15 Most Shocking Season Finale Cliffhangers Ever, Ranked
What better way to end a season than a shocking twist that leaves viewers begging for more? Let's dive in and rank television's 15 greatest cliffhangers.
Television has long utilized cliffhangers to captivate audiences and leave them eagerly awaiting the next episode. When a show ends its season, the most impactful of these twists tend to be those that happen during the season finale. Here are the 15 most shocking season finale cliffhangers ever, ranked from one to fifteen.
In "The Good Place," the season 1 finale left viewers stunned with a major twist. Eleanor Shellstrop, a recently deceased character, discovers that the utopian afterlife she finds herself in may not be as it seems. Michael, her tour guide, is revealed to be a demon who orchestrated the entire scenario. Michael even wipes Eleanor's memory, leaving the audience wondering what the next season would bring.
"Better Call Saul" also broke its final season into two parts, ending with a shocking cliffhanger. In "Plan and Execution," Jimmy and Kim successfully undermine Howard in a case, while Lalo plans to kill Gus. When Howard visits their apartment unannounced, Lalo shoots him in front of Jimmy and Kim. The audience had to wait almost two months to see how this would affect the lives of Jimmy and Kim.
Friends' iconic television couple, Ross and Rachel, had a long-standing will they won't they romance that culminated in a memorable cliffhanger during the Season 4 finale. As Ross flies to London to marry Emily, Rachel hatches a plan to stop the wedding by hopping on a transatlantic flight. In a surprising turn of events, Ross makes a Freudian slip, proclaiming his love for Rachel instead of Emily, leaving fans to ponder the fate of their relationship.
"Alias" brought a shocking twist to its Season 2 finale. Sydney, the main character, confronts her mother, Irina, and finds herself in a deadly death match with Allison, who has taken on Sydney's identity. When Sydney wakes up from unconsciousness, she realizes she has been missing for two years and that Vaughn has married someone else. This revelation left audiences stunned and eager for the next season to learn more about Sydney's fate.
Written by urgent.news from TVLine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
