Left Hanging: TV's Greatest Cliffhangers Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "New York Times" columnist William Stevens once described J.R. Ewing as "the Iago of Texas oilmen." Which long-running TV series' third season finale left audiences wondering, "Who shot J.R.?"

Answer: Dallas

A list of all-time greatest TV cliffhangers would be incomplete without mentioning "Dallas", starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing! The third season's final episode, "A House Divided", is thought to have started television's trend of leaving the audience hanging at the end of a season. Fans of "Dallas" waited eight months for the resolution to the infamous question, which wasn't revealed until the fourth episode of the following season.

"Dallas" tells the story of a wealthy oil tycoon of questionable moral fibre and the feuding that goes on within his family. It ran for 14 seasons, starting in 1978 and with the series' final episode airing on May 3, 1991.

"Big Rich Texas", "Walker, Texas Ranger" and "Lone Star" are other TV series set in Texas.

2. After a rocky love-hate relationship that lasted the entire season, Sam and Diane have a showdown in Sam's office that ends with a passionate kiss. "Well!" said the audience. "We saw that coming a mile away! But what will happen next?" Which long-running TV sit-com ended its first season with a bang? Er, a kiss?

Answer: Cheers

Cheers for you if you got this one right! "Cheers" tells the story of Sam Malone, a former baseball player who buys a bar after a career-ending bout of alcoholism. Diane Chambers is a sophisticated grad student who, after being abandoned by her fianc�, reluctantly takes a position as a waitress at Cheers. The show lasted 11 seasons, from 1985 until 1993.

"Alice", "Frank's Place" and "It's a Living" are other TV shows that take place in restaurants and bars.

3. Amanda Carrington's wedding to Prince Michael is interrupted when a band of terrorists open fire on the wedding party. All of the major characters are shown, lifeless, on the chapel floor. Which TV soap opera's fans screamed, "Who lived and who died!?" after the fifth season finale, referred to as the "Moldavian Massacre" episode?

Answer: Dynasty

"Dynasty" premiered in 1981 with minimal popularity; however, the addition of the scheming Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins) in the second season rocketed the show into the top twenty and by 1985 it was the most-watched TV show in the United States. The show ran for nine seasons until the final episode aired on May 11, 1989.

4. The crew of the 'Enterprise' have once again encountered the Borg Collective. The Borg abduct Picard, taking him aboard their ship where he is assimilated and given the new identity of Locutus. Believing rescue to be impossible, Riker orders his crew to fire on the Borg ship. Which sci-fi show's third season finale left fans wondering if their beloved captain was gone for good?

Answer: Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered in 1987 and ran for seven seasons, with the final episode airing on May 23, 1994. The show, starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, takes place in the year 2364, 100 years after the original "Star Trek" missions flown by Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew. (The original "Star Trek" series lasted only three seasons between 1966 and 1969.)

5. Things go awry for Montgomery Burns after he steals oil from the local elementary school: the fumes from the drilling close down Homer's favourite bar, and Bart's treehouse is demolished by a burst of oil escaping from the rig. When Mr. Burns plots to build a giant disc to block out the sun, it seems like everyone in Springfield has a reason to kill the wealthy villain. Which animated show's sixth season finale was entitled "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)"?

Answer: The Simpsons

"The Simpsons", created by Matt Groening, premiered as a primetime animated sit-com in 1989, although the characters of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson had previously appeared in animated shorts produced for "The Tracey Ullman Show" beginning in 1987.

In its 21st season (2009-2010), "The Simpsons" overtook "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running primetime television series in the United States.

6. "Will you marry me?" was the question that ended one show's fifth season, and audiences then had to wait four months to find out whether or not he said yes! Wait a minute! HE?! Which show's "Graduation" episode surprised fans with Topanga asking for Cory's hand in marriage?

Answer: Boy Meets World

"Boy Meets World" ran for seven seasons between 1993 and 2000. The series begins with Cory (Ben Savage), Topanga (Danielle Fischel) and Shawn (Rider Strong) in middle school and follows them through their high school years and into college.

Ben Savage's older brother, Fred, was the star of "The Wonder Years" (1988-1993).

7. "I take thee, Rachel..." Things were looking up for divorc� Ross when his girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal. She took it amiss, however, when he said another girl's name during his vows! In which show's fourth season finale did Ross make this huge gaffe?

Answer: Friends

"Friends" aired for ten seasons between 1994 and 2004. The show featured six friends, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courtney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer), going about their daily lives in New York City.

The show was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won seven, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for its eighth season in 2002.

8. Although this show eventually ran for two additional seasons, the last episode of the fifth season was touted as the series finale and ended, fittingly, with an epitaph written on the main character's headstone: "She saved the world a lot." In which show's not-so-final finale did the main character make the ultimate sacrifice to close a portal that would have destroyed the world?

Answer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ran for a total of seven seasons, on two networks, from 1993 until the actual series finale on May 20, 2003. The show was originally broadcast on the Warner Bros. television network. By season five, Warner Bros. was uncertain if it was going to continue with "Buffy", and so announced the cliffhanging finale. "Buffy" was then picked up by the United Paramount Network, which aired seasons six and seven. However, fans of the show were left wondering, for a time, if the show would even continue let alone HOW it could continue without Buffy!

Joss Whedon, who wrote the original movie script for "Buffy" and directed many of the TV show episodes, is also responsible for the spin-off series, "Angel", and fan favourites such as "Firefly" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog".

9. We all know the feeling of waking up in a strange place and wondering for a moment where we are. But what if you woke up in Hong Kong and couldn't remember the last two years of your life? Which series' second season finale ended with this weird twist?

Answer: Alias

"Alias" stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow and ran for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. In the first season of the show, Sydney is deceptively recruited by SD-6, a criminal organization posing as a section of the CIA. When she learns that she is in fact working for an enemy of the United States, Sydney contacts the real CIA and becomes a double-agent.

The show was created by J.J. Abrams, who was also a co-creator of "Lost" and "Fringe".

10. A smear campaign by his greatest nemesis has left the main character of this series discredited and in fear for the lives of his friends, which will only be spared if he takes his own life. In which series' second season finale, "The Reichenbach Fall", does the main character throw himself from the roof of the St. Bartholomew Hospital?

Answer: Sherlock

"Sherlock" is a modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories featuring the crime-fighting supersleuth of 221B Baker Street. The series began airing in the UK in 2010 and features Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.

The title of the episode refers to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "The Final Problem" (1893), in which it is alluded that Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty have both plummeted to their deaths from atop Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls. The author intended "The Final Problem" to be his last story featuring Sherlock Holmes; however, he eventually wrote a prequel novel, "The Hound of the Baskervilles", in 1901 and revived the character in "The Adventure of the Empty House" (1903) after finally giving in to pressure from his fans.

Source: Author LadyCaitriona

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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