The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers

Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers
Slide Nr 1
Part of the joy of being addicted to your favourite show is wondering just what will happen next… Whether it’s a story you follow in once-a-week instalments, or a binge-worthy classic that just begs you to keep watching, cliffhangers have always had their place in TV history. Join us as we look at the very best moments that left us dangling. We’ve tried to keep the conclusions secret, but this will of course contain spoilers!

By Victoria Luxford

0/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 2
A House Divided/“Who Shot J.R.?” (Dallas, Season 3, 1980) – The original viral moment. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Dallas was a global phenomenon and required viewing for millions across the world. Its most famous moment came in 1980 when the show’s villain, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot by a mystery assailant. The question “Who Shot J.R.?” became a pop culture milestone, with everyone from American presidents to British royalty asking the cast and crew who pulled the trigger. They would wait eight agonising months until Episode 4 of Season 4, “Who Done It?”, to find out the culprit – in an episode watched by over 83 million Americans. By some counts, it remains the third-most-watched episode of a TV series ever.

1/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 3
Who Shot Mr Burns? (The Simpsons, Season 6, 1995) – The Simpsons love pop culture parodies, and so there was more than a hint of Dallas about this Season 6 finale, which showcases the animated hit at its finest. Mr Burns becomes a scourge on Springfield, committing various indiscretions before hatching his grand plan to block out the sun in order to make the town reliant on his nuclear power plant. An elegantly written mystery that cemented Burns as a character for the ages, and kept fans guessing for four months until the first episode of Season 7. The conclusion was slightly disappointing, but then again, the fun of a cliffhanger lies in the suspense!

2/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 4
Day 2: 7:00am-8:00am (24, Season 2, 2003) – The clock was constantly ticking on the real-time action series 24, but time appeared to be up for President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) at the climax of Day 2. With the world seemingly saved from destruction by super-agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), Palmer holds a press conference to tell the American people that they are safe, and is applauded as he shakes hands with the public. One hand, however, belongs to Mandy (Mia Kirshner), a villain from the previous season, whose hand was coated in a biological weapon. Falling to the ground infected, we hear the agonising (final?) gasps and heartbeats of Palmer as the clock counts down silently, leaving us waiting to find out if the assassination attempt was successful.

3/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 5
A Journey to the Highlands (Downton Abbey, Season 3, 2012) – Audiences across the world were left shocked on Christmas Day 2012 when the festive special of Downton Abbey ended with a brutal cliffhanger. Moments after seeing his newly born son, a joyous Matthew (Dan Stevens) is involved in a fatal car crash while driving back to Downton. With his wife Mary (Michelle Dockery) still blissfully unaware of the tragedy around the corner, viewers were left wondering what this would mean for the new mother, and how the residents of Downton would ever recover.

4/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 6
The Reichenbach Fall (Sherlock, Season 2, 2012) – Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) can outsmart anyone, but surely not death? Season 2 of one of the 2010s most beloved shows ended with Sherlock jumping from a building, following a bloody showdown with his nemesis, Moriarty (Andrew Scott), that left him no choice but to end his life in order to save his friends. However, in one tantalising final moment, John Watson (Martin Freeman) visits Holmes’ grave grief-stricken, unknowingly being watched by… Holmes himself! A typically labyrinthine twist for a show that always stays one step ahead, it would be two years before it was revealed how he made it.

5/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 7
The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 2 (Friends, Season 4, 1998) – The ‘90s hit sitcom was famous for its back-and-forth between Ross and Rachel (David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston), the two friends who seemed destined for each other – if only life wouldn’t get in the way. In Season 4, Ross appeared to have moved on and found love with Emily (Helen Baxendale), whom he planned to marry in England. However, at the conclusion of the season, he makes a mistake in his vows, saying “I, Ross, take thee Rachel” before being asked if he wants to continue. A perfect last gasp for an episode that features many favourite moments, like Monica and Chandler getting together, and Joey’s exploration of London.

6/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 8
Utopia (Doctor Who, Season 3, 2007) – The return of one of television’s great bad guys. During this episode of the third season of Doctor Who, it’s revealed that a kindly professor (Derek Jacobi) is in fact concealing the identity of The Master. The villainous Time Lord has been a thorn in Doctor Who’s side for decades, but this was the first arrival in the newly revamped series that began in 2005. It’s a jaw-dropping revelation, with veteran thespian Jacobi switching from hero to villain with unnerving ease. He would of course regenerate into a younger actor at the end of the episode, and fans were on tenterhooks waiting to see what the consequences would be.

