The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger famously sang, “You can’t always get what you want,” and when applied to television shows, his statement couldn’t be truer.Many end with epic cliffhangers due to unforeseen circumstances, like cast issues, network notes, early cancellations, and more, which is risky because it often promises a continuation that the show may never deliver.As one of the most feared elements of television, cliffhanger endings can be maddening because no resolution is provided.
Below is a list of six shows that ended on brutal cliffhangers and left us craving answers.Read on to see my top choice for the most frustrating cliffhanger of the century.6 My Name Is Earl A lesson in karma to be continued forever The hit 2005 sitcom tells the story of Jason Lee’s titular character, a slacker who wins the lottery and has an epiphany.
To secure good karma for his future, he starts making a list of his bad deeds and sets out to right his past wrongs.Season four’s finale, , revealed that Earl is actually the father of Joy’s (Jaime Pressly) son, Dodge, meaning that her other son, Earl Jr., was conceived during an affair.The show ended with a “To Be Continued” message, but the story was never delivered, as NBC decided not to move forward with another season.
This means that Earl never got to finish his list, which is a tragedy for fans.Series creator Greg Garcia has said what the intended ending would have been, but we never got to see it play out, which has been a true bummer.My Name Is Earl TV-14 Comedy Release Date 2005 - 2009 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Network NBC Cast Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez, Eddie Steeples, Louis T.
Moyle, Trey Carlisle, Noah Crawford, Dona Hardy, Patrick Thomas Gorman, Tony Rossi, Mary K.DeVault, Scott Freeburg, Jill Benjamin, Amy Amerson, George Frangides, Gigi Goff, Augusta Mariano, Dan Coscino, Page Kennedy, Lou Wagner, Christine Taylor, Miriam Shor, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Jerry Van Dyke, Erik Estrada, Jenny McCarthy Directors Eyal Gordin, Marc Buckland, Chris Koch, Michael Fresco, Ken Whittingham, Greg Garcia, Victor Nelli Jr., Craig Zisk, Millicent Shelton, Gail Mancuso, Jason Ensler, John Putch, Lev L.Spiro Writers Hilary Winston, Michael Pennie, Vali Chandrasekaran, Kat Likkel, John Hoberg, Alan Kirschenbaum, Erika Kaestle, J.B.
Cook, Patrick McCarthy, Barbie Adler, Brad Copeland Main Genre Comedy Creator(s) Greg Garcia Producers Bobby Bowman, Timothy Stack Seasons 4 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Powered by Expand Collapse 5 Santa Clarita Diet A hard-to-swallow cliffhanger Drew Barrymore () and Timothy Olyphant () star in , a story about a real estate agent who, after eating contaminated clams, dies and reanimates with a craving for human flesh.Instead of running, her husband Joel (Olyphant) commits to adjusting to their new life together.In season three’s finale, , life for the couple seems to have settled down until a giant, fleshy zombie spider known as Mr.
Ball Legs crawls into Joel’s ear and directly into his brain, killing—or possessing—him.In an effort to save her husband, Sheila (Barrymore) bites Joel, and he wakes up before the credits roll.So, is Joel dead? Undead? Possessed by Mr.
Ball Legs? Sadly, we’ll never know, as the show was canceled soon after.Santa Clarita Diet Comedy Horror Release Date 2017 - 2019-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Network Netflix Cast Timothy Olyphant, Drew Barrymore Showrunner Victor Fresco Directors Victor Fresco Writers Victor Fresco Seasons 3 Story By Victor Fresco Streaming Service(s) Netflix Powered by Expand Collapse 4 Mindhunter Left standing on the periphery of crazy Without a doubt, David Fincher’s is one of Netflix’s best original gritty crime dramas.Its story follows two FBI agents as they profile America’s first serial killers.
Throughout its run, the BTK Strangler operates in the background, killing victims as the FBI agents focus on different killers.Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones The Bose QuietComfort Headphones feature excellent active noise cancelation, adjustable EQ, up to 24 hours of battery life, and custom listening modes See at Amazon Expand Collapse Season two’s finale ended by showing us the BTK Strangler’s collection of trophies from his victims, thereby setting him up as the main antagonist of season three, which never happened.As such, audiences never got to see the full investigation of the BTK Strangler that they craved so much.
