Yahoo Lifestyle TV’s Most Laughable Cliffhangers, From Grey’s Anatomy, The West Wing, The X-Files and More
We love a good TV cliffhanger, but sometimes they’re more eye roll-inducing than jaw-dropping.
Ideally, a cliffhanger leaves us perched on the edge of our seats, impatiently waiting for the next episode to arrive and truly wondering what might happen next. But sometimes, the plot twists are so transparently manipulative (“there’s no way they’d kill the star off!”) that instead of standing and applauding, we’re left in wide-eyed shock — and not the good kind! Cliffhangers are a potent storytelling tool, but when used unwisely, can actually alienate the very fan base they’re trying to titillate.
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TVLine is looking back on a dozen-plus of the most ridiculous cliffhangers in TV history, from title characters’ “near-death” experiences to ham-handed grabs for watercooler buzz. We even take a swing at some of our most beloved shows of all time, including The West Wing and The X-Files — because even great shows can take a wrong step once in a while.
One note: This list is not about cliffhangers left unresolved by cancellation. Who has the time?
Scroll down to see what made our list of the most laughable TV cliffhangers. And if you think of one we overlooked, don’t leave us hanging — head down to the comments and let your voice be heard!
THE BLACKLIST: Red was an imposter the whole time! (Season 5 finale)
The guy we’d known as Raymond Reddington for five seasons? Yeah, that’s not the real Raymond Reddington. Or so we were told in the utterly baffling twist that ended Season 5, with James Spader’s character revealed to be an imposter. (It was almost as bizarre as when The Simpsons revealed that Principal Skinner was actually some guy named Armin Tamzarian… but at least that got wrapped up in one episode.) — Rebecca Luther
BULL: Bull suffers a heart attack (Season 2 finale)
CBS’ legal procedural had already been renewed for a third season when Michael Weatherly’s title character slumped down on the courthouse steps and calmly dialed 911, so any implication that he wouldn’t make it through was, well, bull. The Season 3 premiere even hand-waved away the cliffhanger by picking up months later, with Bull fully recovered.
DYNASTY: The ‘Moldavian Massacre’ (Season 5 finale)
Desperate to hatch its own “Who Shot J.R.?”-style cliffhanger, ABC’s glitzy primetime soap one-upped Dallas by putting the entire cast‘s lives in danger: A mob of terrorists sprayed Amanda and Prince Michael’s wedding with bullets, leaving nearly every cast member in limbo. A bold choice, but we suspected they wouldn’t have the nerve to kill off any major cast members, and we were right: A pair of minor characters were the only casualties.
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: Morgan is left for dead (Season 5 finale)
It’s fitting that much of the action in this hourlong facepalm took place at Humbug’s Gulch, ’because humbug was certainly what it was. In the end, perky villainess Ginny left Morgan for dead without bothering to finish him off, a clear signal to the audience that Lennie James’ indestructible protagonist would go right back to pontificating come Season 6. — Charlie Mason
GREY’S ANATOMY: Teddy is felled by a toothache (Season 19 finale)
OK, so it turned out the following season that Altman had been suffering from bacterial endocarditis. But it still smacked of “We can’t end a season without leaving SOMEONE in danger!” when the long-running ABC drama had Kim Raver’s on-screen counterpart collapse during surgery after complaining for the whole episode that she had a toothache. — C.M.
THE KILLING: ‘Who Killed Rosie Larsen?’ (Season 1 finale)
An infamous case study in a TV series frustrating its fan base, the AMC crime drama promised all throughout its freshman season to tell us “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?”… and then didn’t. Yes, Billy Campbell’s mayoral candidate Darren Richmond was arrested for the crime in the finale, but it was clear he didn’t really do it — and after a season full of red herrings, we didn’t much care who did anymore.
KILLING EVE: Villanelle shoots Eve (Season 2 finale)
We know the show is called Killing Eve… but Villanelle isn’t really about to kill Eve, is she? The Season 2 finale of BBC America’s thriller attempted to replicate the shock of Season 1’s ender with a lazy inversion: Instead of Eve stabbing Villanelle, this time it was Villanelle shooting Eve and leaving her for dead. But we all know Sandra Oh is coming back for Season 3, so why even try to pretend like Eve won’t survive? — Dave Nemetz
MACGYVER: Mac quits the team (Season 2 finale)
Again, when the character whose name doubles as the freaking title threatens to walk away, we’re gonna take that with a huge grain of salt, OK? So we didn’t sweat it when Mac ended Season 2 by saying goodbye to the Phoenix Foundation — and his own dad — and headed to a remote village in Nigeria. They weren’t about to change the show’s name to MacGyver’s Friends, were they?
MANIFEST: Who got shot? (Season 1 finale)
With all the complicated sci-fi mythology that NBC’s freshman thriller threw at us, it felt like overkill — if you’ll pardon the phrase — to end the season with Michaela happening upon Zeke and Jared fighting over a gun, followed by a single shot ringing out. We’re already dealing with mysteriously vanishing planes and time-travel here, people; do we really need a rote “Who got shot?” mystery on top of that?
NASHVILLE: Deacon ‘flatlines’ (Season 3 finale)
It wasn’t exactly music to our ears when Season 3 of the ABC soap ended with an EKG flatlining, with the possible victims being Rayna’s love Deacon… and Deacon’s sister Beverly, a guest star who we didn’t even like. There was no way that Deacon’s heart was actually the one to give out, and indeed, it was Beverly who didn’t survive to see Season 4. — Kimberly Roots
THE WEST WING: President Bartlet steps down (Season 4 finale)
If President Bartlet isn’t making grand speeches in the Oval Office, is it even The West Wing anymore? We were faced with that unappealing prospect when Bartlet abruptly stepped down, fearing that his daughter Zoey’s kidnapping left him too distracted to perform his duties as President. John Goodman’s Speaker of the House was sworn in, and an uncertain future hung over the series — especially since creator Aaron Sorkin was leaving the show. He left his successors quite a parting gift: a huge mess that took all of Season 5 to clean up. — D.N.
THE X-FILES: Mulder ‘kills’ himself (Season 4 finale)
At the height of its popularity, Fox’s sci-fi hit wanted us to believe… that David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder, distraught that his entire worldview was built on a hoax, would put a bullet in his own head — even though there was a big-screen X-Files movie in the works at the time! Scully did ID the body, but we later learned that Mulder faked his own death to continue his alien investigation. (Duh.) — K.R.
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