Revisiting TDW: Best Season-Ending Cliffhangers
Back in 2009, on the original TeenDramaWhore, I unveiled my picks for the best season-ending cliffhangers from the teen dramas.
While I still stand by my list (sorry, “Gossip Girl” and “90210” fans — there’s nothing there for you), lately I’ve been thinking more about cliffhangers in general and how much has changed in the last 14 years when it comes to the viewing experience.
At the time of my cliffhanger series, broadcast TV was largely still appointment viewing. Sure, you could DVR your favorite shows (and I did), but you had to wait for a new episode to come out week by week. In essence, every episode ended with a cliffhanger of sorts just because you were left hanging until the next week to see what would happen next.
That all changed with the advent of streaming. And it changed in two significant ways.
First off, with many series that debut exclusively on streaming platforms today, the episodes are released in bulk. An entire season drops at once, designed for viewers to binge their way through in rapid succession. Any episodic cliffhanger doesn’t pack the same punch when you can immediately begin watching the next episode and see how it’s resolved.
Second, when watching the teen dramas and other shows of yore via streaming, even season-ending cliffhangers don’t have the impact they once did. That’s because someone today can watch, say, the season 5 finale of “One Tree Hill” — which had quite the cliffhanger — and then immediately go on to the season 6 premiere and see what happened next.
In other words, for people now watching the teen dramas for the first time via streaming (or even the DVDs), these cliffhangers wouldn’t really leave people hanging at all. The resolutions are instantly obtainable.
So, has the binge model destroyed the concept of cliffhangers?
Perhaps not entirely.
I would hope that first-time viewers still feel the rush of emotions we felt as these episodes unfold, even if they’re watching on a significantly accelerated schedule. Their jaw should drop all the same at, say, the season 2 finale of “The O.C.,” which was so shocking it was spoofed on “SNL.” In that sense, a cliffhanger can still be powerful. It can still spark all the feels and make a viewer extremely excited for the next episode, even if they can watch that next episode immediately.
Plus, with those shows airing for the first time via streaming, season-ending cliffhangers are still entirely in play. “You” ends its seasons with something stunning and viewers have to wait until the next season drops to see what happens next. In the meantime, you’re hooked. Boom — cliffhanger mission accomplished.
Whatever the case, however people are watching, I’m envious of those watching our teen dramas for the first time. I want to relive it all and experience all of these cliffhangers anew. Don’t you?
Revisit more of the original TeenDramaWhore…