From Zombies to presidents, borgs to cowboys, London to Springfield,
the best tv cliffhangers know how to leave our jaws on the floor.
The groundbreaking drama "Lost," a show famous for its cliffhangers, boasts one
that rises above the rest — "Through the Looking Glass." A two-part season-ender for Season 3,
this episode boasts all the features of a gut-wrencher: deaths of major characters,
unresolved fates, and multiple unsolved mysteries, all designed to leave fans screaming for answers.
"I'm getting them all off the island! All of them!"
"Let me ask you something Jack. Why do you want to leave the island?"
A signature element of the J.J. Abrams' series was its use of flashbacks to show the lives
of each character before they crashed on the island. But with "Through the Looking Glass,"
the producers introduced something a little different: flash-forwards! These jumps in
time showed some survivors seemingly living off the island, as if they had escaped. Meanwhile,
back in the present day, a mission to find an underwater station had sealed Charlie's fate.
His final, intense message about the boat not being what it seemed, is unforgettable. In the
very definition of cliffhanger, finding out the answers would have to wait for Season 4.
"The Good Place" was a dark, philosophical comedy about a group of strangers who wake
up in the afterlife, which looks a lot like a pleasant suburb, or an idyllic,
utopian village, full of bright colors, blue skies, and froyo. Their guide through
this new world was a kindly deity named Michael, charmingly played by Ted Danson.
"You end up spending the rest of eternity in the real bad place,
up to your necks in a volcano full of scorpions."
But early on in the series, Eleanor, played by Kristin Bell, began figuring out she was
actually a bad person when she was alive, and that she had somehow gotten into the Good Place
by mistake. Eleanor puts all of her efforts into trying to become a good person so she won't get
kicked out, learning about philosophy from her new friend Chidi. But it doesn't come naturally.
"You guys are so fun. Just relentlessly fun. I keep thinking,
when are they going to stop being fun? And the answer is never."
In Episode 13, however, Eleanor has a shocking moment of clarity,
a revelation that is possibly the greatest twist in sitcom history:
Eleanor, and her friends Chidi, Tahani, and Jason, had actually been in the Bad Place all along.
"THIS is the bad place!"
Set in Montana's wide-open spaces, "Yellowstone" is a neo-Western centered on the powerful Dutton
family. Their land — the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch — sits at the center of an epic power
struggle between government, business, and the outlaw spirit. At the end of Season 3,
conflicts with a neighboring Reservation, criminal empires, and rival politicians all
come to a head when multiple assassination attempts are made on the Duttons.
"I'd rather kill a thousand men than shoot another horse."
Patriarch John, played by Kevin Costner, is gunned down in the road,
multiple gunmen enter the office of his son, Kayce, and his daughter Beth's fate
is unknown when a giant explosion rocks her office. These violent attacks left many of
the main cast members' fates uncertain. And because the people behind the assassination
attempt also remained a mystery – this one counts as a true cliffhanger – with spurs on.
The quintessential '90s sitcom "Friends" is beloved for many reasons – it's funny, sweet,
and quirky. But did you know it also featured one of television's best cliffhangers, centered around
Ross and Rachel? The on-again off-again lovebirds, so winningly played by David Schwimmer and
Jennifer Aniston, are definitely off-again when Ross gets engaged to his new girlfriend, Emily,
who is British. This engagement leads to the Season 4 finale, "The One with Ross' Wedding," set
in London. Besides the fact that Rachel decides to skip the ceremony, everything is going smoothly.
That is until Rachel changes her mind, deciding at the last minute that she still loves Ross and
must stop him from saying his vows. She gets onto an airplane and tells everyone what she's up to.
"I'm going to London to tell this guy that I love him."
But when Rachel sees Ross' happiness, she does the right thing, backing away from her big
plan. Things don't end there, because when Ross accidentally says Rachel's name on the altar,
everything changes, raising big questions about Ross' marriage.
"I, Ross."
