Here is a rant about something that has been pissing me off for some time now, and I am sure it is pissing everyone else off too. There is a really nasty plague going around TV land that I like to call...
Ill-Advised Cliff Hangers.
I have known for a while that Hollywood has lost a lot of its creativity. This is made apparent by the fact that every movie is either based on a novel, a comic book, a real life story, a video game, or, my personal favorite, a remake. So it should come as no surprise when Hollywood decides they no longer want to write conclusions to TV shows. I mean why bother right? People will watch unsuspectingly, and if the show is good, the cliff hanger keeps people hanging on for the next season, and if the show sucks, well then no harm no foul right?
It is infuriating to know that Hollywood doesn’t give a crap about making a full season show with an appropriate ending, because they don’t really care about anything other than the $$$ and keeping people hooked. It is about the suspense, not the quality of what they put forth. Now every new show comes out with just 6 episodes, making you wait a full year before ever seeing episode 7, assuming it gets renewed, and half the time the "ending" after those 6 episodes isn't an ending at all! Remember when a season had 24 episodes?
Now, let me give you some examples.
24: Live Another Day
I am not sure I can pin point where it started, and my chronological timeline may be off, but I will begin with the ending of the show “24.” Now, this isn’t the worst offender, because in a way the cliff hanger makes sense. It is not a conclusion per-say, but it is fitting to the overall plot of the show. So when 24 decided to make a come-back with a limited-run series of 12 episodes in 2014 titled “24: Live Another Day,” I was instantly hooked.
The show was just as good as before, and it actually picked up with the events after the original 24 ended. But when this “limited series” ended up with another cliff hanger, I was livid.
I mean, a limited–run series means this is it! So, I did the only rational thing, I lied to myself and told myself they would come back with a follow-up season. Even though it was a limited-series, I argued with myself, because it’s all about the $$$, right? So if this was successful, of course they would come back with a follow up season…………2 years later………..
The X-files (Season 10)
When one of my favorite shows of all times, the X-Files, announced a 10th season coming out in 2016, I was like...
It was announced as a mini-series consisting of 6 episodes, which made me even more ecstatic, because normally a mini-series = conclusion. However, as the last episode played out, I began to feel an all-to-familiar anxiety. They type of anxiety you get when you look at the clock and realize the show is almost over and all hell is still lose!
So, when the cliff hanger happened, and we didn’t even get close to any reasonable conclusion, I lied to myself again. I told myself, it’s all about the $$$, they will be back. Then I read this quote from Gillian Anderson regarding whether she would be willing to shoot more episodes;
“Um … I don’t know. I’ve got three kids and I live in London, and if they want to shoot in Vancouver, British Columbia, or Los Angeles, I’m not really interested in moving. It all depends on what they’re talking about, how many they’re talking about and what they’re offering. All that stuff plays into it, because it’s not a small deal in my life.”
So basically, it’s looking like I’m gonna pull another one of these…
Only time will tell, but so far it doesn't look good. BUT, here is my thing, if you dont even have the actors confirmed for a next season, why wouldn't you at least attempt to give us some type of ending? Instead, hey decide to leave it all up in smoke. Thanks X-files, we are done here.
Into the Badlands
This was one of the best new shows I have seen in a while. It had two major things going for it;
1) It was different
2) It was entertaining as hell.
This show was full of complex and interesting actors, jam packed with cool stunts, in a world with somewhat supernatural powers that were just cool enough to keep you intrigued but not so out there that it turned you off for being too fake. So, I immediately jumped in, regardless of the fact that it was only 6 episodes, and was not announced a mini-series or limited-series. In the show’s defense, I knew what I was risking. Now, before I rant about this one, let me just say that they have confirmed a season 2.
Nevertheless, when season 1 ended with the biggest cliff hanger imaginable, AMC was yet to confirm whether another season would follow, and that is why this cliff hanger made me angry. It is one thing to purposefully end the season on a cliff hanger, fully knowing you have another season coming up, within reason though (cough cough…Walking Dead...#notcool). However, it is very different when you don’t know whether your show is gonna get picked up again. It’s like telling the fans that you don’t care whether they get a resolution or not, and it’s very disrespectful.
The Walking Dead
Sometimes a show gets so big, people will continue to watch for several seasons after its gone stale. You can tell, even as you watch, that they have pretty much run out of ideas. Now, when it came to the Walking Dead, I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about this, given that they are based on a comic book. Yet, this didn’t stop the show from being boring for half of season 5 and all of season 6. It was as if they were delaying on purpose, making you hang on for that final episode in season 6 when the biggest bad guy of them all shows up…enter Negan...
I probably would have been ok with it all, being that I loved the show, had they not pulled the biggest cheap move of them all, which, in an attempt to keep this rant spoiler free, I won’t divulge.
If you watch the show you may even be one of the millions of fans who ranted via social media (as this is likely one of the most famous rants of all time). If you don’t watch the show, well let’s just say it will be a good thing if you wait until the show is over to start watching.
Game of Thrones
Before you get all...
Let me clarify by saying this show is only on this list because of the recent news regarding season 7. Although I truly should be ranting about the cliff hanger at the end of season 6… but I digress…
Recent news reports suggest that the show has 12 episodes left. Yet, they plan on breaking it up into 2 seasons. This means fans will have to wait 2 more years for 12 episodes. Considering the show has 10 episodes a season, one must ask, would it kill them to put all 12 episodes into one season? Answer: NO, but they won’t do that, and you know why? I am gonna insert a GIF because typing dollar signs isn't fun anymore and apparently Obama is.
This is the most blatant example of the Hollywood “it’s all about the $$$$$” issue, or in this case HBO, who is laughing all the way to the bank, and possibly author George R. R. Martin, who is also like;
The end...
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