Another Top 10 TV Cliffhangers That Remain Unresolved

Detective series are propelled by big questions that have to get resolved, whether within one episode or over the course of a season. After all, what kind of private detective leaves things hanging? Well, the kind whose series gets cancelled out from underneath them, that’s who. Pity poor Jonathan Ames, writer turned detective, who at the end of s=Season 3 had made a relatively startling discovery – namely that his girlfriend is actually his half-sister. Cancelled before this could be explored – or even brought up with his poor sister-lover – viewers were left wondering just where in hell this relationship would have gone.

“The L Word” broke lots of new ground simply by having a cast whose main characters were lesbians. The fact that it was well written and perfectly cast only added to the excitement around this series. For fans, it almost always delivered over its six-season run – until it came to the last episode. You see, the overarching plotline of Season 6 involved who murdered the character of Jenny Schecter, the narcissistic prima donna that some loved and some hated. Unfortunately, the series ended with no clear killer identified. Apparently, the creators hoped to answer this question on a new show. With a sequel series set to premiere in 2019, maybe we’ll finally get some answers.

Okay, so on this show, one day everyone on Earth has a two minute, seventeen second blackout during which they see events happening six months in the future. The series then deals with people making sense of and acting on the information they glean from this “flashforward blackout.” On the last episode of the season, they reach that future date they have seen – and learn that another flashforward blackout is about to take place. And during this one, leading character Mark appears to be caught in an exploding building. Not only is his future left up in the air, but the enticing images of the new flash forward are left unexplained.

This series concentrated on the importance of Superman and Lois Lane as a couple - to the point that they even got married. Unfortunately, they also learned that parenthood was not meant for them – something to do with how the Kryptonian blood and DNA and whatever else would prove too much for a fragile earthling’s body. But Season 4 ended with a little Kryptonian bundle of joy wrapped in a blanket showing up on their doorstep. Where did it come from? Who was it? Was it friend or foe? A nasty ratings drop brought about cancellation before anyone could find out.

This series focuses on aliens that came to Earth decades ago. Some were captured, others blended in with the human population. In the final episode, a group of aliens attempts to release a virus that would kill multitudes of humans, but not aliens. The plan is foiled, but violent earthquakes suggest that something else may be taking place. Indeed, the virus was intended to be a mercy killing. Now the humans will have to deal with the fact that an entire planet is invading Earth’s physical space, causing the destruction. Viewers were left wondering not only what would happen to earth, but why a human character referred to the new planet as “home.”

So, a teenager wakes up in a forest with no clothes and no memory. Oh, yeah, and no bellybutton. He also couldn’t really speak and had to learn things like he was a baby – but he was a really fast learner. The mystery of Kyle and his origins was intriguing, and we assumed Kyle was some sort of creation rather than an actual human. The no bellybutton was considered a big clue. So, when the last episode revealed that villain Michael Cassidy claimed to be Kyle’s brother, things were really thrown into chaos. Alas, cancellation again kept viewers from knowing the truth.

Considering it was a pretty lighthearted sitcom – and one with a decidedly whimsical premise – it’s surprising to find “ALF” on this list. The eponymous ALF – which stood for Alien Life Form, of course – may have looked like a big puppet, but he was really a creature from the planet Melmac. One with a penchant for one-liners, even. Of course, far be it for governments to ever leave lovable aliens alone. ALF was targeted by the Alien Task Force for capture. It looks like ALF is going to escape, but at the end, the Task Force has him in their clutches. And the ominous “To be continued” at the end left no clue as to his fate… unless you consider that “Project ALF” movie canon.

Although tame by contemporary standards, this spoof of soap operas riled up a lot of feathers in its day. That probably accounts more for its cancellation than the downturn in its ratings. But whatever the reason, the decision to forego a fifth season came at an inopportune time. Jessica’s ex-husband Chester wants to kill his son Danny since Danny has a thing for Chester’s new wife Annie. And Jessica can’t do anything about it because, well, she’s been sentenced to die in front of a firing squad. Who lived and who died? The world will never know – although the sound of all those guns going off didn’t sound too promising for poor Jessica.

James Cameron brought a special luster to this TV series, but it still couldn’t escape the cancelled-before-its-time curse. Set in a fairly post-Apocalyptical world, it followed a group of super-soldiers and transgenic beings developed as part of project Manticore. The government doesn’t want their presence known, but they wish only to live their own lives. By the end of the second season, the soldier’s Terminal City was surrounded by the military. It looked like a do-or-die battle was about to begin. Who came out on top? Who survived? What happened next? Go ask James Cameron – if you dare.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Digger Is the Phoenix Organization’s Leader
“John Doe” (2002-03)

Was Benson Elected Governor?
“Benson” (1979-86)

Did Will & Hannibal Survive?
“Hannibal” (2013-15)

Is John Cooper Dead?
“Southland” (2009-13)

Who Killed Sam?
“Reunion” (2005)

This quirky comedy concerned a sad sack who decides to turn his life around by making up for all the bad things he’s done. Naturally, things don’t work out exactly as planned, but the character of Earl was hard to resist. The final episode revolved around who was the real father of the boy named Dodge. The boy’s mother confesses it was a man named Little Chubby, but then it turns out the man she thought was Little Chubby was really Earl. But in the course of this, it turns out that the identity of Earl Jr. is now up in the air. And who that might be was left unanswered, never to be crossed off big Earl’s list.