If not absorbing storylines and appealing characters, what is it that keeps us coming back to tune into our favorite TV shows week after week, season after season? It could be the way some episodes end with a shocking final moment right before fading to black, leaving us in eager anticipation to see the mystery revealed or, at least, what comes next. Let’s take a look back at some of television’s most iconic cliffhangers that had the world buzzing.
The Finale (The Sopranos)
One of the most controversial series finales of all time is the final episode of The Sopranos, “Made in America,” which ends with the titular family meeting at a diner where Tony (James Gandolfini) looks up to see who has entered the restaurant right as it cuts to black. This non-ending, so to speak, launched countless fan theories regarding what happens next — such as, did the patron who entered the restaurant kill Tony? — but creator David Chase has never conceded to provide a concrete explanation.
Hank Discovers Walt Is Heisenberg (Breaking Bad)
The jaw-dropping ending to one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad, Season 5’s “Gliding Over All,” sees Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) using Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Skyler’s (Anna Gunn) restroom, where he comes across a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass given to Walt by Heisenberg’s one-time partner, Gale Boetticher (David Costabile). The look on the DEA agent’s face, when he realizes the elusive criminal he had been chasing for so long is his own brother-in-law, is priceless, but it would be another year before viewers could see the hunt really begin.
The Mother Of Dragons (Game Of Thrones)
One of the most memorable moments from Game of Thrones occurs in the first season finale, “Fire and Blood,” in which Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) emerges from the embers of a burning pyre, accompanied by three infant fire-breathers. This ends the first season of the prestige drama on a captivating note and marks the beginning of the fan-favorite character’s reign as the Mother of Dragons.
Ross Says Rachel's Name At His Wedding (Friends)
The Friends cast endures a few amusing plot twists in the Season 4 finale — such as the start of Monica and Chandler’s romance — but the biggest surprise occurred at the very end during Ross’ (David Schwimmer) nuptials to Emily (Helen Baxendale). When the officiant asks him to repeat, “Take thee, Emily…” he instead says the name of ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who had initially appeared at the venue last minute wanting to ruin the wedding. This, of course, marks the beginning of the end of his second marriage.
Dale Cooper’s Doppelganger (Twin Peaks)
No cliffhanger from creators David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks perplexed and unsettled audiences like the Season 2 finale, when it is revealed that Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) is still lost in The Black Lodge and has been replaced with an evil look-alike. Just as Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) foretells the real Cooper in the episode, it would be another 25 before fans got to see the story continue in Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival in 2017.
"Resistance Is Futile" (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
One of the most iconic moments in the Star Trek franchise comes from the Season 3 finale of The Next Generation when the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew discovers Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) has been transformed into a Borg named Locutus. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) then orders an attack on the enemy's ship before the scene cuts to a caption reading, "To be continued..."
Who Did Negan Kill? (The Walking Dead)
The Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead introduced the most fearsome villain from Robert Kirkman's comic, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who establishes his dominance by choosing one series regular to kill by use of "Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe." Before it fades to black, we see the murder occur from the perspective of the victim, who is revealed to be Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) in the Season 7 premiere, in which Glenn (Steven Yeun) is also fatally bludgeoned by Negan's barbed baseball bat, Lucille.
"We Have To Go Back!" (Lost)
Many believe Season 3's "Through the Looking Glass" is the best episode of Lost, primarily for the way it ends the season. It is revealed that the supposed flashbacks of Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox) off the island were really flash-forwards when he tells Kate (Evangeline Lilly) that they must return to the place they had seemingly escaped at some point.
Dexter Discovers Rita's Body (Dexter)
Many fans agree the best season of Dexter is its fourth, especially for the upsetting way it ends when Michael C. Hall's titular, homicidal anti-hero discovers he did not get rid of his worst enemy, The Trinity Killer (John Lithgow), soon enough. He returns home to find his wife, Rita (Julie Benz), dead in their bathtub and their infant son, Harrison, sitting in a puddle of her blood.
