Four TV Shows With Cliffhanger Endings And How They Were Supposed To End

Being addicted to a television show can be tough sometimes. In a world of quick and easy cancellations, we have to consider whether or not we want to invest our time in characters or a series that might be ripped away from us at a moment's notice. We usually do it anyway, then find ourselves hoping our beloved show gets one more season. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work out. Such is the case with the four shows below. In these cases at least, the showrunners have offered up what would have happened had these four wonderful programs continued beyond cancellation.

A&E infuriated viewers when it abruptly cancelled The Glades at the end of Season 4, with Detective Jim Longworth lying in a pool of blood after being shot. The show ended on August 26, 2013, and we had to learn from the show's creator Clifton Campbell that Jim would have survived and the 5th season would have focused on finding the shooter. Campbell added something that let us know we weren't the only ones taken aback by the cancellation, too:

The cancellation took us all by surprise.

Though this show ended in 1997, faithful fans are still asking about that baby that suddenly appeared. How did it get into the Lois and Clark story? With so much fan speculation focused on the child, Brad Buckner, the Executive Producer of Seasons 3 and 4, was kind enough to explain some of the thinking. He gave an interview to Kryptonsite in 2003, answering the burning question: What would have happened in Season 5?

Lois and Clark became very attached to the little boy who began to grow at an abnormal rate, turning into a pre-teen in a matter of a few months. He also began to develop super powers, not all of which he used responsibly, since he was a troubled kid. Turns out he was Kryptonian royalty, stashed by his mother to keep him safe from assassins. In the end he had to (tearfully) leave the only parents he'd ever known (L & C) and return to save his imperiled people.

When Chuck ended in 2012, viewers still weren't certain whether or not Sarah's memories had returned. Did she remember her life with Chuck? That's one of the many reasons fans are still demanding a movie and/or one more season. They want absolute closure. Series Creator Chris Fedak, when speaking to TVLine, offered a different option.

I think it’s certainly a happy ending, but I also think that we like a little bit of ambiguity. Leave it up to the Chuck fans to take their own individual impression away.

When speaking about the fans, he went on to add:

But I do hope they feel very satisfied. I think the ending has a bit of magic to it. People should believe in how they wanted it to end.

Though some viewers consider the ambiguous ending of Angel to be a good one; others wanted to know if Angel and Spike survived the battle. What viewers didn't know was that Joss Whedon caused the show's cancellation by a pushing the WB for an early pickup for Season 6. So the writers had to write an ending befitting the show and the characters. Not all fans agreed the ending fit, however. They wanted answers, and Joss Whedon gave them when the show was continued in a comic book, Angel: After the Fall. In an interview with TV Guide, Whedon offered his thoughts on the series finale.

But the point of the show is that you're never done; no matter who goes down, the fight goes on. Did I end it this way so that it could lead into an exciting sixth season? Yes, but this is still a final statement, if that's what it needs to be.

It was because of our love for these shows that we wanted a clearer ending; however, with Angel, we understand now why it ended the way it did. They were planning for a 6th season, and that would have been a killer cliffhanger ending for Season 5. Still, the comic book gave us closure.

Fortunately, there is always hope for a movie or another season to tie up loose ends as in the case of The Glades and Chuck. For Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, there is always fan-fiction if that's your sort of thing. On the other hand, if you're like I am, you can always write your own ending in your head.