When done well, a good cliffhanger keeps you invested in a TV show even as it breaks for the season. Sometimes, though, shows get cancelled before they can resolve the cliffhanger, giving audiences no resolution and leaving them wondering what might have happened!
Angel
The excellent Buffy spin-off, Angel, ran for five seasons in the late 90s and early 00s. Some fans feel as though the series ends on a cliffhanger, with Angel and his team of monster-slaying pals beset by the forces of Hell itself before cutting to black. Creator Joss Whedon has famously defended the finale, saying it’s not a cliffhanger at all, but a stylistic choice. After all, no battle against the forces of evil ever truly ends.
The Society
Mystery series The Society apparently didn’t get the memo to never end a Netflix series’ first season on a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, Netflix axed the show before it ever got to resolve the teen drama’s compelling final cliffhanger. The show, which centered on teenagers making a new society in New Ham after they find all the adults missing, ends with the reveal that there’s another version of the city in which the kids are all missing and presumed dead.
Agent Carter
Peggy Atwell made her case as one of the most compelling parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the criminally underrated Agent Carter, a sequel series to Captain America: The First Avenger. The show famously ends on a cliffhanger, with Thompson getting gunned down by an unseen assailant who steals Agent Carter’s file. Given that Peggy’s story ended on a rather final note in Avengers: Endgame, it’s pretty clear that the end of the show will remain unresolved.
Mork and Mindy
This Happy Days spinoff took on a life of its own and became one of the most well-received sitcoms of its era. Starring a genuinely hilarious Robin Williams at the height of his comedic abilities, Mork and Mindy was criminally underrated in its original run and ended up getting cancelled after a fourth-season cliffhanger left the duo stranded in prehistoric times.
Lois & Clark
The popular Superman show Lois & Clark ran for four seasons on ABC back in the 90s, and the creators assumed a fifth season was a lock. However, the fourth season suffered from plummeting ratings and was cancelled so close to the end that the final cliffhanger remains unresolved. The show ends with the titular couple finding a Kryptonian baby on their doorstep, challenging the commonly held belief that all Kryptonians aside from Clark are gone.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
The animated Spider-Man series from the 90s is beloved by many fans for introducing a classic version of the long-running character to audiences on Saturday mornings. Sadly, it was cancelled before it ever got to conclude its “Spider-Wars” storyline, leaving the fate of Mary Jane Watson a mystery after she was kidnapped in the season finale.
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies was way ahead of its time and got cancelled suddenly at the end of its second season. The show’s premise held that the protagonist, a baker named Ned, could revive anyone he touched. However, if he touches them again, they’ll die again immediately. The series ended abruptly after Ned’s revived childhood sweetheart, Chuck, introduces herself to her family and the series ends on a dangling note with no resolution.
Carnivale
The HBO series Carnivale was very underappreciated in its own time and has only more recently grown to its cult status. Sadly, it was cancelled after only two seasons and ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger. It looks like Ben is killed by Brother Justin, though, given the show’s creators meant for it to run for 6 seasons, it’s hard to say if this was going to be the case when the hypothetical third season started.
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My Name is Earl
My Name is Earl is a sweet-natured show about a slacker who wins the lottery but loses it immediately. Earl decides he lost it because he’s been a bad person, so makes it a point to apologize to everyone he’s wronged. The fourth season ends with the reveal that he might not be the father of his son, Earl Jr. Now, we’ll never know what the show could have been like, as it was abruptly cancelled before the fifth season could be made.
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Hannibal
Hannibal is widely regarded as one of NBC’s best shows, so it’s a bummer that it ends on such a stinging cliffhanger. In the final episode, both of the lead characters quite literally plunge over a cliff, with Will seemingly unwilling to accept his true feelings for his enemy—and possible lover—Hannibal.
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