction and a novel regarding what happened next.

Capitol 

Sloane Denning is facing execution by firing squad, and as soon as the executioner says "fire," the episode ends with no resolution of what happened.

Caroline in the City 

This sitcom ended with the sudden appearance of Richard Karinsky (Malcolm Gets) at Caroline's wedding.

Cliffhangers 

Perhaps the definitive cliffhanger program. An hour-long show composed of three segments per week. Each weekly segment ended in a cliffhanger. The series was cancelled with two of the three storylines incomplete. The episode tying up those incomplete stories were actually shown overseas, and one of the unfinished stories was re-edited into a telefilm (as was the one that was completed).

Clone High 

The series ended with most of the cast being frozen in a meat locker by Principal Scudworth.

Crime Story.

Crusade 

As it was cancelled before the main thrust of the plot could even begin to unfold, much less come to fruition.

Dallas 

A close up of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) saying "Oh my god!" in reaction to entering J.R. Ewing's (Larry Hagman) room from where a gunshot had just been heard ended this prime time soap's final episode in 1991. Unlike most shows that ended with a cliffhanger this cliffhanger was entirely intentional. It was not until a 1996 TV reunion movie that it was revealed what happened (J.R. Ewing shot a demon-possessed mirror instead of committing suicide).

DangerMouse 

The series finale "The Intergalactic 147" ended with DangerMouse and Penfold alive and well in their pillar box on a sidewalk fragment surrounded by a giant empty wasteland where London had been. They had helped the earth avoid being bumped into a black hole in an alien's intergalactic game of snooker. But prior to this, the whole city of London around them disappeared, it's exact whereabouts unknown. While DM and their boss, Colonel K, who's on the videophone, fret over what to do about the missing city, Penfold asks if they have a "spare". He is told "shush" by both his superiors. With London still missing, the show faded out for the final time.

Darkwing Duck 

The episode "Steerminator" ends with a cliffhanger, which was intended to be resolved two seasons later, but the show was canceled before production of next season.

Dead Like Me 

ended with a number of "loose ends" especially as concerned the status of the relationship between Georgia Lass, the main character, and her mother and younger sister.

Duckman 

In the final episode, Duckman's supposedly deceased wife, Beatrice, unexpectedly appears during his second marriage. 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 Colby (Joan Collins) falling off a balcony and Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) getting shot.

Earth 2 

This one-season series ended with Devon Adair (Debrah Farentino) falling ill with a mysterious illness and being placed in hibernation. Her voiceover implies that the planet they are trying to colonize is "rejecting" them, and that the same fate may befall the other characters. The series was not renewed for a second season, leaving the cliffhanger unresolved.

Emerald Point N.A.S. 

Ends on a cliffhanger, which was intended to be resolved, but was canceled before production of next season. One of the principal characters (played by Maud Adams) is kidnapped by a former lover (Michael Brandon) on the eve of her wedding to Dennis Weaver, who finds her wedding gown stuck to the wall with a knife in the final scene.

Eve 

At Diva Style, Janie, Rita, and several friends are arrested by the FBI for an illegal botox party. Shelly derided her pregnant mother for remarrying her father after she found out her father is the baby's father; Shelly felt her father would abandon the baby like he abandoned Shelly and her sister. Finally, the husband of Nick's girlfriend approaches the closet where he and J.T. were hiding. J.T. grabbed a shoe, ready to do battle. At that point "To Be Continued" appeared on-screen, ending the series with no hope of immediate resolution.

Exosquad 

Ends with a cliffhanger when an alien race of enormous power unexpectedly attacks the Solar System shortly after the end of the war between Neosapiens and humans.

Farscape 

The show was abruptly cancelled after it had completed production of its fourth season, with a fifth season contracted, effectively ending the series on a cliffhanger. A mini-series in 2004, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars wrapped up some of the show's hanging plot threads.

