8 Cheapest Season Finale Cliffhangers In TV History

3. The Simpsons - Nedna

The Simpsons Nedna
Fox

Yes, this did come at the end of Season 22, which means that we're well into the territory of Bad Simpsons, where they would routinely dine out on guest stars and references to when things were actually good. Even by those standards, though, the Nedna cliffhanger stinks of a show that has completely lost its way and has no route back.

The name refers to the couple at the heart of the cliffhanger, Ned Flanders and Edna Krabappel, who had started dating in the finale, titled The Ned-liest Catch. After the episode, fans were given the choice to decide the fate of the pair, with the ability to vote on whether or not they were Pro Nedna or No Nedna.

As we've seen in recent years, you should never take something to the people when you don't have to, and the fact this was officially called 'the 2011 Fox The Simpsons fan initiative' reveals the corporate intentions behind it. The Simpsons had great success with the 'Who Shot Mr Burns?' cliffhanger, and here they were, a quarter-of-a-century later, with a far worse, far cheaper ending that asks viewers to do the writers' job for them.

[James]

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.