"Take thee, Emily."
"Take thee, Rachel."
This little Freudian slip had big implications
for the future of the series. "The One With the Cliffhanger," indeed!
The prime-time 80s soap "Dallas" chronicled the power struggles between two rival Texas families,
with heaping helpings of scandal, sex, and murder. Led by actors Larry Hagman,
Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal, and Linda Gray, the most dramatic and scandalous moment
was without a doubt the third season cliffhanger episode – "A House Divided."
"Who's there?"
The iconic cliffhanger sets up Hagman's character, J.R. Ewing, working late at the office, alone.
Hearing a noise, he walks out into the hall, where he is gunned down in cold blood. Because
J.R. was then hospitalized and unable to ID the gunman, it was left up to the audience to wonder
"Who Shot J.R.?" From news reports to magazine covers, it was the question on everyone's minds,
and a landmark moment in both prime-time viewing and television marketing. And
while the show may feel a bit dated today, "Who Shot JR?" truly remains a television milestone.
"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" was the Simpson's answer to the famous Dallas finale. But more than a homage
to the soapy Texas cliffhanger, "The Simpsons" final episode of season six was a landmark event
on its own. Fox even aired a prime-time special called "Springfield's Most Wanted" — hosted by
John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" — complete with a contest where fans could dial a 1-800
number to guess who shot Springfield's nuclear power-plant owner, Mr. Burns.
"Join us as we attempt to solve the crime of the century. I'm
John Walsh and this is Springfields Most Wanted."
Like J.R., Mr. Burns had many enemies. Also like J.R., he was shot by an unseen assassin.
"I don't think we'll ever know who did this. Everyone in town's a suspect."
To help viewers to figure out the answer, clues were planted all over the episode,
helping to make "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" one of the most-watched Simpsons episodes of all time.
"Coincidence? I don't think so."
Arriving at the height of the show's early popularity,
the episode was a smash hit. To this day, few family series have been able
to equal the levels of excitement surrounding "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"
"Well I couldn't possibly solve this mystery. Can you?"
The trials and tribulations of Walter White kept viewers on the edge of their sofas for
five astounding seasons. White, played by Bryan Cranston, took us on a rollercoaster ride that
only got more intense as time went on. From a cancer diagnosis to a life of crime, from wimpy
high school teacher to terrifyingly ruthless and powerful drug lord, White ends up fighting off
an array of enemies. Including the DEA agent Hank Schrader — who also happened to be his
brother-in-law. Always full of twists and turns, the mid-season finale of the show's final year,
"Gliding Over All," exposed the biggest revelation yet. Showing Shrader finally putting the pieces
together and figuring out who Walter White really was. In classic "Breaking Bad" fashion,
the climactic scene comes with a humorous twist – the light bulb moment happens on the toilet.
After years of coming close to being caught, it seemed as if Walt's time was finally up.
"Ha…
Ya' got me."
But fans would have to wait almost a year to find out the answer.
Created by Hollywood screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and starring Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlet,
"The West Wing" followed the ups and downs of life inside the White
House. Receiving rave reviews for its high drama and complex characters,
and practically patenting the fast-paced walk and talk. Something that's now been
parodied multiple times, which as we all know, is the sincerest form of flattery.
"And how much is Curtis charging the federal government to fix the wobbly wheel on my chair?"
"He said he'd have to take a look at the jump."
"At his shop."
"Yeah."
The first season went from compelling political drama to nail-biting thriller, culminating in
season one's dramatic cliffhanger finale – an apparent assassination attempt on President
Bartlet. The bulk of the episode, mainly involving Bartlet's preparations for an upcoming town hall,
doesn't hint at the chaos to come. Making it that much more shocking, when, at the episode's end,
a shooter points his gun at the crowd and fires. What made it a cliffhanger was how the viewers
couldn't see who was hit. Would Sheen be exiting the series? Or would Vice President Hoynes,
played by Tim Matheson, step into the lead role? All options were on the table,
fan theories were brewing, and the series was already turning into a beloved classic.