7/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 9
Gliding Over All (Breaking Bad, Season 5, 2012) – Referred to by many fans as “the toilet scene”, this mid-season finale shows detective Hank Shrader (Dean Norris) discover his brother-in-law Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as the nefarious drug baron Heisenberg, when he reads an inscription on a book left in Walter’s bathroom. The scene possesses every element a good cliffhanger should: everything seems fine, until suddenly a revelation slaps you in the face, leaving you with more questions than answers.

8/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 10
Necesito ayuda (I Know Who You Are, 2010) – The tenth episode of this single-season drama proved so compelling, that in some countries the show was split in two, with this being the first half of the finale. The Spanish-made show follows lead character Juan Elías (Francesc Garrido), a lawyer with amnesia following a car accident that heavily implicates him in the murder of his niece. Several questions are answered by the tenth episode, but even more were left hanging as Elías’ wife Alicia (Blanca Portillo) is left clinging to life after being stabbed by an intruder. In a show full of twists and turns, this proved the most shocking.

9/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 11
For All Time. Always. (Loki, Season 1, 2021) – A masterclass in acting that throws a mischievous spanner in the Marvel Universe. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and an alternate version of himself, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), have fallen for each other, and travel to the edge of reality to meet He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). He turns out to be a guardian of timelines, preventing multiverse chaos by ensuring everyone keeps to their chosen path. Sylvie, outraged by the idea her life isn’t her own, kills him and sends Loki back to the Time Variance Authority (TVA), only to find a very different landscape to the one he left. The kind of “what the hell?” ending that makes us anxious to see more.

10/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 12
On a Very Special Episode… (WandaVision, 2021) – If you’ve been paying attention to the Marvel Universe, all manner of characters from the past have been crossing paths in the middle of a multiverse storyline. The first inkling of this began with a shocking reveal in WandaVision, where Wanda, having created her own grief fantasy of living in a sitcom, is visited by her brother Pietro… except it’s not how she remembers him. That’s because he was played by Evan Peters, who plays Pietro/Quicksilver in the X-Men films (the character was played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the Avengers films). A startling case of franchise crossover, Pietro arrives at the end of Episode 5, while his real intentions are not revealed until the finale.

11/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 13
“You Ain’t My Mother!” (Eastenders, 2001) – If you’re at all a fan of British culture, this line from long-running soap opera Eastenders has probably etched itself in your mind. In an iconic scene between Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) and older ‘sister’ Kat (Jessie Wallace), the former pleads with the latter not to leave their home town of Walford. Zoe, in full cockney accent, retorts, “You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my mother!”, prompting Kat to scream, “Yes I am!!” A shocking family revelation that became one of the highlights of the show’s nearly forty-year history, it has also become a catchphrase among Anglophiles, including Drag Race creator RuPaul who has quoted it on the American show.

12/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 14
The Getaway (Dexter, Season 4, 2009) – Having tracked down The Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) and ended his life, serial-killer-with-a-conscience Dexter (Michael C Hall) returns home believing his happy home life may be his way out of the darkness. Sadly, on his return he discovers that his wife, Rita (Julie Benz), was murdered by Trinity before Dexter could get to him, leaving his son, Harrison, in a pool of blood – just as Dexter had been found years ago. A tragic and heart-stopping cliffhanger that was perhaps the high point of the hit series.

13/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 15
Search & Destroy (Hit & Run, Season 1, 2021) – This Israeli-American Netflix hit was a breathless mystery throughout its first season, but it was the final episode that piled on the suspense. Segev (Lior Raz) is a man from Tel Aviv grieving and angry after the death of his wife in a hit and run. The investigation into her killers uncovers a deep conspiracy and some unpleasant truths connected to a diary. After a tense confrontation with American and Israeli agents, Segev and accomplice Naomi (Kaelen Ohm) split, with Naomi carrying the explosive diary. However, in the aftermath, Segev is informed that his ex-wife Tali (Moran Rosenblatt) has also been murdered, and that their daughter is missing. There are plenty of questions to be answered as fans demand a second season!

