History Main / Cliffhanger

* Cliffhanger/FanFic

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A Cliffhanger ends an ActBreak, episode, or even a whole season (or a film or novel in a series) with some or all of the main characters in peril of some kind and the audience is made to wait for the outcome. The ToBeContinued caption is often used here. Typically the longer the viewer is made to wait, the larger the seeming peril. Indeed, this can be a DownerEnding to the part just finished -- although many apparent perils and catastrophes are not as serious as they appear. It is a rare Cliffhanger that will cut back simply to watch 'em fall.

* {{Cliffhanger/Webcomics}}

* Cliffhanger/WebComics

[[caption-width-right:350: [[Series/Batman1966 Tune in next week! Same bat time, same bat channel!]]

Compare NoEnding. See also BolivianArmyCliffhanger, LeftHanging and LiteralCliffhanger.

* Cliffhanger/{{Other}}

Named for the old Saturday matinée film serials which would frequently leave a character literally hanging from the side of a cliff, revealing how the character escaped in the next episode.

Beware of these being executed badly. When a cliffhanger is so deliberately vague that it's not even suspenseful enough to hold a viewer's interest until the next chapter, that's WhatCliffhanger. A CliffhangerCopout is when a creator deliberately messes with a story's continuity of events when resolving a cliffhanger or outright refuses to reveal a piece of information that is promised at the end of one chapter to the next. A lampshaded, immediate resolution would be ToBeContinuedRightNow.

The season type of cliffhanger has a flaw: if the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork show gets canceled]], the cliffhanger [[LeftHanging stays unresolved]]. A few such cliffhangers are listed below. It is by far, ''[[ThisIsUnforgivable the very worse thing]]'' a producer/studio/company can do to its fans and viewers alike, since it [[TheResolutionWillNotBeTelevised leaves their work incomplete and unfinished]], ultimately resulting in a unsatisfying experience. This is not to be confused with a BolivianArmyEnding, which is an ''intentionally'' unresolved cliffhanger as an ending. If this happens, the cliffhanger may be resolved in a movie or miniseries later on. Or, it may not... and that's why we have FanFiction.

Beware of these being executed badly, too. When a cliffhanger is so deliberately vague that it's not even suspenseful enough to hold a viewer's interest until the next chapter, that's WhatCliffhanger. A CliffhangerCopout is when a creator deliberately messes with a story's continuity of events when resolving a cliffhanger or outright refuses to reveal a piece of information that is promised at the end of one chapter to the next. A lampshaded, immediate resolution would be ToBeContinuedRightNow.

Not to be confused with an area for aircraft set into a mountainside (a cliff hangar), the sort used to hang up clothing (a coat hanger), the [[VideoGames/CliffHanger laserdisc-based video game]] from the ''Lupin the 3rd'' franchise, the pricing game Cliffhanger''s'' on ''ThePriceIsRight'' (AKA the yodeling guy game), the movie [[{{Pun}} of the same name]] (you might be able to find that [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} here]]) or either of the two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Hanger_(comic_strip) comic strips]] also using the name.

See also BolivianArmyCliffhanger and LiteralCliffhanger.

The season type of cliffhanger has a flaw: if the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork show gets canceled]], the cliffhanger [[LeftHanging stays unresolved]]. A few such cliffhangers are listed below. It is by far, ''[[ThisIsUnforgivable]]the very worse thing]]'' a producer/studio/company can do to its fans and viewers alike, since it [[TheConclusionWillNotBeTelevised leaves their work incomplete and unfinished]], ultimately resulting in a unsatisfying experience. This is not to be confused with a BolivianArmyEnding, which is an ''intentionally'' unresolved cliffhanger as an ending. If this happens, the cliffhanger may be resolved in a movie or miniseries later on. Or, it may not... and that's why we have FanFiction.

The season type of cliffhanger has a flaw: if the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork show gets canceled]], the cliffhanger [[LeftHanging stays unresolved]]. A few such cliffhangers are listed below. This is not to be confused with a BolivianArmyEnding, which is an ''intentionally'' unresolved cliffhanger as an ending. If this happens, the cliffhanger may be resolved in a movie or miniseries later on. Or, it may not... and that's why we have FanFiction.

See also LiteralCliffhanger.