Who Shot J.R.? (Dallas)
When it comes to TV cliffhangers, there is absolutely nothing more iconic than the Season 3 finale of Dallas (one of the top-rated TV shows of its time), which ends with Larry Hagman's double-crossing oil baron, J.R. Ewing, getting shot by an unknown assailant. For the entire summer of 1980, audiences all over the country obsessed over who shot J.R. before it was revealed to be Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) in the Season 4 premiere.
The Upside Down Spills Into Hawkins (Stranger Things)
Every season of Stranger Things has ended with a hint at the Hawkins Crew's next adventure, but none has been more epic than Season 4's final moment. The gang realizes that their war against Vecna is far from over as the cold, dusty world of the Upside Down begins to mend with their dimension.
Addison Is Introduced (Grey's Anatomy)
In its first year, one of the most appealing elements of Grey's Anatomy was Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek's (Patrick Dempsey) blossoming romance, which was derailed by an amusing reveal in the season finale. Meredith discovers that she is McDreamy's mistress when she meets his wife, Addison (Kate Walsh).
Buffy Sacrifices Herself (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
The title of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Season 5 finale (and 100th episode overall), "The Gift," refers to the titular hero (Sarah Michelle Gellar) giving her life to save Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) and the world by jumping into a portal and stopping a release of demons. The final shot of her tombstone left fans heartbroken until the Season 6 announcement convinced them that they had not seen the last of the Slayer after all.
"Who's Been Hit?" (The West Wing)
The first season of Aaron Sorkin's hit political drama ended with a shocking assassination attempt, leaving viewers in the dark over who from the West Wing cast may have succumbed to the violence. The Season 2 premiere revealed that President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) were shot but, thankfully, both survived.
Rachel's Pregnancy Is Revealed (Friends)
The most shocking Friends cliffhangers seem to happen in season-ending wedding episodes, like in "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding," during which Pheobe (Lisa Kudrow) assumes the bride (Courteney Cox) is pregnant after finding a pregnancy test in her apartment. However, after Monica assures Chandler (Matthew Perry) that she is not with the child, a final close-up of a visibly concerned Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) hints she is the expectant mother.
Marissa Shoots Trey (The O.C.)
The second season of The O.C. ends with Marissa (Mischa Barton) shooting Trey (Logan Marshall-Green) to prevent him from killing his brother, Ryan (Ben McKenzie), after he confronts him about trying to take advantage of Marissa. The buzzed-about cliffhanger served as the inspiration for a hilarious SNL Digital Short that especially took aim at the scenes use of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek."
Jim And Pam’s First Kiss (The Office)
One of the most epic moments in Jim and Pam's relationship timeline on The Office takes place in the Season 2 ender "Casino Night." We would have to wait until Season 3 to learn the aftermath of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fisher) sharing a kiss after he reveals his true feelings for her.
Blowing Open The Hatch (Lost)
The mysteries surrounding the island from Lost only got more intriguing by the end of its first season when Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Jack, Kate, and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) finally got the hatch open with a bundle of dynamite. However, Hurley tried to stop the explosion after noticing his unlucky lottery numbers etched on the side of the hatch, suggesting that only more trouble might be brewing underneath.
Sherlock Jumps From A Building (Sherlock)
In the second season finale of the modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes' (Benedict Cumberbatch) rivalry with Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) comes to a head when the foe takes his own life and the detective seemingly does the same by jumping from the roof where their showdown took place. Of course, as the final shot of the episode confirms, the reports of Sherlock's death are greatly exaggerated, but how he survived the fall is not revealed for another year and and half.
Who Shot Mr. Burns? (The Simpsons)
The Simpsons (one of the all-time greatest animated TV shows) would take aim at Dallas' most iconic cliffhanger when the sixth season finale ended with Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) getting shot by an unknown assailant. After a summer break, the following episode revealed that Homer and Marge's infant daughter, Maggie, was the culprit, and may have done it intentionally.
The Abrupt Finale (Pushing Daisies)
A cliffhanger that never received a proper resolution was at the Season 2 finale of Pushing Daisies, which sees Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck (Anna Friel) show up at her aunt's doorstep to reveal she is alive. After ABC canceled the fantasy dramedy after two seasons, showrunner Bryan Fuller was forced to add a brief epilogue to provide some closure to the characters' arc, but it still left fans unsatisfied.