14/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 16
Mother’s Mercy (Game of Thrones, Season 5, 2015) – Fan favourite Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is betrayed by his own brotherhood, as members of the Night’s Watch stab him for his collaborations with the Free Folk who live beyond The Wall. Coming at the height of the show’s popularity, everyone wondered if one of the few honest characters in the blood-thirsty series had really been sacrificed, or if indeed he met the same fate as many before him.

15/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 17
Mr Jones (Peaky Blinders, Season 5, 2019) – World events have forced fans of the UK crime drama Peaky Blinders to wait some time to resolve the questions surrounding Season 5’s closing moments. Birmingham gangster Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) had been working with the government to take down fascist leader Oswald Mosely (Sam Claflin), but his plan to kill him at a political rally was thwarted by an unknown gunman. With allies dead and his mind crumbling, Tommy stands in a field, willed on by a vision of his late wife (Annabelle Wallis) to end his life. He wouldn’t, would he? Well, the long-awaited final season, due imminently, should deliver answers.

16/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 18
Crime and Punishment (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 4, 2017) – The walls of injustice seem to close in on comedic detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and partner Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) as they are framed for robbery and sentenced to jail. The ending left viewers dangling as to the fate of their beloved cops, but it wouldn’t be the last time the show’s fans would be held in suspense. The show battled cancellation, leaving several storylines unresolved before it was brought back by popular demand.

17/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 19
Radcliffe (Sacred Games, Season 2, 2019) – A classic moment of tension in any storytelling medium is the hero trying to defuse the bomb, and Indian thriller Sacred Games takes the stakes even higher by going nuclear! In the final moments of Season 2, Inspector Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is trying to diffuse a nuclear bomb that will blow up Mumbai. Using clues he has picked up along the way, he comes down to the last of three attempts, finds a moment of inspiration, and then… the screen turns black! A frustrating and ambiguous conclusion, not least because the show was not picked up for a third season.

18/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 20
Toast Can’t Never Be Bread Again (Orange Is the New Black, Season 4, 2016) – An incredibly tense ending to the gritty prison drama, as things get out of hand (again) at Litchfield Prison. Following the murder of Poussey (Samira Wiley) at the hands of an overzealous prison guard, the inmates take over the institution. In the chaos, a gun is kicked toward the prisoners with Daya (Dascha Polanco) picking it up. First pointing it at a rival gang, she then points it directly at the guards as her fellow prisoners tell her to pull the trigger. This startling moment proved one of the most nail-biting memories from the series.

19/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 21
“I’m Immortal!” (Misfits, Season 1, 2009) – The quirky superhero comedy offers us leads that are anything but noble, as a group of young offenders gain superpowers after being struck by lightning while doing community service. Most repellent among them is Nathan (Robert Sheehan), a foul-mouthed but hilarious delinquent whose power is uncertain until he is killed at the closing of Season 1. In the last moments, he is revealed to be immortal, waking up in his own coffin with only an iPod for company. Will he get out? What does his immortality mean? Audiences were hooked.

20/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 22
The Bicameral Mind (Westworld, Season 1, 2016) – The complicated nature of HBO’s Westworld remake meant that the ending of the first season was never going to be clear-cut. Most episodes seemed to end on some kind of question mark, but none more so than the closing of season one, where the creator of cyborg playland Westworld (Anthony Hopkins) is murdered by his creation Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), who then turns her gun on the human guests as fellow artificial ‘hosts’ advance. What’s the plan? Is Hopkins’ character really dead? We’d have to wait almost a year and a half until the second season to find out!

21/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 23
The Wrath of the Lamb (Hannibal, Season 3, 2015) – It’s one thing to end an episode on a cliffhanger, it’s quite another to end an entire series in such a way! Season 3, which would turn out to be the show’s last, saw Dr Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and forensic psychiatrist Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) team up to catch serial killer Frances Dollarhyde (Richard Armitage). Successful in their mission, the former adversaries embrace, badly wounded, and fall from a cliff. Did they survive? Who’s to say! For some it’s a frustrating end, but for others, as Graham says in the final moment, “It’s beautiful”.

