TV show cliffhangers have long been a long time staple of small screen storytelling, dangling audiences over a precipice until they can hardly wait to find out what happens next. A seeming elegiac farewell between beloved characters, an "ending" that seems impossible to outdo, a cliffhanger can alter how a season or series unfolds.
Whether it is a shocking character death, some groundbreaking twist of the entire plot, or an unresolved moment that keeps everyone speculating endlessly, some TV show cliffhangers have been rather unforgettable and fulfill the essence of suspense and drama.
In this article, we dig into 20 TV show cliffhangers that captivated the audience and set standards for thrilling, game-changing moments in television.
1) The Sopranos – “Made In America” (2007)
The last scene of The Sopranos left everyone stunned and horrified. The last seconds of "Made In America" are extremely taut as Tony Soprano sits at a diner with his family, waiting for what appears to be a foregone collision. The screen cuts to black, and Tony's fate is not resolved. While fans debated whether Tony was murdered or whether the ambivalence suggested the uncertain nature of his life, this stands out as one of the most debated endings and is still the flagship example that typify the show's thematic take on fate and death.
2) The Simpsons – “Who shot Mr Burns?” (1995)
A two-part episode, "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" became one of the biggest cliffhangers in The Simpsons during its 7th season. The question of who shot the notoriously greedy Mr. Burns riveted the audience for months. It was almost necessary that Part 1 ended with Burns being shot and falling, thus beginning one of TV's longest teasers.
3) Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “The Gift” (2001)
Buffy's self-sacrifice in "The Gift" was arguably one of television's most emotionally wrenching cliffhangers. Towards the ending of Season 5, Buffy decides to sacrifice herself for good, so that she would have no choice but to jump into her sister Dawn's portal of blood, which was enough to make the universe crumble. It is a quintessential representation of some themes, where the show portrays heroism and sacrifice. Her death at this stage to be resurrected the following season spared audiences emotional exhaustion, but gave them an appetite for knowing more about the life of the Vampire Slayer, thus promoting greater importance to the series' core plot.
4) True Blood - “Plaisir d'Amour” (2008)
In the finale for season 1 of True Blood, "Plaisir d'Amour," the supernatural drama reaches a dizzying height with its cliffhanger. Sookie Stackhouse has to choose between her vampire, Bill Compton, and a new mysterious danger in the form of Eric Northman. The episode ends as Sookie comes to terms with her emotions and the dangers around her when Bill's life is in danger, creating tension because the character's survival is at stake.
5) Smallville – “Covenant” (2004)
"Covenant" is a cliffhanger in the Smallville Season 3 finale. Clark Kent's identity complicates itself throughout the season. The cliffhanger occurs when Clark has an emotional showdown with his parents and a request regarding his status as Kryptonian is presented to him. A twist of events conclude the season when some unknown figures kidnap Clark without revealing anything regarding his future. This ending was great and helped energize several critical moments in the following seasons that saw Clark trying to find his purpose while facing a constant influx of growing enemies.
6) The Leftovers – “Ten Thirteen” (2015)
The Leftovers kept everyone on tenterhooks with an excellent, mysterious, and incomprehensible season 2 finale in 2015 named, "Ten Thirteen." It zeroes in on the surreal and psychological undertones of the show as it traces after the mysterious "Sudden Departure." Fate remains in the balance for this one, now that Kevin Garvey is having an identity crisis and Nora is emotionally untangling. The episode combined concepts of loss and faith with trauma, which was need to build the tension for the following season.
7) Breaking Bad – “Gliding Over All” (2012)
In the fifth season of Breaking Bad, "Gliding Over All," brings the penultimate chapter of Walter White spiraling into straightway criminality. Seeing Walt as the undisputed kingpin and Hank discovering a piece of evidence tracing Walt to the meth trade does sound like a cliffhanger. However, here's the tension: Hank is getting closer to the truth, and viewers wonder what Walt can do to keep that double life.
8) Sherlock – “The Reichenbach Fall” (2012)
The season finale episode, "The Reichenbach Fall," raises a lot of mystery since the charismatic great detective Sherlock Holmes falls victim to his arch-nemesis, Jim Moriarty, with a battle of wits that leaves the viewer pondering if he lives or dies when he finally jumped off the roof of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. The cliffhanger was particularly effective as many still wondered how Sherlock could survive that kind of fall.
9) Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life – “Fall” (2016)
The other scene of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life's episode called "Fall" finally clarifies a cliffhanger fans have been speculating over for years: Rory Gilmore is now grown and pregnant, and who might be the father of that baby? It directly connects to the theme of legacy and the pressure of expectation from family, meaning you have a perfect cocktail that leaves the audience with overflowing, dangled sentiments. Well, to clear it all up, Logan Huntzberger is the father.
10) Battlestar Galactica – “Kobol's Last Gleaming: Part 2” (2005)
The season one finale of Battlestar Galactica leaves viewers with a powerful cliffhanger in "Kobol's Last Gleaming: Part 2.". The drama ends with a fight between the humans and the Cylons as Starbuck is left floating in space, and Commander William Adama's life hangs in the balance. The cliffhanger brings in themes of trust and betrayal along with the infiltration of the human ranks with Cylon agents.
