A cliffhanger is a plot device in fiction that places a main character in an unresolved, precarious situation, such as a sudden danger, a difficult dilemma, or a shocking revelation, designed to compel audiences to keep reading, watching, or waiting for the next installment.
I’ve spent years analyzing narrative techniques across books, films, and series, and cliffhangers remain one of the most powerful tools in a storyteller’s arsenal. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what a cliffhanger really is, where the term came from, the psychology that makes it so effective, and the five distinct types writers use today. You’ll also see famous examples from literature, film, and television, plus practical tips if you’re trying to write one yourself.
By the end, you’ll understand not just what a cliffhanger means, but why some leave you satisfied while others frustrate you, and how streaming has reshaped this age-old narrative trick.
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Where Did the Term ‘Cliffhanger’ Come From?
The word “cliffhanger” dates back to 2026 and originally described a literal scene where a character dangles from a cliff. The earliest well-known use appears in Thomas Hardy’s 1873 serial novel A Pair of Blue Eyes, in which a man clings to a cliff edge at the end of an installment.
Serialized fiction dominated the 19th century. Writers like Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, and Arthur Conan Doyle published novels in monthly or weekly magazines, and readers had to wait for each new chapter. Authors quickly learned that an unresolved ending kept audiences coming back.
Over time, “cliffhanger” became a general term for any unresolved ending, not just physical danger. Today it covers emotional dilemmas, shocking revelations, missing information, and even quiet pauses that leave readers hanging in suspense.
The phrase now lives far beyond literature. You can hear it in conversations about TV shows, films, podcasts, video games, and even product launches. The core meaning stays the same: a story deliberately leaves you wanting more.
Examples of Cliffhangers in Literature
Cliffhangers have shaped storytelling for centuries. Here are a few landmark examples that show how varied the device can be.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (1902): Conan Doyle famously serialized this Sherlock Holmes novel and ended one installment with the detective vanishing into the misty moorland at night. Readers wrote letters asking whether Holmes had died. Doyle returned months later with an explanation, but the suspense became part of the legend.
One Thousand and One Nights: One of the oldest cliffhangers in recorded history. Scheherazade tells King Shahryar a new story each night, stopping at the most suspenseful moment so the king spares her life to hear the ending. Without this narrative trick, the collection itself might never have survived.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (2005): The chapter ends with Dumbledore falling from the Astronomy Tower after being disarmed by Draco Malfoy. Readers had to wait years for the next book to learn who cast the killing curse. It remains one of the most discussed cliffhanger endings in modern publishing.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005): Lisbeth Salander vanishes after being shot, leaving her fate unknown for nearly 200 pages. The unresolved mystery fuels the sequel and helps the book become a global bestseller.
Across these examples, a pattern emerges: the best literary cliffhangers raise emotional stakes, not just physical ones. A character in danger works, but a character facing betrayal, identity collapse, or impossible moral choices stays with readers longer.
Examples of Cliffhangers in Film and Television
Film and television have turned the cliffhanger into a signature storytelling move, especially in episodic and serial formats.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and handed over to bounty hunter Boba Fett. The movie ends with his fate unresolved and the heroes separated. Audiences waited three years to find out whether Solo survived.
Breaking Bad season 4 finale: Walter White points a gun at his rival Gus Fring but the screen cuts to black. The two-year gap between seasons made this one of the most discussed TV cliffhangers in history. Viewers counted days until the resolution aired.
Game of Thrones season 1 finale: Ned Stark is executed after appearing to be saved. The shock redefined what TV audiences expected from a season-ending cliffhanger and helped establish the show’s reputation for subverting expectations.
Lost: No show used cliffhangers more aggressively than Lost. Every episode ended on a question, often multiple questions. The approach kept ratings sky-high for years, though the finale disappointed many viewers who felt unresolved mysteries outnumbered answers.
Inception (2010): Christopher Nolan’s film ends with the spinning top wobbling but never confirming whether it falls. Audiences still debate the meaning more than a decade later, which is exactly the kind of lingering suspense a great cliffhanger creates.
Why Do Cliffhangers Work? The Psychology Behind Them
Cliffhangers aren’t just a storytelling convention. They tap into specific psychological mechanisms that make them hard to resist.
The curiosity gap is the most powerful force at work. When your brain receives partial information, it actively tries to close the gap. Psychologists call this the “information gap theory,” and it explains why a half-answered question feels more compelling than a fully answered one.
Dopamine also plays a role. Neuroscience research shows that anticipation releases dopamine, the same neurotransmitter linked to reward. The longer you wait for a payoff, the stronger the feeling when it arrives. That’s why cliffhangers can feel physically uncomfortable, you are literally craving resolution.
Emotional investment deepens the effect. When you care about a character, an unresolved threat triggers genuine fear or anxiety. The cliffhanger works because the stakes are personal, not just narrative.
However, there’s a dark side. Overusing cliffhangers trains audiences to distrust the storyteller. Readers on writing forums consistently complain about cliffhangers that feel like gimmicks, especially when the same technique appears at the end of every chapter or episode. The effect flattens over time, and engagement drops instead of climbing.
The best cliffhangers balance suspense with payoff. They promise something meaningful and then deliver. The worst ones withhold resolution purely to manipulate attention, and audiences sense the difference quickly.
Types of Cliffhangers Writers Use
Not all cliffhangers are the same. Writer Ariele Sieling proposed a useful five-type taxonomy that helps separate the varieties into clear categories.