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" aired at a time when season-ending cliffhangers
were still a relative rarity. But all of that changed with this landmark episode
capping off season three. Often credited as the year the show came into its own,
this episode, titled "The Best of Both Worlds," put the crew of the Enterprise
in serious peril. The action began with the Borg attempting a takeover of the Federation.
"You have committed acts of aggression against the
United Federation of Planets! If you do not withdraw immediately…"
"You will surrender yourself or we will destroy your ship."
Later, Captain Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, is taken captive and transformed
into a Borg. In the episode's final moments, Picard, as a Borg, proclaims in a monotonous,
robotic voice, that he is their new leader. Commander Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes,
has a weapon that could wipe out the Borg ship, but firing it would also
mean killing Picard. With no other choice, and to the dismay of the crew, Riker fires.
"Mr. Warf, FIRE."
The three little words that followed – "To Be Continued" – pretty much defined the word
"cliffhanger." Was Picard dead or alive? Fans would have to wait three long months to find out.
"The Walking Dead" follows a band of survivors struggling against the undead
in a zombie apocalypse. Led by former sheriff Rick Grimes, played by British
actor Andrew Lincoln. Season 6 found them fighting one human villain after another,
with the worst of all being a man named Negan. Fiercely portrayed by Jeffrey Dean
Morgan , Negan was the most diabolical adversary the group had ever faced.
"Gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon."
Negan is not even seen until the devastating season finale,
"The Last Day on Earth." And his emergence from a battered RV, wielding a barbed wire-wrapped
baseball bat,as the group kneels on the ground in front of him, is a truly terrifying reveal.
"You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry. Hell, you're all going to be doing that."
Negan picks his target and savagely beats them to death in one of the most violent scenes in
the series. He even beats the cameraman, making the final moments a black screen with the sound
of the bat hitting flesh. In what many consider to be the ultimate cliffhanger,
audiences then had to wait until Season 7 to find out who the victim was.
"Game of Thrones," based on the books by George R.R. Martin, boasted Shakespearean levels of
drama and intrigue, Tolkien-esque world-building and cutting-edge visual effects. An overnight
sensation, its season-ending jaw-droppers were a big part of what kept viewers obsessed. As a
series known for being unafraid to kill off even its most central characters,
the Season 5 finale titled "Mother's Mercy" had fans bracing themselves for anything to happen.
While readers of the books may have seen it coming, few others could have anticipated
the shocking death of the series' most beloved character — Jon Snow. And though
he would indeed be resurrected almost immediately in Season 6's second episode,
his death was devastating, and fans of the series had to wait nearly a year to see it all play out.
Few shows can lay claim to terms like "landmark" and "unprecedented" – but David Lynch's "Twin
Peaks" certainly earned these descriptors – and then some. Debuting in 1990, it was unlike
anything mainstream television audiences had ever seen. Critics and viewers could hardly find words
to describe the avant-garde thriller about the murder of a young woman, Laura Palmer, played
by Sheryl Lee, and the FBI agent assigned to her case, Kyle MacLachlan's iconic, coffee-and-pie
loving Dale Cooper. Filled with incomprehensible imagery, oddball characters, and a wandering,
often bizarre plot, viewers were sometimes left struggling to figure out what it all meant.
"What did you see that night, the night Laura Palmer was killed?"
"Shh. I'll do the talking."
And the first season finale was no different. Titled "The Final Evening," the episode had
plenty of action but little resolution. Characters are clubbed, smothered, and kidnapped. Buildings
are set on fire. Laura Palmer's killer is still unknown. But the biggest shocker happens at the
end, when Agent Cooper is shot in the stomach by an unseen assailant. The heart-stopping final
scene left audiences anxious for a conclusion they would be forced to wait for – an agonizing process
but for a show as strangely compelling as "Twin Peaks," it was well worth it.