Mindhunter TV-MA Drama Crime Thriller Release Date 2017 - 2019 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Network Netflix Cast Holt McCallany, Jonathan Groff, Munro M.Bonnell, Hannah Gross, Anna Torv, Stacey Roca, Cotter Smith, Joe Tuttle, David H.Holmes, Julia Crockett, Jordan Gelber, Thomas Philip O'Neill, Lee Sellars, Joanna Lowe, Carter Bratton, Jordan Kantola, Zach Steffey, Leighton Samuels, Chris James Boylan, Felix Solis, Tommy Nohilly, Greg Lang, Peter Murnik, Judith Delgado, Andrew Sensenig, Sonny Valicenti, Zachary Scott Ross Showrunner Joe Penhall Directors David Fincher, Carl Franklin, Andrew Dominik, Andrew Douglas, Asif Kapadia, Tobias Lindholm Writers Joe Penhall, Jennifer Haley, Joshua Donen, Courtenay Miles, Carly Wray, Pamela Cederquist Creator(s) Joe Penhall Producers Jim Davidson, Mark Winemaker, Liz Hannah Seasons 2 Story By Joshua Donen, Josh Douglas, Mark Olshaker, Courtenay Miles Streaming Service(s) Netflix Executive Producer(s) Beth Kono, Ceán Chaffin, Charlize Theron, Courtenay Miles, David Fincher, Jennifer Erwin, Joe Penhall, Joshua Donen Powered by Expand Collapse 3 Southland Fates left hanging in the balance One of television’s best, most realistic crime dramas, is a gritty police procedural that saw an abrupt cancellation at the height of its popularity.
The hit series focuses on the raw, unglamorous, authentic lives of Los Angeles patrol officers and detectives by emphasizing the job’s psychological impact, emotional toll, burnout, and moral complexities.Season five's finale, , concluded with a heart-stopping scene that saw Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) being shot by fellow cops after a mental breakdown and a violent altercation with neighbors, leaving his fate unknown.To this day, fans are still — no pun intended — dying to know what happened, and they’re busy demanding a revival after the show developed a new audience since its arrival on Netflix this past January.
Southland TV-14 Drama Crime Release Date 2009 - 2013-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Network NBC, TNT Cast Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, Shawn Hatosy, Arija Bareikis, Kevin Alejandro, Dorian Missick, Emily Bergl, C.Thomas Howell, Michael McGrady, Mario Cortez, Roxana Brusso, Tom Everett Scott, L.Scott Caldwell, Carmen Corral, Patrick Fischler, LaVelle LaRue, Lesley Fera, Lori Alan, Annamarie Kenoyer, Jonathan Castellanos Directors Christopher Chulack, Nelson McCormick, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Allison Anders Writers Ann Biderman, Dee Johnson, Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green, Diana Son, Angela Amato Velez Main Genre Drama Creator(s) Ann Biderman Producers John Wells Seasons 5 Powered by Expand Collapse 2 Hannibal Still waiting to share fava beans and Chianti The Mads Mikkelsen-led series is an incredibly interesting and original adaptation of one of the 1990s best-known and most iconic characters, ’ Dr.
Hannibal Lecter.Over three seasons, the story was packed with twists and focused on the relationship between the doctor and FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).The final twist of the show was never meant to be the final twist — the show was canceled ahead of its planned fourth season.
Season three’s finale, , saw Graham finally succumb to his dark side just as Hannibal wanted and ended with a literal cliffhanger that saw the FBI profiler throw both himself and Hannibal from a clifftop into the sea.Their fate was never revealed, and whether the pair survived and their relationship continued to blossom is now just a frustrating question doomed to remain unanswered.Hannibal Horror Drama Crime Thriller Release Date 2013 - 2015-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Network NBC Cast Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Aaron Abrams, Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson Showrunner Bryan Fuller Directors Bryan Fuller Writers Bryan Fuller Franchise(s) Hannibal Main Genre Horror Seasons 3 Story By Thomas Harris Streaming Service(s) Hulu Powered by Expand Collapse 1 The Sopranos The most intentionally maddening cliffhanger The season six finale of , , is easily the most disappointing cliffhanger ending in the history of television, not because the show endured an unforeseen cancellation but because showrunner David Chase intentionally chose to end the series this way.
In addition to continuing to worry about Junior’s (Dominic Chianese) rapidly accelerating dementia, Tony (the late James Gandolfini) is still dealing with the politics of his criminal organization.The final scene shows the Soprano family meeting for a meal at a diner, where the paranoid patriarch clocks every patron who enters.Just as the hit Journey song “Don’t Stop Believing” plays, the diner’s doorbell rings, Tony looks up, the scene cuts to black, and we’re done.
Fans are left wondering who entered, whether Tony was killed, or if the cut to black was merely a symbol that his paranoia will never end.Regardless, it was a let-down that resolved nothing at all.The Sopranos TV-MA Crime Drama Release Date 1999 - 2007 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Powered by Expand Collapse Nevertheless, cliffhangers matter TV show cliffhangers remain one of storytelling’s most powerful tools.
They keep audiences hooked long after the credits roll by leaving key questions unanswered or placing characters in uncertain situations, strengthening our connection with what we’re watching.Sometimes, a cliffhanger is all we have to hold onto, though.Other shows that left fans hanging include , , , , , , and , though the list is plentiful.
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