9 TV Shows That Ended On Infuriating Cliffhangers

Everyone loves a good cliffhanger. When a TV episode ends on a nail-biting, unresolved ending, it’s a surefire way of getting the audience to tune back in next week (or load up the next episode on Netflix, as the case as may be). Sometimes an ambiguous ending to an entire show can be more satisfying than a clear full stop. However, there are many occasions when TV shows have ended on cliffhangers that are just plain frustrating. Due to a flawed decision from the creators or because it was cancelled after the episode was made, these shows did not resolve themselves in any way, instead offering up lots of new questions rather than answers. On that note, here are nine TV shows whose endings left with us with infuriating unresolved plot threads. As always, if you have another one you'd like to add, let us know in the comments section. Oh, and needless to say, spoilers for numerous shows will follow. 9) Agent Carter Agent Carter fans are still raw from this one. After two critically-acclaimed seasons, Marvel’s period spy series was abruptly cancelled by ABC earlier this year. As with many of the shows on this list, it had apparently not garnered good enough ratings to warrant a third run. Though the finale wrapped up the lingering plot threat of Peggy’s romance with Souza, it opened up a big whopper in the fate of Jack Thompson. Previously a rival of Peggy’s throughout the series, Thompson had a change of heart in the finale. Just as he had become a good guy, Jack was murdered by a mysterious assailant who stole the file on Peggy that he had previously acquired. So, who killed him? Thanks to ABC, we shall never know… 8) Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman With an emphasis on romance rather than heroics, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a big success in the mid-1990s. By its fourth season, however, many viewers had fled the show like the baby Kal-El did Krypton and it was eventually cancelled. Unfortunately, this meant that the show ended up on a whopping cliffhanger. In the last moments of the finale, Clark and Lois find a baby wrapped in the House of El symbol left on their doorstep. What's the significance behind this exactly? Well, the show’s bosses have since confirmed that the tot was intended to be another last son of Krypton. This could well have been interesting to see play out but, due to the cancellation, we'll never know how exactly the writers planned to factor the baby into things. 7) Pushing Daisies Back in 2007, Bryan Fuller’s Pushing Daisies became an immediate cult favourite. Like quirky French film Amelie mixed with a police procedural, it saw a pie chef named Ned solve murders using his handy ability to temporarily revive the dead. A kooky show that didn’t easily fit into any category, Pushing Daisies was not a mainstream hit and ABC didn’t really know what to do with it. By the time its short second season came to an end, the ratings had dwindled to the extent that it wasn’t resurrected again. This left the show on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, as Ned and his undead true love Chuck revealed that she was still alive to her aunts Lily and Vivian. It had the potential to completely change the show, but sadly turned out to be the end of it. 6) Hannibal Bryan Fuller is a very talented guy, but his TV shows do seem to be cursed. After the cancellation of Pushing Daisies, Fuller moved onto Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal. As one of the most gripping shows on TV, it seemed Hannibal was here to stay. That wasn’t to be, however, as it was surprising cancelled after three seasons. Not really intended as the last episode ever, the season three finale deliberately leaves the audience wanting more. Not only did Gillian Anderson’s psychiatrist cook her own leg for Lecter to eat, but it ended on the most literal cliffhanger on this list - as Hannibal and Will tumbled over the edge of a cliff like Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty. Did they survive? Will Hannibal get to chomp on Gillian Anderson’s leg? These are the questions that will now plague us forever. 5) Reaper A combination of slacker sitcom and Supernatural-like monster hunter show, Reaper was a refreshing series about a DIY store worker who the Devil employs to hunt rogue souls who have escaped from hell. Because TV execs won’t let us have nice things though, the show was sent to the afterlife only two seasons in. Things were just ramping up, too, as season two ended with both Sam and his girlfriend Andi losing their souls to the Devil. Likewise, Sam was apparently an enemy of Heaven with angels after him. What’s more, Reaper never got to play its trump card and wrap up the mystery of Sam’s true parentage. At least the show’s creators have since revealed that one; Sam was actually the son of a demon who sold his soul to the Devil in order to become human. 4) In The Flesh British supernatural drama In The Flesh only comprised nine episodes, but it still managed to offer an innovative take on the zombie genre. Set after the Zombie Apocalypse has been dealt with, it sees recovering “rotter” Kieren having to face discrimination and prejudice because of his “condition.” Though the show garnered a vocal core fanbase and received the BAFTA for Best Drama, it was mercilessly cut short. Not only was the series just getting into its stride, but this also meant that various plot threads were left open-ended. For instance, Amy had seemingly evolved into the next stage of zombie-ism, suggesting that she was The First Risen - the fabled zombie messiah. 3) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Behind the first two Terminator movies, TV spinoff The Sarah Connor Chronicles - starring Lena Headley as the titular Sarah and Summer Glau as a new protective Terminator - is probably the third strongest entry in the franchise. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to save it from the chop after only two seasons. Naturally, the series ended on a frustrating cliffhanger which saw a teenage John Connor – the future saviour of the human race – travel to the future… only to find out it was a better alternate future where no one had heard of him. This is yet another instance of a show opening up the door to a fascinating new plotline only to be cancelled before it can explore it. For shame! 2) Heroes It is widely agreed that Heroes never again reached the heights of its first run in subsequent seasons. Still, we would have liked the show to have got a proper ending. When it was cancelled after its fourth season, it ended on a real game-changer, as Claire’s healing powers were revealed to the world. This cliffhanger is particularly frustrating as it could have easily have been resolved in the follow-up show Heroes Reborn. However, that show’s catalyst was a terrorist attack rather than Claire’s public reveal. Naturally, this was because Hayden Panettiere elected not to return, but they still could have wrapped it somehow. As it was, Reborn has also been cancelled after one season, and itself ended on a cliffhanger. Serves it right, really, for not bothering to resolve the last one. 1) Angel While Buffy The Vampire Slayer got to end on a finale that summed up the show pretty much perfectly, its spinoff Angel was cancelled just when it had hit its stride. After the fifth season upped the stakes, Angel and his team ended the series in the midst of a battle against an army of demons for the fate of the world. The episode cut to the credits before we even found out if they won. Fans were left aghast at this unresolved ending, even though creator Joss Whedon argued that it could be viewed as a summation of the show’s main theme; the never-ending fight against evil. "Did I end it this way so that it could lead into an exciting sixth season? Yes,” he admitted. “But this is still a final statement, if that's what it needs to be."