While a well-executed cliffhanger can keep audiences on edge between seasons or episodes, forcing them to come back and watch the resolution, a bad cliffhanger can leave viewers disappointed and frustrated. Because of the tantalizing nature of cliffhangers, most of them revolve around romantic subplots, like Jim kissing Pam in The Office, or a life-and-death situation, like Glenn's fate in The Walking Dead.
Most bad cliffhangers do not work either because they are a cheap gimmick designed to manipulate fans such as The Simpsons having fans vote to decide the fate of Ned and Edna's relationship or because the resolution to the cliffhanger is unsatisfying or never fully developed by the show such as Bull's heart attack in Bull.
Boy Meets World - Season 5
As season 5 of Boy Meets World came to an end, the main characters prepared to graduate from high school and needed to make some important decisions about their futures. Topanga was debating between going to Yale or picking a school where she could be with Cory. During their graduation ceremony, Topanga made her decision and proposed to Cory as the season ended before audiences could see his response.
Cory and Topanga's transition from friends to lovers is one of the best aspects of the show, but the resolution to this moment felt rushed and out of character as they quickly eloped before changing their minds. There was little tension that the two would end up together and the resulting attempt at an elopement made no sense.
Bull - Season 2
At the end of Bull season 2, after a particularly exhausting case, Bull walked out of the courthouse, laid down on the steps, and called for an ambulance as he had a heart attack, leaving viewers to ponder his fate for several months between seasons.
While the show was obviously not going to kill off the title character, this cliffhanger could have at least been the beginning of an interesting storyline dealing with his health. However, by the time season 3 started, he was already on the road to recovery, completely negating any drama created by the cliffhanger in the first place.
The Office - Season 2
Following two seasons of flirty drama between Pam and Jim, Jim finally confessed his feelings for Pam during the company Casino Night in The Office. She rejected him but the two later kissed before ending the season by staring at each other in silence.
Jim and Pam are a relatable couple who experience many ups and downs together. But this cliffhanger felt like the show was milking the will-they-won't-they aspect too much by making seem as though they would not get together, then showing them kiss, only to then keep them apart for another season.
Jane The Virgin - Season 4
Although Jane and Michael were a great couple, his death forced her to move on and grow as a person. However, Jane the Virgin season 4 ended with the shocking twist that Michael was somehow still alive. The next season would go on to explain his return and how he had been living with amnesia.
Michael's death was a heartbreaking and pivotal moment in the show and his return undid all of that. Considering everything they had been through, Jane choosing to divorce Michael and be with Rafael was difficult to watch. However, because of the show's telenovela style, this sort of twist was not quite as unsatisfying as it would have been in other shows.
Friends - Season 3
Throughout its run, the on-again, off-again relationship between Ross and Rachel kept Friends fans waiting for resolution. Season 3 ended with the group at a beach house and saw Ross forced to choose whether he would enter into his girlfriend Bonnie's room or Rachel's room.
The cliffhanger was immediately undercut at the start of season 4 when Ross entered Rachel's room and discovered that Bonnie was also in there. Bonnie is not one of Ross' best girlfriends on Friends and so it was never really in doubt that he would choose Rachel. On top of that, the resolution was funny but less than satisfying, especially after the build-up of suspense.
The Simpsons - Season 22
After 22 full seasons, it is understandable that The Simpsons would rely on gimmicky cliffhangers to keep the audience engaged. At the end of season 22, the show left the fate of Ned and Edna's relationship up to viewers, encouraging fans to go to a website and vote on whether or not they would stay together.
The first episode of season 23 revealed that the audience had voted for the couple to stay together. Keeping these characters together because of a cheap gimmick rather than compelling story reasons made the whole cliffhanger feel desperate.
Cheers - Season 4
One of the main plotlines in the first several seasons of Cheers was the unresolved sexual tension between Sam and Diane. This tension came to a head in the season 4 finale when Sam made a call and proposed over the phone, with the audience left to wonder if he was proposing to Diane or Janet.
The next season began with Diane rejecting Sam's proposal and forcing him to do it again in a more romantic way. The phone proposal was just a cheap way of concealing the recipient's identity. The show passed up the opportunity to deliver a satisfying and romantic moment in exchange for a gimmicky cliffhanger.
Dynasty - Season 5
Following the popularity of Dallas' iconic "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger, Dynasty attempted to raise the stakes by placing nearly all of the main characters in peril during the Moldavian Massacre in which the royal wedding was interrupted by armed terrorists.
While the setup for the cliffhanger was successful and thoroughly compelling, the resolution was disappointing as it was revealed that only two minor characters had been shot. If the show had been brave enough to kill off main characters, it could have been one of the best cliffhangers ever but instead, it was one of the most disappointing.
The Walking Dead - Season 6
Midway through season 6 of The Walking Dead, Glenn and Nicholas found themselves helplessly surrounded by walkers. This appears to be the demise of both of them, with close-up shots of Glenn's screaming face as the walkers tear a body apart. Several episodes later, it was revealed that Glenn actually survived.
Fans sniffed out this twist almost immediately and most did not believe Glenn was dead. Additionally, the show brought him back just in time to use him in another cliffhanger at the end of the season before actually killing him off. The fake-out death undermined the real death and both cliffhangers left many viewers frustrated.
ALF - Season 4
ALF season 4 concluded with ALF attempting to leave Earth and finally reunite with his people. However, just as he was about to be rescued, the US government found and abducted him, concluding the season with a message that the story was to be continued.
However, the show was canceled before the story could be continued, resulting in one of the most disappointing series finales ever. The cliffhanger was eventually resolved 5 years later in a poorly received made-for-TV movie that did not feature any of the other main characters from the show. Because of these circumstances, ALF season 4 features the worst cliffhanger in television history.