22/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 24
Everything Is Broken (True Blood, Season 3, 2010) – If you’re familiar with True Blood, the campy romantic drama where humans live alongside vampires, then you’ll be aware that most episodes end on an over-the-top cliffhanger. One of the best was the public arrival of villain Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare), who appears on national news quickly executing the newsreader and delivering a message to the humans that they should fear vampires. A delightfully dark and comedic moment is capped with Edgington mockingly taking the newsreader role, saying, “Now, time for the weather… Tiffany?”.

23/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 25
Inverting the Pyramid of Success (Ted Lasso, Season 2, 2021) – The inner turmoil of an English football team may not sound like life-or-death stakes, but as any lover of the beautiful game will tell you, it sometimes feels that way. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) finally fulfils his potential by guiding AFC Richmond to the Premier League, but it comes at a cost. His loyal assistant Nate (Nick Mohammed) feels unappreciated, and despite apologies from Ted, leaves and refuses to celebrate with the team following a significant victory. The closing shots see Nate has left the club for rivals West Ham United, purchased by Richmond’s previous owner Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head). A shocking betrayal that sets up a delightful rivalry for Season 3.

24/25
Culture
The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers.
Slide Nr 26
Mirror Image (Quantum Leap, Season 5, 1993) – We end on a slightly sour note, and a reminder that not all cliffhangers are intentional. The series Quantum Leap was a cult sci-fi hit in the ‘90s that followed Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) as he took the place of people from the past, righting personal wrongs, before leaping to another body in another time. The recurring question, as to whether Sam would ever be able to leap home, was bluntly answered in the show’s final episode. Sam helps his friend Al (Dean Stockwell) stay with his wife, but that happy ending is ruined by a title that simply says “Dr. Sam Becket never returned home.” Put in as a last-minute resolution when the show was cancelled, it was a downer for fans left with many questions, including why the title spelt Beckett’s name wrong!

25/25
Editor's Choice
Gone Too Soon: The TV Shows We Still Need In Our Lives
They draw us in, keep us hooked and become part of our routine – but what happens when our favourite TV shows are cancelled? We look at 14 series that deserved more time

How To Make A Great TV Theme Song
What are the secrets behind TV’s toe-tapping-est tunes? James Luxford investigates how a TV theme song can transcend our screens to become a cultural icon

No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Show Me The World: TV’s 14 Greatest Globetrotters

If hopping on a plane isn’t an option, then armchair travel it is. With their wit, intelligence and electric personalities, these TV travel presenters bring the world to you

The Best Holiday Movie Getaways

Take your festivities on the road: from castles to pubs and department stores, these iconic locations from your favourite Christmas flicks are places you can actually visit

Santa On Film: The 10 Most Memorable Movie Portrayals

Jolly, benevolent, kind-hearted and sometimes a little bit naughty, these iconic Christmas movie Santas brought the magic of the holiday season to the silver screen

TV Capitals: On Location In… New York City

Looking to immerse yourself in TV history and visit real-life locations from your favourite shows? Head for the most-filmed city in the world: New York

Films For The Ages: 15 All-Time Family Classics

Whether they teach us about friendship, kindness and community, or simply offer a wild ride, we put forth our picks of the family-friendly movies that have never gotten old

Hollywood’s 10 Best Broadway Adaptations

Musical films may be having a moment right now, but these stage-to-cinema adaptations are the golden standard on the silver screen

Shades Of Fear: The 13 Movie Classics That Redefined Horror

This spooky season, look to the classics for your thrills and chills: we present our list of the best horror films ever made

11 Incredible Art Exhibitions To Catch Now

From captivating retrospectives to celebrations of spectacular creativity, these art exhibitions deserve a spot on your cultural bucket list for the coming months

15 Page-Turning Books Destined For Film

From fantasy to romance and Oscar-worthy drama, these are the bestselling books and underrated titles you should read right now – before they hit the big screen

15 Movies For Cosy Autumn Vibes

From the snuggly to the spooky and the beautifully atmospheric, these are the best films to curl up with this season

Quality Comedy: The 15 Funniest TV Shows Of All Time

If laughter is the best medicine, then these TV shows – both new and old – will cure whatever ails you

5 Minutes With… Author Azar Nafisi

Azar Nafisi, the multi-award-winning author of ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’, has plenty to say about storytelling and imagination, as well as the dangers of today

Culture

The 25 Greatest TV Cliffhangers

0/25

Culture