Television Series that Ended on Cliffhangers (will contain spoilers)

The Blind Eternities forum

Posted on Dec. 29, 2016, 3:08 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

Cliffhangers are a natural part of storytelling, and have been so for as long as storytelling has existed. If used well, they can create tension in a story and leave the audience eagerly waiting for its next installment.

Television series, like any other storytelling medium, often employ cliffhangers, but they usually end fairly conclusively, with few unresolved plot lines. However, there are rare instances in which a television series will end with a cliffhanger, usually because the writers were wishing to build suspense and anticipation for a future season, but the series was not renewed for that season.

Understandably, this occurrence is very frustrating to audiences, who shall never know how their favorite stories end, so this thread is to discuss television series that ended on cliffhangers. Naturally, this thread shall contain spoilers for those series.

The first series is The Finder, a spin-off of Bones.

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In the final episode, Walter is arrested, Willa leaves the city in which the series is set, and Timo is shown being punished by Uncle Shadrach, but the story never had a proper conclusion, since it was not sufficiently popular to be renewed for another season. Also, given that one of its central cast members, Michael Clarke Duncan, has died, there is little chance of it ever returning.

Another series is Teen Titans, whose final episode was definitely a "mind screw;"

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in that episode, Terra returned to life without any explanation for how it occurred, except that it may not actually have been Terra, for she had no memory of her former existence. In addition to that, a completely new monster appeared without any explanation, and it was also hinted that Slade was still alive and active, as well. The episode ended with no resolution to its story, so I believe that it would have been better to have ended the series with the second-to-final episode and simply not have made the final episode.

The next series is the 2011 remake of Thundercats.

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In the final episode, Mumm-Ra is still at large, but the heroes have managed to unite the various races and factions of Thundera against him, leaving the series ending on a positive and optimistic note, but with many questions unanswered and plotlines unresolved, including what fate would befall Pumyra (i.e., whether or not she would redeem herself after betraying Lion-O) and whether or not WilyKat and WilyKit would find the legendary city of El-Dara.

The final series that I shall mention is Reboot, my favorite television series of all.

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The series lasted for four seasons, but I personally believe that the third season should have been the final season, because it ended so conclusively and satisfactorily. However, the fourth season was not terrible, but simply not as excellent as the third season; the fourth season was supposed to last for twelve episodes, but ended after only eight, likely because the network on which it was being broadcast lost interest in it. In the final episode, Megabyte returns, takes over the principal office, and then the episode ends, leaving the fate of the heroes unknown and the audience with the very real possibility that the villain may have been victorious in the end.

What does everyone else have to say about this? What are some television series that you watched that ended on cliffhangers?

PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #2

Dude. Angel, the spinoff show to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It literally ends with the hordes of Hell descending upon LA. Angel looks up and goes, "Well, I always wanted to kill a dragon." And that's the end.

December 29, 2016 3:58 p.m.

Gattison says... #3

I feel like this is not the first time DemonDragonJ has asked an interesting question about fiction. =)

Powers: Show

Based on the comic of the same name, it was about a detective who used to be a superhero but lost his powers. Throughout 2 seasons and 20 episodes, we find out that the main character would do almost anything to get his powers back. Then he ends up sacrificing himself in order to kill a former superhero who went insane.

But no, he didn't die, it turns out aliens saved his life, and now want to "test" him even further.... END OF SHOW.

This show was on the Playstation Network, and I feel if, say Netflix, had produced it, it would have gotten more exposure and not gotten cancelled. As it is, it was a good show, with a good premise and original ideas, that wasn't afraid to try and "do it big." It would have been cool to see him get his powers back, or get new powers from the aliens, or something.

The Big O: Show

Imagine a show that is part Batman, part Power Rangers/Ultraman, and part noir mystery. Then imagine after three years, you find out it also part The Matrix, as in it turns out their world/city was just a hologram/illusion. Then cancel the show real quick before it can ever be explained.

I shouldn't complain, though. We were only supposed to get 2 seasons, but we got 3 instead, so... I guess.

Nowhere Man: Show

This show was good when it came out, but now it's quite hard to watch, but it was about a photographer who took a picture of four men hanging from a gallows, and then it turns out there's an entire conspiracy of people who want to destroy that picture and the negatives.

He goes out to eat at his favorite restaurant with his wife, gets up to go to the bathroom, and when he comes back, it's literally as if he never existed at all. The people at the restaurant don't remember him, his wife is gone, somebody else is at his table, partway through their meal. He goes home, and his "wife" is there, but she seems to be married to someone else, and they threaten to call the cops on him.

Throughout the year, we see him track down a secret agent codenamed Gemini, who seems to be the only one who knows anything about his mystery. Then in the very last episode, he finds a tape of Agent Gemini... AND IT'S HIM! This whole time, he was really Gemini, and the photographer's life that he thought he had was really a cover, or a lie, so he no longer has ANY clue who he is, or why that photograph got him in trouble.

...But then it never got renewed.

There have been others, but those three were the biggest disappointments for me.

December 29, 2016 6:26 p.m.

Ender666666 says... #4

PhotogenicParasympathetic Angel did get a 6th season in comicbook form though, so at least we got to know what happened next.

December 29, 2016 9:07 p.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #5

Gattison, I have seen The Big O, so I know about the situation in which you speak, although I do wish to make a slight correction, if I may: the series was originally supposed to last for only a single season, so that season ended fairly conclusively, but it was so popular that it was renewed for an additional season, which ended on a cliffhanger because the studio was planning for a third season to conclusively end the series, but the second season was not as popular as the studio had anticipated it being, so it was not renewed for a third season, so the story never had a proper ending. The series was released on DVD when it first premiered, but it is now long out of print, so is there any chance that it may have a new release at any time soon (preferably on blu-ray)?

December 29, 2016 9:41 p.m.

grumbledore says... #6

Stargate: Universe.

That show was fucking awesome. I'm still pissed they killed it

December 30, 2016 1:44 a.m.

shadow63 says... #7

enter link description hereI'm not sure if that'll have the ending for big o. But that show was so odd and awesome

But the thing with teen titans iterates me to no end

January 10, 2017 8:39 p.m.