cliffhanger
Serial's suspenseful pause
A cliffhanger is a story or situation that leaves you in suspense at a critical moment.
The term comes from serialized fiction where episodes would end with a character literally hanging from a cliff—tune in next week.
Now it applies to any dramatic pause before resolution: The season finale was a cliffhanger, The election remained a cliffhanger into the night.
Extremely tense or anxious
- edge-of-your-seatIntensely suspenseful experience
- grippingHolding attention completely
- rivetingCompletely holding one's attention
- page-turnerCompulsively readable book
thriller · mystery · intrigue · unpredictable · peril · jeopardy · ominous · foreboding
Storyline or land parcel
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- storylineSequence of fictional events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- arcCurved line segment
foreshadowing · subplot · episode · serial · hook · reveal · setup · payoff
Concluding part of performance
- unresolvedLacking final determination
- open-endedLacking fixed boundaries
- inconclusiveNot yielding a decision
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
cutoff · abrupt · shocking · jaw-dropping · bombshell · revelation · fadeout · freeze-frame
Difficult, unpleasant situation
- perilSerious threat of harm
- life-or-deathHaving ultimate stakes
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
jeopardy · danger · precarious · desperate · hanging · brink · verge · fate
Belief about future outcomes
- curiosityDesire to learn
- eagernessIntense willingness to act
- impatienceIntolerance of delay
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
speculation · awaiting · watchfulness · binge-watching · countdown · teaser · preview · waiting
nail-biting
Extremely tense or anxious
- edge-of-your-seatIntensely suspenseful experience
- grippingHolding attention completely
- rivetingCompletely holding one's attention
page-turner · thriller · mystery · intrigue · unpredictable · peril · jeopardy · ominous · foreboding · compelling
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- storylineSequence of fictional events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
arc · foreshadowing · subplot · episode · serial · hook · reveal · setup · payoff · chapter
finale
Concluding part of performance
- unresolvedLacking final determination
- open-endedLacking fixed boundaries
- inconclusiveNot yielding a decision
ambiguous · cutoff · abrupt · shocking · jaw-dropping · bombshell · revelation · fadeout · freeze-frame · interrupted
predicament
Difficult, unpleasant situation
- perilSerious threat of harm
- life-or-deathHaving ultimate stakes
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
crisis · jeopardy · danger · precarious · desperate · hanging · brink · verge · fate · doom
expectation
Belief about future outcomes
- curiosityDesire to learn
- eagernessIntense willingness to act
- impatienceIntolerance of delay
excitement · speculation · awaiting · watchfulness · binge-watching · countdown · teaser · preview · waiting · longing
- dramaTV drama, acting, television drama, drama school, playwright
- Television Historygolden age, broadcast networks, network television, color TV, live broadcasts
- sitcomssitcom, sitcoms, episode, episodic, season
- thriller tropesplot twist, red herring, whodunit, femme fatale, murder mystery
- TV seriesTV series, drama series, sitcom, soap opera, miniseries
- clickbaitclickbait, curiosity gap, listicle, listicles, sensationalism
cliffhangerresolution
Formal decision or determination
conclusion · closure · denouement · happy ending · wrap-up
cliffhangeranticlimax
Disappointing conclusion after buildup
letdown · damp squib · fizzle · whimper · disappointment
- cliffhanger endingUnresolved dramatic conclusion