TV shows are incredibly hard to make, as early cancellations, cast issues, network notes, and more can have a massive impact on the original influence of the showrunners. Factors like these have completely shifted how shows were originally supposed to turn out, with very few TV shows being lucky enough to finish in the way that they were originally intended. Thus, this is why so many TV shows end on cliffhangers.
A cliffhanger is risky, as it promises a continuation to the audience that isn’t promised to the show. Tons of shows are expected to get another season before their cancellations, meaning that they unfortunately had to end on a cliffhanger. These cliffhanger endings are one of the most feared elements of TV, and these 10 shows ended with them and never got resolved.
10) Raised by Wolves
Raised by Wolves is an HBO Max sci-fi show that follows two androids who have to raise a human baby on an alien planet. The series ran for two seasons, and the finale, “Happiness,” didn’t conclude things. Some trippy visuals and a complicated conclusion led to the androids learning more about the true intent of the humans, but this was never resolved, as the show was cancelled after season 2.
9) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Terminator franchise made the jump to TV with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which followed Sarah as she continued her quest to stop Skynet’s creation. The show’s finale, season 2’s “Born to Run,” ended with John Connor traveling to the future. Once there, he realizes that his absence in the past altered the timeline. He is no longer the resistance leader, and Judgement Day still happened.
Fox cancelled the series after season 2 got low viewership, with this cliffhanger remaining unresolved. However, it has been revealed that season 3 would have followed Sarah in the present and John in the future, with John eventually meeting an older Sarah who survived Judgement Day.
8) iCarly
Image courtesy of Paramount+
Paramount’s iCarly reboot was interesting, as it aged the characters and storytelling up for its now-adult audience. Season 3 was released in 2023, and the finale, “iHave a Proposal,” sees the gang go to Lewbert and Marissa’s wedding. In the episode’s final moments, Carly’s mom shows up for the first time in the series.
Throughout the original show and the reboot, fans had always wondered what happened to Carly’s mom. The season 3 finale promised that season 4 would answer this question, but this didn’t happen due to the reboot’s cancellation.
7) Spider-Man: The Animated Series
The thought of a property as big as Spider-Man having its series cancelled may be a foreign thought now, but that’s exactly what happened in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The show’s final season concluded with the Spider Wars storyline, with the final episode being titled “Chapter II: Farewell Spider-Man.” In its final moments, Madame Web takes Spider-Man back into the multiverse so he can find Mary Jane and rescue her.
However, this never happened. Fox Kids cancelled the series after season 5, meaning that the sixth season went unproduced. X-Men ’97 implies that Spider-Man did rescue Mary Jane, but this story went completely untold.
6) Santa Clarita Diet
Santa Clarita Diet follows two real estate agents named Sheila and Joel Hammond who must adjust to their new life when Sheila becomes undead and begins to crave human flesh. The show’s finale, “The Cult of Sheila,” sees Joel decide that he wants to become a zombie so that he can be with Sheila forever. However, Mr. Ball-Legs burrows into Joel’s head as the episode ends.
Netflix cancelled Santa Clarita Diet after its third season, causing this cliffhanger to go unresolved. Netflix typically hasn’t gone back on thier cancellations, meaning that this story will probably remain unresolved forever.
5) 1899
1899 is a German Netflix mystery series that starts with a ship of immigrants headed to New York City coming across an abandoned ship that previously went missing. The show was immediately praised by critics upon its release, with viewers excited. forseason 2. Season 1 ended with Maura being transported to a starship, seeing many of her friends in suspended animation, and realizing that she is in the year 2099.
However, this massive cliffhanger was never resolved. Like with many other shows, Netflix cancelled 1899 without providing a reason, ending the show after one season. This infuriated fans, as the story will probably never be resolved.
4) Mindhunter
David Fincher’s Mindhunter is considered to be one of Netflix’s best original shows, with it following two FBI agents as they profile the United States’ first serial killers. Throughout the series, the BTK Strangler operates in the background, killing victims as the two main agents focus on different killers. The series finale, season 2’s “Episode 9,” ends by showing the BTK Strangler’s collection of trophies from his victims, setting him up as the main antagonist of season 3.
However, we never got to see the full investigation of the BTK Strangler. Although Fincher originally planned five seasons, he put Mindhunter season 3 on hold while he worked on 2020’s Mank. Later, Netflix released the Mindhunter cast from their contracts, as Fincher was busy with other projects. Mindhunter never came back, ending the show on a cliffhanger.
3) My Name is Earl
My Name is Earl tells the story of Jason Lee’s titular character, a bum who realizes that he must resolve all of the wrongs he has done throughout his life in order to get good karma. The show ran for four seasons, with the finale “Dodge’s Dad” revealing that Earl is actually Dodge’s father, meaning that Earl Jr. was actually conceived during an affair. The show ended with the words “To Be Continued,” but the story never was.
My Name is Earl was cancelled after four seasons, with NBC deciding not to continue the show. 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 officially.
2) Ash vs. Evil Dead
Image courtesy of Starz
The Evil Dead franchise isn’t known for being normal, but the final cliffhanger of the TV show Ash vs. Evil Dead is possibly its oddest moment. Season 3’s “The Mettle of Man” features the final showdown with Kandar, with Ash staying behind to find the Deadite with a tank. The fight sends Ash into a coma, with him waking up centuries later in a postapocalyptic future. A cyborg named Lexx greets Ash, saying that the Dark Ones are back and that they must go on another Deadite-slaying adventure. Ash says “Groovy,” and the story of season 4 presumably begins.
However, Ash vs. Evil Dead season 4 never came. The series was cancelled after season 3 due to declining ratings, meaning that the show’s Army of Darkness spiritual successor never came. Although there were talks of an animated continuation, this never came to fruition, leaving the ending of Ash vs. Evil Dead an unresolved cliffhanger.
1) The Sopranos
Every other entry on this list came to its unresolved ending due to an unforeseen cancellation, with the cliffhangers not being how the showrunners wanted the series to end. However, The Sopranos‘ cliffhanger ending is so tantalizing because showrunner David Chase intentionally chose to end the series this way.
In The Sopranos finale, “Made in America,” not much is resolved. Tony is still dealing with the politics of his criminal organization, while also worrying about Junior’s rapidly accelerating dementia. In the final scene, the Sopranos decide to meet for a meal at a diner. A paranoid Tony takes count of every person who enters the diner. “Don’t Stop Believing” plays as Tony hears the bell of the door, looks up, and the show cuts to black.
The debate surrounding what happened at the end of The Sopranos is endless. Some fans theorize that a mafia member entered the diner and shot Tony, with the cut to black symbolizing his death. Others say that the ending is meant to symbolize that Tony’s paranoia will never end, which is why the show cuts to black so suddenly. We will never know what actually happened to Tony in the finale, with this cliffhanger being the perfect way to end The Sopranos.
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