11) Line of Duty – Series four premiere (2018)
Line of Duty is one for shocking cliffhangers, and the series four premiere is no exception. The hour-long episode opens with the arrest of a suspect in the murder of a police officer. Still, things turn dark as investigating officer Ted Hastings sees allegations of corruption thrown his way. As the drama progressed, the question in everyone's mind was, "Who to believe?" Such a twist left fans glued to their screens and set up other explosive revelations that followed in subsequent episodes.
12) Dallas – “A House Divided” (1980)
In Dallas, the most famous view of a cliffhanger from 1980 is the season finale "A House Divided," in which, all of the previous season was just a dream. The cliffhanger commences by shooting J.R. Ewing and keeping his fate open to question. But, the real shocker was the following season, when the opening episode revealed that everything from shooting hospital romance down to funeral-memorial service was a dream sequence, courtesy of his wife, Sue Ellen.
13) The Walking Dead – “Last Day on Earth” (2016)
One of the most shocking cliffhangers was probably in the finale of season 6 of The Walking Dead, "Last Day on Earth." After a tense standoff with the Saviors, Negan infamously bashes someone over the head with his baseball bat. However, viewers remain in suspense about who that person is until the season 7 premiere. The controversy immediately sparked a massive outcry among viewers regarding which of their favorite stars would be sacrificed.
14) EastEnders – The Kat and Zoe revelation (2001)
In 2001, EastEnders produced a cliffhanger that topped all previous ones: with the revelation of a kept secret: Kat Slater is the mother of Zoe. Kat accidentally revealed that she was Zoe's mother, and Zoe ran away in shock and Kat almost killed herself. The plot twist was nominated for Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards, and won Best Single Episode in 2002. It was one of the most shocking storylines in the entirity of Downton Abbey, giving an abrupt conclusion to the characters' relationships and drastically changing the viewers' perceptions.
15) Doctor Who – “The Parting of the Ways” (2005)
2005 is when the season finale of Doctor Who, "The Parting of the Ways," featured one of the most iconic transformations in the series. At one point, the Doctor fights against the Daleks in a frantic battle to save humanity. But, then comes the twist: the Doctor got shot fatally and regenerated, which is the departure of Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor and the birth of David Tennant's Tenth.
16) Breaking Bad – “Full Measure” (2010)
One of the most intimidating cliffhangers in Breaking Bad comes in the season 3 finale, "Full Measure". Forced by Jesse Pinkman's emotional breakdown into the incident of Gale Boetticher, Walter White must kill him to maintain his role as the only chemist who can make meth for Gus Fring. The drama reaches its head when Walter, in a surprise twist, allows Jesse to commit the murder. It finalizes Walter's transition from a desperate man to an anti-hero with a lot of cruelty, an enhanced element of morality, power, and consequences that the show eventually surrounds itself with.
17) The West Wing – “What Kind of Day Has it Been” (2000)
The season 1 finale of The West Wing, "What Kind of Day Has It Been," is punctuated by an extremely dramatic cliffhanger, changing everything that happens in the entire series. The diagnosis of MS to President Bartlet proves to be a public concern which questions his life and political future. Given that the audience was not ready for the political aftermath and how it would affect the White House staff, this cliffhanger perfectly sets up the continuation of the balance between personal and political dilemmas that characterized the series as a perfect blend of politics, drama, and character development.
18) Pushing Up Daisies – “Kerplunk” (2009)
In the season 2 finale of Pushing Daisies, "Kerplunk," things become tragic enough, but in a far-from-expected way. Ned, the pie-maker, must decide whether to rejoin his missing father or the woman he loves, Chuck. The situation is heavy with emotion and complexity, enough without a twist that finds Chuck's life in danger again. It left the audience hanging and begging for more, only to know that the show was canceled a little too soon when plotlines were still unsolved.
19) Spooks – “Smoke and Mirrors” (2003)
In the season 2 finale of Spooks, "Smoke and Mirrors," the cliffhanger leaves audiences reeling due to tense events. The MI5 team's trust is shattered when a significant betrayal occurs within the ranks, leading to the assassination of one of the key team members. The episode ends on a shocking note, leaving the identities of the traitors unclear and the stakes, impossibly high. The show's intense and morally complex nature made the cliffhanger particularly gripping, with its consequences rippling through the following seasons and continuously challenging the idea of loyalty within the spy world.
20) The Office US – “Casino Night” (2006)
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In the season 2 finale of The Office, "Casino Night," the cliffhanger is Jim Halpert's unspoken feelings for Pam Beesly. The episode ends with Jim's confession of love to an engaged Pam, so when the quietly tense relationship between Jim and Pam is combined, this makes one of the most heartfelt cliffhangers in TV history. This open moment played out over several seasons, with viewers eager to see Jim and Pam finally get together, thus making this cliffhanger an iconic moment in the series' overall legacy.
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