{"id":252506,"date":"2021-05-18T16:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/"},"modified":"2021-05-18T16:00:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T13:00:30","slug":"the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Ups and Downs of Season-Ending Cliffhangers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40878b86fa3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40878b86fa3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#A_Bone_to_Pick_With_Finale_Cliffhangers\" >A Bone to Pick With Finale Cliffhangers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#Zoeys_Playlist_Not_Depleted_Yet\" >Zoey\u2019s Playlist Not Depleted Yet<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#HBOs_Max_Factor\" >HBO\u2019s Max Factor<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#The_Migration_from_Broadcast_to_Streaming\" >The Migration from Broadcast to Streaming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#Was_Mom_Plotting_a_Backdoor_Spinoff\" >Was Mom Plotting a Backdoor Spinoff?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#Unhappy_Endings\" >Unhappy Endings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-ups-and-downs-of-season-ending-cliffhangers\/#And_Finally_%E2%80%A6\" >And Finally \u2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#The Ups and Downs of Season-Ending Cliffhangers<\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zoeys-extraordinary-playlist-season-2-finale-jane-levy.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div> <em>Welcome to the Q&amp;A with TV critic \u2014 also known to some TV fans as their \u201cTV therapist\u201d \u2014 Matt Roush, who\u2019ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today\u2019s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud, but there\u2019s always closed-captioning.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won\u2019t be addressing upcoming storylines here unless it\u2019s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to <\/em><em><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"8aebf9e1e7ebfefecafefce3e4f9e3eeeff8a4e9e5e7\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/em><em> (or use the <\/em><em>form at the end of the column<\/em><em>) and follow me on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> (@TVGMMattRoush). Look for Ask Matt columns on many Tuesdays and Fridays.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Bone_to_Pick_With_Finale_Cliffhangers\"><\/span>A Bone to Pick With Finale Cliffhangers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Question: <\/strong>What is your opinion on cliffhangers in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> finales? <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> broke out Friday that ABC\u2019s <em>American Housewife<\/em> was unfortunately canceled. We knew this were a bubble show, but did the ending where Katie announced she was pregnant seem like a Hail Mary to ABC to you? It doesn\u2019t seem that realistic that would have h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened if they knew they would have got renewed and could have focused the season on Taylor\u2019s wedding and Oliver\u2019s app development path. The <em>Young Sheldon<\/em> cliffhanger made sense as we know they have at least three more seasons ahead of them. Whereas <em>B Positive<\/em> is a mixed bag, as we kind of expected the series to be renewed since it\u2019s Chuck Lorre producing. Ending on that note when the series focused on the surgery all season seemed weird, but maybe it\u2019s to make sure people keep watching because their ratings have slipped since the 9:30\/ET slot move. \u2014 <em>Tyler<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> Cliffhangers are a risky business for shows that aren\u2019t guaranteed a future. I\u2019ve always advised against producers throwing in a big twist in the final moment as if that somehow gives them leverage against cancellation (the \u201cHail Mary\u201d strategy Tyler alluded to). It rarely works and usually adds to fans\u2019 frustration over the show being axed in the first place. With <em>American Housewife<\/em>, you could look at Katie\u2019s surprise announcement as a cliffhanger but also as a climactic moment that puts a button on the family\u2019s journey. (A true cliffhanger would have been Katie looking at a pregnancy test without learning the outcome.) It was somewhat riskier for <em>B Positive<\/em> not to give us the outcome of the transplant surgery that the season has building toward, but as Tyler noted, with Chuck Lorre behind it, the show was almost guaranteed at least a second season (along with <em>United States of Al<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>On a similar note, this week\u2019s finale of <em>Prodigal Son<\/em> (which I can\u2019t discuss in detail until after it airs) will likely frustrate or possibly delight the show\u2019s small but fervent fan base in its final moments. I can\u2019t fault the producers for ending the way they did, which obviously leaves us wanting more. But it\u2019s also the sort of watercooler moment that with perspective might eventually feel like a perfect ending.