Fastlane 

This highly stylized FOX television series, starring Tiffani Thiessen, Peter Facinelli, and Bill Bellamy ended it's 22-episode, 1 season run with undercover officers Van (Facinelli) and Deaq (Bellamy) successfully preventing a jewel heist spearheaded by the first employee Lt. Billie Chambers (Thiessen) recruited to work for The Candy Store, back when she hired criminals to pose as cops, instead of cops posing as criminals. Though the perp, Nick Cassavettes, was killed in the climax of the encounter, the satisfied undercover duo are none the wiser that Lt. Billie Chambers has been kidnapped by Cassavettes female associate, who injects the formerly-addicted Billie with heroin.

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.

Futurama 

In the episode The Why Of Fry, Fry mentions that Leela is the only thing in the future worth saving. Nibbler then remarks "Ahh. She must be the Other..."

Grown Ups 

J. inadvertently proposes to his on-again-off-again girlfriend Melissa.

Invasion 

The first and only season ended with two major cliffhangers: the fate of Larkin and her baby and the outcome of the hybrid pregnancies.

JAG 

The final episode involved Harm and Mac getting married. As they were being posted away from each other, one had to give up his/her career for the marriage to work. To decide, they flipped a commemorative coin. The result was not shown.

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 

Cam was about to confront Adam having just remembered a drunken conversation about his affair with Zoe.

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman 

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."

Malcolm & Eddie 

After the 50/50 Club is wrecked in an accident, Nicolette offers Malcolm and Eddie money to rebuild it on the condition that she becomes a full partner.

Models, Inc. 

In the finale that originally aired on FOX, the series ended with a hired assassin aiming his gun at a wedding. Because people were moving, the gun was shown pointing at several cast members and then the gun was shot. It ended in slow motion panning to the assassin's face with, "To Be Continued..." The show was cancelled soon after, but there was an alternate ending that later aired on international distribution and in repeats on E! cable network. The shot killed Emma Samms' character Grayson and showed Hillary Michaels (Linda Gray) announcing to the models that she was closing Models, Inc. The show ended with Gray turning off the lights to each model's photo on the wall in the lobby and the office going dark and zooming up to the Models, Inc. logo in the hallway. However, the one cliffhanger that wasn't resolved on either endings was the ending of the character of Carrie (Carrie-Anne Moss). Grayson had her kidnapped and in a scene saying "Somewhere in Central America" she woke up tied and was in "Hooker Hell."

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.

Mortal Kombat: Conquest 

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 in 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.

Odyssey 5 

Was cancelled after one season. The show ended on a cliffhanger which was never resolved. Unresolved plots included the main plot about saving the earth, but also the subplots about the Karder, the Sentients and the kidnapping of Angela Perry.

Over There 

Was canceled immediately after its one and only season concluded, leaving a number of "loose ends" including the future of Bo Ryder, one of the principal characters, who hoped to recover from the loss of his right leg and return to active duty with his unit in Iraq.

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.+

Port Charles 

The soap opera concluded it's run with heroine Allison not knowing who the father of her baby was.

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.

Red Dwarf 

In the end of series 8 Rimmer is trapped on Red Dwarf as it is disintegrating around him and everyone else has abandoned ship. Then the Grim Reaper comes to take him away and he kicks the Grim Reaper in the testicles and runs off.

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.

Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles 

Ends in a cliff-hanger on Episode 37 showing the Arachnid race doing a full-scale assault on Earth. There were originally plans to create three more episodes to create the resolution (with the voice-overs already recorded), but it was not possible due to running out of resources. In an audio commentary by producer Jeff Kline on the Homefront Campaign DVD, he outlines what would happen in those three episodes.

The Simpsons 

Many episodes find their ending in a literal cliffhanger when some character or obscure scene ostensibly leaves the audience unsatisfied, often with subtle allegations. Occasionally subtle references to these episodes are made in future episodes, often resolving the cliffhangers in unexpected ways or further perpetuating the mystery of their outcome.

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 Kromaggs, while the other sliders remained on the previous parallel earth, not knowing if Rembrandt would live or die.

Soap 

The show ended on several cliffhangers, not least of which was the fate of Jessica Tate, who was facing execution by firing squad. Jessica's fate was more or less resolved in a subsequent 1983 episode of Benson, wherein Jessica's ghost visits her former butler to reassure him on his life's choices before she makes her way to the great beyond.

Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) 

The final scene of the season finale "The Doomsday Project" set up the plot point of Snively teaming up with a new villain for the next season. It was revealed in 1997 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.

Space: Above and Beyond 

The final episode ends in an open-ended fashion, where T.C. McQueen is badly injured and most of the major cast is apparently killed or missing, with only Cooper Hawkes and Nathan West remaining. Yet with the Earth force in a much better strategic position, there is the motif of hope through initiative, despite losses and sacrifices.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series 

In the final episode of this series, Spider-Man saves all of reality from Spider-Carnage, an unstable alternate universe version of the character. Madame Web congratulates Spider-Man and transports both he and a powerless alternate world self (who had helped tremendously despite his lack of powers) to that person's Earth, where the truth about his origins are revealed, he is an actor who portrays the character on television, and takes him to see Stan Lee in this reality. Web promises Spider-Man they will find Mary Jane Watson, as unbeknownst to Spider-Man, she had fallen into a portal in the third season finale. The cliffhanger was never resolved due to the dreaded "65 episode rule" of Syndication, which had not yet been challenged as sternly as it is now. Head writer John Semper had hoped to continue the series and resolve the cliffhanger, one proposed arc involved Spidey finding MJ in Colonial England and fighting Carnage once more, who had by now joined with Jack The Ripper.

Spider-Man Unlimited 

There were a few cliffhangers in Spider-Man Unlimited. The Counter-Earth version of the Green Goblin was hinted to be the missing husband of Dr. Yamanda-Naoko Jones, who allowed Peter to stay with her and her son, (the Spider-Man Unlimited comic book also hinted a Beastial version of Wolverine was her husbund, but it's place in canon is uncertain). The series also looked at Carnage and Venom's attempts at contacting a symbiote hive on Counter-Earth known as "The Synoptic", which would menace Counter-Earth in the final moments of the final episode, just as Spider-Man and The Resistance had succeeded in overthrowing The High Evolutionary and his Beastial forces.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series 

Much like Spider-man Unlimited, the CGI series also ended on a cliffhanger with the expectation that a second series would be produced to resolve it. The main string of Peter Parker giving up being the Spider-man is not really a cliffhanger as fans know he would recant, but the trigger for it with one of the few new supporting cast members/love triangle member Indy being put into coma still remains.

Star Trek: Deep Space 9 

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. As this was an actual planned finale, and references were made to Sisko being back "in a year," there was early speculation of a theatrical movie in the works. (Although the movie never materialized, the Sisko family situation was resolved in Unity, a novel by S.D. Perry from the DS9 relaunch novel series. However, this novel, like all other Star Trek novels, is not considered to be official series canon.)

Strip Mall 

Tammi gets thrown out of an airplane by Barry, who then yells, "Goodbye Tammi Tyler!" (In June 2001, Comedy Central made a cost-cutting move due to a rough economy by cancelling Strip Mall and That's My Bush!)

Stroker & Hoop 

This animated comedy on Adult Swim ended with the titular characters falling to their presumed deaths.

Surface 

cancelled after 15 episodes within running story.

Tilt 

The series's archvillain, Don "The Matador" Everest, is arrested for murder, but in the final seconds, a key witness against him is found hanged to death in an apparent suicide.

Teen Titans 

The last episode ended with Beast Boy supposedly going to help the Titans leaving the audience not knowing if the girl was really Terra or what had happened to her statue.

Tru Calling 

After the original 13 episode season (2) had been officially picked up, production started for the new season. After 6 episodes were produced, Fox Network axed the series leaving the six episode season on an unanswered cliff hanger dealing with many unanswered questions about the mythology of Tru, Jack, Tru's father and the entire set up of her mother's death.

Twin Peaks 

Dale Cooper is trapped in the black lodge, while BOB takes over his body. The show ends as Dale/BOB bangs his head against a mirror, repeating the words: "How's Annie?"

WKRP in Cincin