8 Cheapest Season Finale Cliffhangers In TV History

7. Sherlock - Did You Miss Me?

Sherlock Miss Me
BBC

Sherlock had already had one major cliffhanger with The Reichenbach Fall, which in and of itself was great, even if the resolution was not. Because of the latter, it was already on shaky ground in Series 3, which is when Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat's show started to spiral downwards.

The main season wraps up after Sherlock kills Charles Augustus Magnussen, with Mycroft having his brother sent overseas rather than face trial, when those plans are upended by the return of Holmes' biggest nemesis: Moriarty.

The villain's face appears on screens all over the country, asking "Did you miss me?" And yes, Moriarty had been missed, because Andrew Scott played him brilliantly and he was a superb antagonist across Sherlock's first two seasons. But his story was also very much done, with no means or necessity of bringing him back in any way that was satisfying. The outcome would only make it worse, but even just in the moment this was a transparent trick to ensure viewers who might've been tiring of the show were sucked right back in when Series 4 eventually rolled around.

[James Hunt]

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