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zoeys_Playlist_Not_Depleted_Yet\"><\/span><strong><em>Zoey\u2019s<\/em><\/strong><strong> Playlist Not Depleted Yet<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Comment: <\/strong>They\u2019re not allowed to cancel <em>Zoey\u2019s Extraordinary Playlist<\/em> after Sunday\u2019s finale. I know it\u2019s a business decision and not a decision so much about whether the network likes the show or not. But if they don\u2019t renew it after that, this is going to be a really painful cancellation. \u2013 <em>Jake<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> Couldn\u2019t agree more. That final twist (spoiler alert) in which Max was able to witness Zoey\u2019s heart song \u2014 an expansion of her powers, or did they flip? \u2014 was a blast and a surprise. I do believe we\u2019ll see more of this wonderful show, but the buzz is that it could move to Peacock, a trend that will likely happen with more frequency as these companies evaluate which shows work best on which part of their corporate ecosystem.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"HBOs_Max_Factor\"><\/span><strong>HBO\u2019s Max Factor<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Question: <\/strong>There have been several interesting programs listed for HBO Max, which I do not have. Do you know if HBO plans on airing them later on HBO? \u2014 <em>Hal<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> It\u2019s possible some HBO Max originals could migrate to the original linear platform or one of its offshoots, but it seems unlikely. Streaming exclusives exist for a reason: to add value to the streamer and to drive traffic. I\u2019m not aware of the circumstances that limit your exposure to HBO Max, but if you subscribe to HBO, you\u2019re already subscribed to HBO Max. And if for whatever reason you can\u2019t access it on your TV, you could watch their shows on your computer or another device of your choosing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Migration_from_Broadcast_to_Streaming\"><\/span><strong>The Migration from Broadcast to Streaming<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Comment: <\/strong>This is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> comment. I hate to see shows go to streaming. I wish they would just end. For example: <em>The Orville<\/em> went to, what, Hulu? <em>Zoey<\/em> might go to Peacock. There are too many services to get them all, and I am afraid to pick one, because I will just get mad if my show ended up on another one, but I miss the shows I started watching on regular TV. \u2014 <em>Jeff B<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> I hear you, and I hear this a lot. We\u2019re quite clearly in a transitional moment that\u2019s only going to become more confusing and frustrating as network conglomerates shift their assets among their broadcast, cable and more frequently streaming platforms, which they see as their future. We\u2019re still waiting for a premiere date for <em>The Orville<\/em>, which has been MIA for two years already. That move was made for budgetary and creative reasons, announced way before the Fox network was jettisoned from its studio, but it was just one of the first examples of what\u2019s quickly becoming a trend. I understand the frustration, but I can\u2019t sign on to wishing the shows would just die if there\u2019s a pipeline to keep them going for a few more seasons (i.e., shows as various as <em>Lucifer<\/em> and <em>Longmire<\/em>, which both enjoyed extended post-network life on Netflix). Eventually, these episodes might be available in a format that wouldn\u2019t force you to subscribe to a streaming service, and this trajectory is only going to become more common, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Was_Mom_Plotting_a_Backdoor_Spinoff\"><\/span><strong>Was <em>Mom<\/em> Plotting a Backdoor Spinoff?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Question: <\/strong><em>Mom<\/em> started out with the focus on Bonnie and Christy, and the rebuilding of their relationship. It was more about the relationship than about the group of friends. