We have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. How about you?
It's almostbecome a trope that shows hit the brakes for the season in the middle of a scene, with characters in danger of death, being sent to jail, or about to accept marriage proposals.
That keeps us talking all summer long, but if the cliffhanger is strong enough, waiting for the next season to begin is torturous!
2023 brought many jaw-dropping cliffhangers. Now that the dust has settled a bit, check out our list of the most shocking ones, and let us know if we've included your favorite!
1. Chicago Med - Will Leaves The Hospital
All right, so this isn't the kind of cliffhanger that makes us wonder what will happen next since Will's story is over. Still, the loss of the doctor who has been doing the wrong thing for the right reason since the series began is a big shock, and it leaves us wondering who will fill Will's shoes, especially with Dayton selling the hospital.
2. Chicago Fire - Casey Proposes to Sylvie
Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 22 had too many cliffhangers! But the most jaw-dropping was the Brettsey proposal. It was a pleasant surprise that we didn't see coming because Sylvie and Casey were in different places, literally and otherwise. Even if they were in love with each other, there were still some unresolved issues between them which were what we would have expected to be addressed first. And we didn't see Sylvie's response, so it could go either way.
3. Fire Country - Bode Sabotages His Future
After Bode confessed to something he didn't do, we expected the parole hearing to be a done deal with how much he had improved, but shame on us! The whole show failed to make sense after that cliffhanger, and how season 2 will look is anyone's guess. Let's hope the changes ahead are good for the series.
4. Power Book II: Ghost - Tariq and Brayden Dig Too Deep
Power is known for creating great cliffhangers, and Power Book II Ghost Season 3 was no exception. After spending a lot of time switching alliances, Tariq and Brayden finally dug themselves a hole they might not get out of. The best thing one can have in the game is allies, and two college guys against established drug dealers are not good odds. Going into Power Book II: Ghost Season 4, things are bound to look much different.
5. 1923 - Alex and Spencer's Separation
It was plain rude the way they toyed with Spencer and Alex, and to have them separated after they went through so much to get so far was heartbreaking! Not to mention it's a sincere possibility that Alex is pregnant, which, together with Elizabeth's miscarriage, threw another big question mark into who among them will be creating a family line that leads to modern-day Yellowstone. The real kicker? Every story ended in its middle, giving us a bit of a cliffhanger hangover as a result.
6. Chicago PD - Ruzek Gets Shot
The primary case with the Becks reached a heart-pounding conclusion on Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 22, but nothing had us gasping more than when young Callum shot Ruzek on his racist crime leader grandfather's orders, and then Samantha and Callum left Ruzek for dead. We were left to wonder if he lived or died, as the finale opted to leave us in the dark as the rest of the unit wrapped up the case while Ruzek "went into surgery."