Not to be confused with an area for aircraft set into a mountainside (a cliff hangar), the sort used to hang up clothing (a coat hanger), the [[VideoGames/CliffHanger laserdisc-based video game]] from the ''Lupin the 3rd'' franchise, the pricing game Cliffhanger''s'' on ''ThePriceIsRight'' (AKA The Yodely Guy game), the movie [[{{Pun}} of the same name]] (you might be able to find that [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} here]]) or either of the two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Hanger_(comic_strip) comic strips]] also using the name.

The season type of 'hanger has a flaw: if the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork show gets canceled]], the 'hanger [[LeftHanging stays unresolved]]. A few such 'hangers are listed below. This is not to be confused with a BolivianArmyEnding, which is an ''intentionally'' unresolved cliffhanger as an ending. If this happens, the cliffhanger may be resolved in a movie or miniseries later on. Or, it may not... and that's why we have FanFiction.

->''To be resolved...in two weeks! (because I am an evil motherfucker)''

[[http://rover_wow.tripod.com/tvcliff.htm This site]] contains a comprehensive list of unresolved cliffhangers.

-->--''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}''

->''To be resolved...in two weeks! ([[LampshadeHanging because I am]] [[EvilGloating an evil motherfucker]])''

Not to be confused with an area for aircraft set into a mountainside (a cliff hangar), the sort used to hang up clothing (a coat hanger), the laserdisc-based video game [[VideoGames/CliffHanger from the ''Lupin the 3rd'' franchise]], the pricing game Cliffhanger''s'' on ''ThePriceIsRight'' (AKA The Yodely Guy game), the movie [[{{Pun}} of the same name]] (you might be able to find that [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} here]]) or either of the two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Hanger_(comic_strip) comic strips]] also using the name.

Not to be confused with an area for aircraft set into a mountainside (a cliff hangar), the sort used to hang up clothing (a coat hanger), the laserdisc-based video game using footage from ''LupinIII'', the pricing game Cliffhanger''s'' on ''ThePriceIsRight'' (AKA The Yodely Guy game), the movie [[{{Pun}} of the same name]] (you might be able to find that [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} here]]) or either of the two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Hanger_(comic_strip) comic strips]] also using the name.

Beware of these being executed badly, too. WhatCliffhanger is when a cliffhanger is so deliberately vague that it not even suspensful enough to hold a viewer's interest until the next chapter; a CliffhangerCopout is when a creator deliberately tweaks with a story's continuity of events when resolving a cliffhanger or outright refuses to reveal a piece of information that is promised at the end of one chapter to the next. A lampshaded, immediate resolution would be ToBeContinuedRightNow.

A Cliff Hanger ends an ActBreak, episode, or even a whole season (or a film or novel in a series) with some or all of the main characters in peril of some kind and the audience is made to wait for the outcome. The ToBeContinued caption is often used here. Typically the longer the viewer is made to wait, the larger the seeming peril. Indeed, this can be a DownerEnding to the part just finished -- although many apparent perils and catastrophes are not as serious as they appear. It is a rare Cliff Hanger that will cut back simply to watch 'em fall.

A Cliff Hanger can also be centered around surprising revelations; either one just made, or one being saved for the 'hanger's resolution.

Not to be confused with an area for aircraft set into a mountainside (a cliff hangar), the sort used to hang up clothing (a coat hanger), the laserdisc-based video game using footage from ''LupinIII'', the pricing game Cliff Hanger''s'' on ''ThePriceIsRight'' (AKA The Yodely Guy game), the movie [[{{Pun}} of the same name]] (you might be able to find that [[Film/{{Cliffhanger}} here]]) or either of the two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Hanger_(comic_strip) comic strips]] also using the name.

See also LiteralCliffHanger.

A CliffHanger ends an ActBreak, episode, or even a whole season (or a film or novel in a series) with some or all of the main characters in peril of some kind and the audience is made to wait for the outcome. The ToBeContinued caption is often used here. Typically the longer the viewer is made to wait, the larger the seeming peril. Indeed, this can be a DownerEnding to the part just finished -- although many apparent perils and catastrophes are not as serious as they appear. It is a rare CliffHanger that will cut back simply to watch 'em fall.

A CliffHanger can also be centered around surprising revelations; either one just made, or one being saved for the 'hanger's resolution.