1. The Truncate. This is a hard stop. The scene cuts off mid-action, often at the moment of highest danger. Examples include a character about to be shot, a building exploding, or a hero falling. It works because viewers want to know whether they survive.
2. The Embankment. This cliffhanger drops a character into an unfamiliar or impossible situation. They might wake up in a strange place, lose their memory, or face an enemy they cannot defeat. The question is “how will they escape?” rather than “will they?”
3. The Flabbergast. This relies on a shocking twist or revelation. The protagonist’s worldview collapses, a trusted friend turns out to be a traitor, or an impossible truth is revealed. The audience wants the character to react, and they want to know what happens next.
4. The Threads. Multiple plotlines are left dangling at once. A few characters head into danger, a relationship is on the edge of collapse, and a mystery remains unsolved. The audience must return to see which thread gets pulled next.
5. The Fizzler. A quieter cliffhanger. Nothing dramatic happens, but a small detail or quiet moment carries enormous weight. A character puts down a phone and stares at the wall. A door closes. These endings often haunt readers longer than loud ones, because the meaning is open to interpretation.
Each type serves a different purpose. Truncate endings drive action. Flabbergast endings drive mystery. Threads endings drive serialization. Fizzlers drive emotional reflection. Skilled writers mix types rather than relying on the same one repeatedly.
How the Streaming Era Changed Cliffhangers
Streaming has reshaped the cliffhanger in ways that even five years ago would have seemed impossible.
When Netflix, Disney+, and other platforms drop entire seasons at once, the traditional week-to-week cliffhanger loses its power. There is no waiting. A viewer can finish a series in a weekend and move on. Studios responded in three main ways.
First, they split seasons. Many modern series release half a season, then wait months for the rest. This recreates a gap large enough to build anticipation. Stranger Things, The Witcher, and Ozark all use this approach.
Second, they expanded episode counts. Where broadcast TV relied on 22-episode seasons, streaming shows often run 8 to 10 tighter episodes, each ending on a stronger beat. Every scene becomes a potential cliffhanger.
Third, they used post-credits stings and tag scenes to bridge episodes, similar to how Marvel movies handle franchise-wide suspense.
On the reader side, self-publishing has changed literary cliffhangers too. Authors on Kindle Unlimited and serialized fiction platforms can release chapters weekly, then adjust pacing based on reader response. Cliffhangers in this format are tuned for engagement metrics, not just artistic effect.
The trade-off is clear. Streaming gives viewers control, but it also raises the bar for what counts as a satisfying cliffhanger. A tease that works for one week often feels hollow when measured against months or years of waiting.
Tips for Writing Effective Cliffhangers
Whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or short story, a few principles can help your cliffhangers land.
Raise the emotional stakes. Physical danger works, but readers stay for emotional resonance. End on a moment of betrayal, doubt, or impossible choice rather than just a sword fight.
Keep the gap small. A cliffhanger that takes 800 pages to resolve will frustrate readers. Aim for tension that pays off in the next chapter or episode.
Avoid the gimmick pattern. If every chapter ends with a sudden scream or a phone call, readers stop trusting you. Mix quiet moments with loud ones.
Promise something specific. The strongest cliffhangers hint at a clear question. “Will the hero survive?” is weak. “Did the hero’s best friend betray them?” is specific enough to demand an answer.
Deliver on the payoff. A cliffhanger is a contract. If you never pay off the suspense, readers remember. If you pay it off but raise a new question, they stay loyal.
Know your audience. Serialized fiction readers expect cliffhangers in every installment. Literary fiction readers often dislike them. Match your technique to your form.
Writers who master this balance build the kind of audience loyalty that turns one book into a series, or one show into a franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cliffhangers
What is an example of a cliffhanger?
A classic example is the ending of The Empire Strikes Back, where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and handed to a bounty hunter, leaving his fate unknown until the next film. In literature, the cliffhanger in One Thousand and One Nights works because Scheherazade stops each story at a suspenseful moment so the king spares her life.
What is a cliffhanger in a story?
A cliffhanger in a story is a narrative technique where the plot stops at a moment of high tension, leaving a question unanswered. It can appear at the end of a chapter, an episode, a season, or even a sentence, and it pushes the audience to keep reading, watching, or waiting for the next installment.
What does ‘cliffhanger’ mean?
The word cliffhanger means a story ending that leaves the main character in danger or an unresolved situation. Originally it referred to a literal scene of someone hanging from a cliff, but today it broadly describes any suspenseful unresolved moment designed to keep audiences engaged.
What is a cliffhanger in a movie?
In a movie, a cliffhanger is an ending scene that withholds key information or resolution. Films use cliffhangers to set up sequels, like Inception’s spinning top ambiguity, or to leave audiences with a haunting final image. Movie cliffhangers often blend physical danger with emotional or psychological tension to maximize suspense.
Final Thoughts on Cliffhangers
A cliffhanger is more than a trick to keep audiences watching. It is a fundamental narrative technique that builds suspense, deepens emotional investment, and rewards viewers who return for the next installment. From 19th-century serialized novels to modern streaming dramas, the cliffhanger has shaped how stories are told and how audiences experience them.
If you’re a writer, the takeaway is simple: use cliffhangers with intention. Mix the five types, deliver on your promises, and avoid the gimmick pattern that frustrates readers. If you’re a viewer or reader, the next time you feel your heart race at a season finale, you’ll know exactly why the technique works and what makes some endings satisfying while others leave you cold.
The cliffhanger isn’t going anywhere. As long as humans tell stories, we’ll keep finding new ways to leave each other hanging.