As we prepare for a new year of television ratings, we can expect
favourite series from last year to return and answer the burning questions we
were left with last year: Will Alf go mad on Home & Away? Will Harold find love
through a dating agency on Neighbours? The cliffhanger has long been used to
bring an audience back after a show has been off the screen. The term originates
from the early days of cinema, when serialised dramas and adventure stories
would end with the stars in some dangerous predicament, ensuring the audience
would come back the next week. Often these endings involved the characters quite
literally hanging from cliffs. Although thousands of series cliffhangers that
have come and gone over the years, some have been particularly memorable. The
``Who shot J.R.?" story from Dallas is probably the most famous of all. In
1980, the season ended with Larry Hagman's character getting shot, and over the
next seven months the world speculated on the identity of the shooter. When the
series returned, 350 million people across 57 countries (and 76 per cent of
America's televisions) tuned in as the culprit was revealed - Kristen Sheppard,
played by Mary Crosby (daughter of Bing), but J.R. spared her because she was
pregnant with his child. The Dallas cliffhanger inspired another famous
end-of-season closer, with viewers of The Simpsons left wondering who shot Mr
Burns. It turned out to be baby Maggie Simpson, but so closely guarded was the
secret identity of the culprit, the producers prepared a fake version featuring
Waylon Smithers as an alternative shooter. Neighbours has regularly finished for
the year with a cliffhanger, and one of the most memorable was the 1997 series.
Dr Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Sarah (NicolaCharles) revealed feelings for each
other in the series finale, later creating sexual tension that became central to
the show throughout 1998 and giving the show a big ratings boost. More often
than not, however, cliffhangers tend to cop out when the series returns. Many is
the time a beloved character from Neighbours or Home & Away has been put in a
life-threatening situation, only to be miraculously rescued in the first episode
of the next season. This was the case in Seinfeld, when the writers finished a
season with Jerry getting engaged. When the show returned, the engagement was
off and only a cursory explanation given. South Park's first-season cliffhanger
``Who is Cartman's father?" also copped out by way of a typically bizarre
development. South Park's big-boned kid discovered his father was also his
mother - she was a hermaphrodite. A classic cop-out occurred in Dynasty when, in
1985, the season ended with the key cast gathered in the country of Moldavia
for a wedding. Terrorists attacked during the ceremony, spraying the attendees
with bullets. However, when the show returned the next year, nary a major
character was injured.
The best photography from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. more photos
Need Help?
Can't find what you are looking for? Check out our Search Tips for the best ways to find Fairfax Articles.
For back editions of newspapers older than the previous two weeks, please contact Paper World on 1800 811 755 or visit www.paperworld.com.au or your state library. In Sydney, back editions of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review can be purchased at Shop 15, Pavilion Plaza, 580 George Street, Sydney, 2000, phone: (02) 9261 8310.
If you have a technical or account inquiry about News Store, please click here
Print Entire Page
