The Web site Mr. Pop History says that the first television cliffhanger came in a 1951 episode of "Superman," but the first one that's remembered came at the end of the 1977-78 season of the ABC series "Soap." Seems logical. "Soap" was a spoof of soap operas.
But the cliffhanger was rare through television's first 30 years or so. Formula dramas like "Perry Mason" and "Hawaii Five-O" never had them. Neither did comedies.
Of course, the first cliffhanger just about everyone remembers came in 1980, when J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot on the season finale of "Dallas." It took five months and an actors' strike until viewers worldwide found out the shooter was his sister-in-law, Kristen (Mary Crosby).
Since then, many dramas and comedies have had cliffhangers. It's become a cottage industry to predict what's going to happen in the cliffhanger....Never mind what will happen next season! (Well, at least until after the cliffhanger.)
Some of the best cliffhangers.....
*Season 1, "The West Wing," "What Kind of Day Has It Been": An assassination attempt on President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) as he came out of a town-hall meeting. "Who's been hit?" was the operative question. Answer: Bartlet (not seriously, but the coverup of his multiple sclerosis started in earnest) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), who was seriously injured. The shooting was done by a white supremacist going after the president's aide, Charlie (Dule Hill), who was dating Bartlet's daughter, Zoe (Elisabeth Moss).
*"Friends," "The One With Ross' Wedding": While I confess I never watched this show, it takes some imagination to have Ross (David Schwimmer) say Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston's) name while he's marrying someone else.
*Season 7, "Frasier," "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue, Part 2": Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) do a "Graduate" and run away together after confessing their true feelings to each other.
*Anything produced by the Bellisarios: "Magnum, P.I.," "JAG" and now "NCIS" get kudos for cliffhangers that drive you crazy, but make you watch.
Best of the bunch: The end of Seasons 7 and 8 for "Magnum."
Season 7's "Limbo," saw Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) get shot. He recovered, but only after angry fans feared the series might end with him killed off.
The series finale, Season 8's "Resolutions," ended with one never resolved (by design): Did Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) say "I Do" to Cleo?
*"Las Vegas" also gets kudos for most of its cliffhangers. But NBC gets a "Boo" for cancelling the show with some storylines unresolved (not by design).
See you next week. Until then, Happy Cliffhanger Viewing!
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