Cliffhanger

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation (for instance, hanging from the edge of a cliff).

Although a cliffhanger can be enjoyable as a page turner at the end of a chapter in a novel, a cliffhanger at the very end of a work can be frustrating. Cliffhangers can build anticipation for (and, subsequently, profits of) sequels. However, if no sequel follows, effective suspension of disbelief can leave the audience or readership wondering what happened in the work's fictional realm.

Cliffhangers were especially popular in 1930s serials when movie theaters filled the cultural niche now primarily occupied by television.

Cliffhangers are often used in television series, in the last episode of a season, to be continued in the first episode of the next season. This is to ensure consistent viewer ratings in the new season. Prior to the early 1980's season-ending cliffhangers were rare on US television, although several Australian soap operas such as Number 96 and Prisoner had ended each year with major and much publicised catastrophies such as characters being shot in the final seconds of the closing episode for the year.

Where does the word's origin lie? Cliffhangers were used way back in the time of silent movies, but the word was first used as of only 1937. More on this subject on Word Detective.

In the US it was the phenomenal success of the "Who shot JR?" cliffhanger on Dallas, which closed the show's third season, that led the cliffhanger to become a popular staple on TV dramas and later sitcoms as well. Another notable cliffhanger was the "Moldavian Massacre" on Dynasty in 1985, which fueled speculation throughout the summer months regarding who lived or died (in the story, almost all the characters attended a wedding in the fictional country of Moldavia, only to have revolutionaries topple the government and machine-gun the entire wedding party). The "Best of Both Worlds" episode of Star Trek: TNG in 1990 is also cited as a reason that season-enders are popular today.

Cliffhangers are also sometimes deliberately inserted by writers uncertain of whether a new series will be commissioned, in the hope that viewers will demand to know how the situation is resolved.

Examples of films with cliffhanger endings

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Some say it has a cliffhanger ending, others say it does not. There is debate on the subject. (The original book has a definite cliffhanger, but the chronology was altered for the movie version.)
• The Italian Job (1969): An unusual literal cliffhanger.
• The Visitors 2 (1999): the sequel of a French classic, has a big unnecessary cliffhanger that left the movie without sequels.
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Back to the Future series
• Limbo (1998?)

Examples of television series with cliffhanger endings

• Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) - cartoon
• Dallas - soap
• Dynasty - soap
• Twin Peaks - supernatural drama
• Caroline in the City - sitcom

Unresolved cliffhangers

Some tv shows were cancelled in between seasons, and viewers were left wondering what happened.

• Models, Inc.
• Benson - The famous "Who Won?" cliffhanger featuring a gubernatorial race between the title character and his former employer was never resolved.

More can be found (including details of what happened) at To Be DIScontinued! - The Hall of Unresolved TV Cliffhangers.

The Animorphs series of children's books also ends with a cliffhanger, which disappointed many fans.

See also

• Zeigarnik effect