Rory Reveals She Is Pregnant (Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life)
In 2016, Netflix revived Gilmore Girls for a four-episode limited series event called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which follows the further experiences of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), over the course of four eventful seasons. The final line of the final episode comes from Rory, confessing to her mother that she is having a baby.
The Death Of Jon Snow (Game Of Thrones)
Out of all the many deaths on Game of Thrones, one of the most shocking and devastating comes at the end of the Season 5 finale when Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is assassinated by his own men. However, Fans would be delighted to see him resurrected the following season.
Jesse Shoots Gale (Breaking Bad)
One of the most mind-blowing Breaking Bad moments occurs at the end of Season 3 when a doomed Walt (Bryan Cranston) tricks Mike (Jonathan Banks) into letting him call Jesse (Aaron Paul), alerting him to kill Walt's intended replacement, Gale. While the act would save Walt's life, this was the first time the young man had ever killed someone and it would haunt him for a long time.
Helly Tells The Truth (Severance)
The Apple TV+ original TV show Severance takes place at a tech company that surgically separates its employees' personal memories from their memories at the office. In the Season 1 finale, Helly (Britt Lower), after discovering she is the daughter of Lumon's CEO, decides to reveal the miserable truth behind this process at a business gala at the same time Mark (Adam Scott) discovers that his supposed dead wife is the company's wellness counselor, Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Just then, they reverted back to their "innie" form before the episode cuts to black.
Kima Greggs Gets Shot (The Wire)
In the final moment from the 10th episode of The Wire's first season, a bust gone wrong results in Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) getting shot. That would have been the end of the character who was meant to have a smaller role had HBO executive Carolyn Strauss not convinced creator David Simon to keep her around longer.
Zoey Gets Kidnapped (The West Wing)
In the penultimate episode of The West Wing's fourth season, it is discovered that First Daughter Zoey Bartlet (Elisabeth Moss) went missing at her graduation party. The season ended with Zoey still missing and President Bartlett stepping aside temporarily. The event echoes a premonition from the first season in which President Bartlet tells his daughter that no crisis would be worse than her kidnapping.
Mulder Vanishes From The Boxcar (The X-Files)
In the Season 2 finale of The X-Files, "Anasazi," Mulder (David Duchovny) finds a box car buried under a quarry full of alien bodies with smallpox vaccine scars, which he discovers right as the roof hatch is closed. When the Smoking Man arrives, he discovers Mulder is somehow gone and then orders for the boxcar to be destroyed, leaving fans wondering if and how the FBI agent managed to get away safely.
Logan's True Intentions Are Revealed (24)
As a series told in real-time, just about every episode of 24 ended with some sort of a cliffhanger, and one of the best comes at the end of the 16th episode of Season 5. A phone call with Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller) reveals that President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) was the true orchestrator between the deaths of David Palmer and Michelle Dessler.
Who Shot Agent Cooper? (Twin Peaks)
At the very end of the first season of Twin Peaks, Special Agent Dale Cooper returns to his room at the Great Northern Hotel and, after answering a knock at the door, is shot by an unknown shooter. Thankfully, he survives and it is later revealed that the assailant was Josie Packard (Joan Chen).
Junior Shoots Tony (The Sopranos)
The Season 6 premiere of The Sopranos ends with Tony (James Gandolfini) being shot by his own uncle, Junior (Dominic Chianese), who mistook him for a long-dead mobster who robbed him years earlier. Tony struggles to call 911 but, as soon as he gets ahold of them, he passes out before the screen fades to black.
Miguel’s School Fight Injury (Cobra Kai)
In the Season 2 finale for Cobra Kai, a fight breaks out between several rival high school students from the rival dojos but ends when Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) is kicked by Robby (Tanner Buchanan) over a balcony and lands on a stairway guardrail. It would be revealed later that the injury left him paralyzed but, luckily, only for a few episodes of Season 3.
