Cliffhangers, good or bad?

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I don't mind commercial cliffhangers, because they only last for a few minutes or so, and get me invested in what's going to happen next. They did suck a little more in the old days when I could watch maybe half of a cartoon before having to go to school, or my dad had to record shows on VHS, and there was one point where he tried to record shows for both my sister and I, and I got 2/3 of an episode of the show I was watching, and the remainder was a show she wanted to watch. Thankfully, it's 2014 out there, so no, I don't think these cliffhangers are bad.

 

I do dislike when shows, movies, videogames, books, etc. end on cliffhangers with the promise of the next piece of fictional media continuing the story. I guess it's fine when all and said is done most of the time, aside from sometimes having to wait forever for the next one, but once in awhile, the series is cancelled, or some other complication arises. What, the Zero Escape series isn't being continued? Great. The latest Corpse Party isn't getting localized? Seriously? Ok, it's obvious I'm a gamer, but it happens in other forms of media more often than you'd think, and it's annoying at best. I'd say individuals and companies should never end a story on a cliffhanger unless they're absolutely certain they're going to be able to continue it.

[Zekromic 1,054]

It's good, because it builds suspense and excitement for the show. Besides, in MLP they only last just one series of commercials 

[Solid 1,327]

That's one of the main reasons why I don't usually watch ponies on TV. In fact that's one of the main reasons why I don't usually watch TV in general.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Solid Scorpion

[Celli 4,349]

I guess it depends on the cliffhanger. Perhaps between 2-parter episodes.

[SparklingSwirls 21,580]

I think cliffhangers in TV shows are alright, as long as they aren't placed right before a commercial break (since then it usually doesn't add much to the episode and is just there to make money). Cliffhangers do annoy me though... but they sure do make me want to find out what's next

 

I'm not a big fan of movie cliffhangers since it takes way too long to make the next movie for the cliffhanger to finally be resolved.

[Overdrive 5,366]

I think it all depends on the situation. For the most part, cliffhangers benefit whatever they are being used in. In television, for instance, you have time constraints to deal with. Cliffhangers allow you to expand that time constraint, where you can focus on the quality of the program as opposed to cutting details for the sake of time. They also encourage you to come back, because it leaves a question in your mind, that you want to know the answer to.