10 Sitcoms That Ended on a Cliffhanger & Left Fans Furious

Sitcoms are a crucial part of the entertainment industry because they allow audiences to see life’s most difficult obstacles from a humorous perspective. As such, it can be really hard for writers to master their endings, mostly because fans never want the show to conclude. Fortunately, there have been some great sitcom finales that have given audiences a comprehensive sense of closure.

However, some sitcoms end on a cliffhanger, which leaves fans feeling disappointed rather than excited. Whether they got canceled prematurely or just offered fans an elusive conclusion, these sitcoms have tragically tarnished their legacy. Some sitcom cliffhangers are so bad that fans are still angry years after the final episode.

The Protagonist Never Got the Chance to Complete Their List

My Name Is Earl

My Name Is Earl is a truly heartwarming sitcom that focuses on the titular character as he tries to right his wrongs. Over the course of four seasons, Earl and his brother Randy traveled across the US so that the former could ask for forgiveness from all the people he had hurt. The infamous words «To be continued» were plastered across the screen in the last episode.

However, the show actually ended at a crucial moment. The last episode revealed that Earl was the father of one of Joy’s sons but not the other, placing more tension in this ongoing storyline. Yet, the show was canceled before the story finished, so fans still don’t know if Earl ever finished his list. Thus, after watching Earl strive to be a better man for many years, audiences were left with a very open ending.

A Zombie Couple Are Left for Dead

Santa Clarita Diet

Using an incredible blend of comedy and horror, Santa Clarita Diet surrounds a couple named Joel and Sheila Hammond. At first, everything is perfect, but it all comes crashing down when Sheila transforms into a zombie who craves the taste of human flesh. In the final scene of «The Cult of Sheila,» a huge zombie-like spider crawls into Joel’s brain, forcing Sheila to bite him.

However, the story stops there, so fans don’t know whether Joel is a zombie, dead, or just a plain old human. Fans were incredibly disappointed with the ending because the show did such a good job of explaining how the zombies worked throughout the show. Plus, with a truly fantastic cast at its disposal, audiences believe that Joel and Sheila should have received a better chance to say goodbye.

A Time-Traveling Duo Never Made It Home

Mork & Mindy

Despite being a spin-off of Happy Days, Mork & Mindy managed to become a comedic powerhouse in its own right. Alongside making Robin Williams and Pam Dawber household names, this show explored a wealth of wacky plots while keeping viewers engaged with a slow-burn romantic arc. In the series finale «Gotta Run Part 3,» the pair slip through the Vortex after being chased by Kalnick. They confess their fears to one another but continue to swirl through time and space with no way to get home.

Although the show gave fans some sense of closure in «The Monk Report,» the «Gotta Run» trilogy leaves fans questioning whether Mork and Mindy got home safely. It’s obvious that this trilogy left things on a cliffhanger so that the writers had a good starting point for their fifth season. But, since the show was already canceled, audiences were left with a very rushed conclusion.

This Sitcom Had Two Major Unresolved Cliffhangers

Moesha

Moesha broke the mold back in the ’90s by placing Black stories in the limelight. Aside from its notable cast and slick humor, this show was seeping with nail-biting drama. In the last episode of Season 6, Moesha left fans with two massive cliffhangers that still haven’t been fully explained.

Firstly, there was a pregnancy test in Moesha’s room, but fans didn’t know the result or who it actually belonged to. Plus, Moesha’s brother Myles went missing, so fans still don’t know what happened to him. As a teen sitcom, Moesha handled these sensitive topics with incredible levels of grace, so it’s a shame that the show never got the chance to follow through with these elusive storylines.

A Group of Survivors Meets a Mysterious Colony

The Last Man on Earth

As a whole, The Last Man on Earth offered a really interesting premise. After a deadly virus wipes out most of the population, a cynical man named Phil strives to find other survivors. Yet, as the show went on, this premise got very stale, and ratings slumped.

However, avid fans of the show were very upset about how it ended, especially because it kickstarted a whole new arc that was never explored. In the final episode, Phil and the other survivors find a quaint house in the middle of nowhere and decide to make it their new home. Suddenly, the group is surrounded by spooky underground colonists. Although the alternate ending has since been revealed, a lot of audiences just wished that The Last Man on Earth had quit while it was ahead.

A Racist Feud Comes to an End but Without Much Explanation

Benson

Benson follows the titular character as he manages all of Governor Eugene Gatling’s household affairs. Thus, while everything else is falling down around him. Benson remains a sarcastic voice of reason. Yet, the protagonist eventually climbs up the ranks and, in the final season, runs against Gatling for Governor.

In the final scene, the pair manage to find some common ground and learn that they can still be friends despite their politics. However, the audience never learned who actually won the election. Overall, Benson offers a really endearing message about acceptance and power, but fans still wanted to see the man revel in the glory of his winning campaign.

A Humble Alien Gets Snatched at the Last Minute

ALF

While it’s certainly not to everyone’s taste, ALF managed to expertly blend the nuances of sci-fi and comedy. After living with the Tanners for four years, ALF receives a call from his friends explaining that they are planning to take him home. But, at the last moment, it is revealed that the Alien Task Force traced the call and were planning to kidnap him.

As ALF looks up at the ominous spaceship above him, the screen suddenly cuts to black. Again, this cliffhanger left fans with even more questions, especially about what happened to the Tannerers. Luckily, everything was resolved in Project ALF, which came out six years after the final episode.

A Budding Star Awaits His Test Results

Everybody Hates Chris

Everybody Hates Chris tells the story of comedian Chris Rock. The show depicts his life growing up in New York City with his working-class family, showing that even some of the most famous faces in the industry had to start somewhere. As he reached his teen years, the show shifted quite a lot, and Chris spent most of his days trying to let him complete a GED so that he could pursue comedy.

In the final episode, Julius holds Chris’ GED results, and the boy nervously asks, «What does it say?» The scene then abruptly cuts to black, leaving fans bitterly disappointed. Of course, this ending symbolizes that Chris’ school grades don’t really matter because the audience already knows that he grew up to be a comedian. However, the swift ending left even the most prominent characters in the dark.

A Satirical Soap Opera Left a Lot of Loose Ends

Soap

Even in the late 1970s, Soap was an incredible parody of daytime soap operas. Over the course of four seasons, the characters experienced alien abductions, serial killers, and a Communist revolution, all within the space of half an hour. Yet, the final episode was less entertaining and more ridiculous.

In the very last episode, a plethora of cliffhangers were created, including Jessica being executed, Chester trying to kill his wife, and Jodie believing she’s a 90-year-old Jewish man. It’s obvious that these cliffhangers are supposed to mimic the ludicrous nature of real soaps, but fans wanted something a little more concrete. Overall, the final episode felt extremely disjointed and left audiences feeling completely isolated from the actual plot.

A Wife Drops the Ultimate Bombshell on Her Family

My Wife and Kids

Michael is the typical patriarch and wants nothing more than for his family to be happy and healthy. But with a reckless son, broody daughters, and career-obsessed wife, he certainly has his work cut out for him. My Wife and Kids was a very successful sitcom because it showcased the ups and downs of a seemingly normal family.

In its final episode, Jay tries to convince her husband to get a vasectomy, but he declines. She then decides to have a hysterectomy, but as she walks out of the clinic, she confesses that she’s pregnant. Unfortunately, the show didn’t get picked up for a sixth season, so fans never got to see the beautiful Kyle family blossom even more.