SPOILER ALERT for all the arrowverse shows, Brooklyn 99, Riverdale, and Big Bang Theory. If you don’t know the ending and plan to watch the last season of any of these shows don’t continue reading. I don’t watch all these shows but felt I needed more examples so I looked up how they ended.
SDCC coverage got me thinking about something. I don’t watch many TV shows but the majority of the ones I do ended their seasons with some sort of cliffhanger as a way to entice viewers to watch the next season. For the purposes of this discussion I’ll break cliffhangers into two categories.
Category A is when something big happens and we have to wait until next season to see the outcome. An example of this was the pod landing at the end of season one of this show.
Category B is when something big happens that will have to in part or in whole be undone usually within the first few episodes of the next season. Viewers have to wait for the next season to find out how and when the event is undone and what if any lasting effects remain. Mon-El being sent into space last season is an example of this.
All the arrowvese shows ended their last seasons with type B cliffhangers. Of course we know Mon-El will return. It’s a safe bet Barry will be out of the speedforce probably in the first episode. Everyone except Oliver and his son are not going to be dead on Arrow. The legends will fix time so dinosaurs are again extinct. On Brooklyn 99 two of the main characters who were sent to prison after being set up for bank robbery will be set free, again probably in the first few episodes.
Riverdale and Big Bang Theory ended with type A cliffhangers, Archie’s dad being shot and Shelden proposing to Amy. Viewers undoubtedly lean towards Archie’s dad surviving and Amy saying “yes” but can’t be a hundred percent sure.
Questions
Do you think it’s necessary for a TV show to have a cliffhanger season finale to entice viewers to watch the next season?
Are cliffhangers being overused in TV today?
Do you prefer one type of cliffhanger or do you like both and why?
Hope, Help and Compassion for all
I am okay with A. I am not a big fan of B because it looks like cheap gimmicks for drama really. It' also something people do just to keep their two leads apart in a show like Castle, and I found it pretty useless there too.
However, I am okay with cliff hangers owing to unresolved issues kind of how they do it in fantasy series (Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, Kingkiller), which is a third type. I think shows would do better if they follow that format and have series arcs along with season arcs so that the hook is inherent in the format.
However, I am okay with cliff hangers owing to unresolved issues kind of how they do it in fantasy series (Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, Kingkiller), which is a third type. I think shows would do better if they follow that format and have series arcs along with season arcs so that the hook is inherent in the format.
I don't really mind cliffhangers. To me the annoyance is mostly if a show gets cancelled on a "B" type cliffhanger.
If Supergirl would have gotten cancelled at the end of season 1, it would still have ended on a very positive, uplifting note. Yeah, we would have never gotten to find out the new mystery but at least everything else from season 1 would have been tied up properly and in a satisfying manner.
If Supergirl would have gotten cancelled at the end of season 1, it would still have ended on a very positive, uplifting note. Yeah, we would have never gotten to find out the new mystery but at least everything else from season 1 would have been tied up properly and in a satisfying manner.
Type A can back fire on you...ex. "This Is Us" of course their fanbase will be back, but they were beyond pissed. Also Type A can anger the fanbase especially when the series does not get another season...ex. "9 Lives Of Chloe King" which critics said was one of the best cliffhangers of year, but did not get a 2nd season.
So, I'm more inclined to Type B endings. I like things being semi tied up nicely, and start the next season fresh.
So, I'm more inclined to Type B endings. I like things being semi tied up nicely, and start the next season fresh.
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