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I loved the progression and the shift in focus. I hated to see it end. In the finale, they introduced Shannon and Jolene, a mother\/daughter pair similar to Bonnie\/Christy, just a little earlier in their story. Because of the caliber of actresses playing these roles (Melanie Lynskey and Rondi Reed), do you think it\u2019s possible Chuck Lorre might be setting up a new series in the vein of the early episodes of <em>Mom<\/em>? One that focuses on the pair and away from the support group? It could be interesting. They could have the occasional appearance by Bonnie, but really just be about the growing relationship between the mother and her daughter. It just makes sense to me. \u2014 <em>Mark<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> Hey, anything to keep the <em>Mom <\/em>vibe alive would be OK with me. But there\u2019s no indication that this is a plan or a possibility. My takeaway was that these combative new characters, a reminder of what Bonnie and Christy were probably like before we ever met them, was more of a symbolic move rather than a jumping-off point for a sequel. The entire episode was built around the notion that life would go on for this group and they\u2019d be there for each other and for new arrivals through any crisis, including Adam\u2019s cancer diagnosis. The fact that his bad news didn\u2019t send Bonnie into a tailspin was meant to give us hope that they\u2019d all be OK as long as they had each other. Pretty much a perfect fadeout as Wendy (Beth Hall) gets the final words: \u201cWho else would like to share?\u201d Although not everyone was satisfied.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unhappy_Endings\"><\/span><strong>Unhappy Endings<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Comment: <\/strong>After watching the <em>Mom<\/em> finale on Thursday, count me in the minority but I didn\u2019t like it. I feel that Chuck Lorre doesn\u2019t know how to end a show properly, even though <em>Mom<\/em> was called early in the season, unlike <em>The Big Bang Theory<\/em> and <em>Two and a Half Men<\/em>, whose finales I didn\u2019t like either. I think his last good finale was <em>Mike &amp; Molly<\/em>. Why so open-ended when you know it\u2019s the final season? Is it a dig at CBS? <em>Shameless<\/em> also suffered the same way. I think they both should\u2019ve wrapped when the stars left. At least Amy had the decency to come back to <em>Superstore<\/em>. \u2014 <em>Maddie, NJ<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush:<\/strong> If memory serves, we also knew well in advance when the ends of <em>The Big Bang Theory <\/em>and <em>Two and a Half Men<\/em> were coming. They were way bigger hits than <em>Mom<\/em>, albeit <em>Men <\/em>never really recovered from the Charlie Sheen debacle. Fact is, there\u2019s almost no way to end a series to please everyone, and staying with <em>Mom<\/em>, there\u2019s an argument often made that giving certain types of shows open endings are meant to provide a sense of comfort and satisfaction that we know these characters will be OK going forward without making a big deal about it. (And Jill did marry Andy in the finale, so that counts as an event, and the announcement of her pregnancy the week before gave some nice closure to one of their stories.) If there was any bone to pick with <em>Mom<\/em>, it\u2019s that Christy and her kids remained pretty much an afterthought in the final episode. The show had moved on, but it was always strange that as Bonnie got her life together, she remained such a distant grand-mom.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_Finally_%E2%80%A6\"><\/span><strong>And Finally \u2026 <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Question: <\/strong>I\u2019m wondering about <em>Killing Eve.<\/em> Is it over? I feel like I\u2019ve missed something somewhere during all the crazy things going on this past year or so? \u2014 <em>LP<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt Roush: <\/strong>It has been a baffling and overwhelming time, hasn\u2019t it? And that includes keeping track of everything happening in the tumultuous world of TV. The good news is that <em>Killing Eve<\/em> isn\u2019t over yet. The somewhat less good news is that the fourth season, most likely coming sometime in 2022, will be the last season, although there\u2019s talk of potential killer spinoffs.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all for now. We can\u2019t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to <span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"bbdac8d0d6dacfcffbcfcdd2d5c8d2dfdec995d8d4d6\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span> or shoot me a line on Twitter (@TVGMMattRoush), and you can also submit questions via the handy form below. (Please include a first name with your question.)<\/p>\n<p><strong><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/1-RAe_ksGG-QQ6ei0MT6ZKi2ImbkHs0xjVWvhDItBATw\/viewform?embedded=true#start=embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"550\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"\/><\/span><\/span>Loading\u2026<\/iframe><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/998048\/ask-matt-tv-cliffhangers-zoeys-extraordinary-playlist-mom-finale-killing-eve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#The Ups and Downs of Season-Ending Cliffhangers&#8221; Welcome to the Q&amp;A with TV critic \u2014 also known to some TV fans as their \u201cTV therapist\u201d \u2014 Matt Roush, who\u2019ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today\u2019s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zoeys-extraordinary-playlist-season-2-finale-jane-levy-1014x570.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}