9 Huge TV Industry Ramifications Of Ripper Street's Amazon Instant Video Resurrection
6. The End Of The Unresolved Cliffhanger
Traditional television has been plagued by short notice cancellations and unresolved cliffhangers. Look at Twin Peaks, placed on an indefinite hiatus due to falling ratings. Then there was Carnivale, forced to wrap up the creators planned six season arc in the second seasons final half. Not forgetting The Borgias, whose planned two hour finale was axed in favour of another Vatican-inspired series subsequently dropped after pilot leaving the shows creator, Neil Jordan, forced to reveal The Borgias final moments in a script he shared online. The lack of closure provided by these frustrating non-endings is the greatest burden of the ardent television viewer. Audiences are encouraged to invest hours of their life in new shows, but the risk of an unresolved story is something that must be weighed up before deciding to watch. Threat of cancellation makes viewers listen more carefully to the critics, and places more power in the reviewers hands. Yet the hope of resurrection on streaming services could lead to more liberal, carefree viewing and more experimental audiences. If fans are vocal enough to rescue a show from death, it follows that more unfinished cliffhangers will be resolved.
A freelance features writer and online film critic, Natalie idolises screen writers from Terrence Winter to Larry David and Wes Anderson. Her favourite movies include Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 21 Grams and Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, while her guilty pleasures range from nineties teen flick Clueless to Jurassic Park and pre-Darcy, Colin Firth movie, Valmont. Please don't judge.
Natalie is currently enjoying television's renaissance in Boardwalk Empire, True Detective, The Newsroom and Veep but still has a soft spot for The X-Files and Seinfeld.
