The sci-fi genre is one that has been capturing audiences’ imaginations for generations, having found success in almost every imaginable medium. Science fiction’s way of taking speculative stories about technological advancement and extraterrestrial life and spinning them into gripping narratives has led to many incredible books, movies, and TV shows over the years. Many of the best sci-fi TV shows are given the opportunity to weave their narratives over a period of years, with consistent viewership being among the main criteria for a show to earn additional seasons. However, not all shows are as lucky and instead end altogether too abruptly.
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Some sci-fi shows opt to end a season’s story on a cliffhanger designed to bolster interest in further instalments, only for the powers that be to cancel them before they can deliver. While many TV shows have ended on cliffhangers, sci-fi shows often seem to do so in the worst way possible, teasing tantalising mysteries doomed never to be resolved. This was the case for all of the following, with some still proving to be incredibly frustrating even years later.
5) The Whispers (2015)
The Whispers is a sci-fi show that bafflingly never seemed to receive the love it deserves. Adapted from a short story by legendary sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and featuring an impressive cast led by Lily Rabe and Milo Ventimiglia, The Whispers also earned critical praise during its single-season run. Sadly, it was canceled before its second season, leaving its story unresolved.
The show’s narrative concerned a group of children behaving bizarrely after the arrival of a mysterious imaginary friend named Drill. The final episode ended with the reveal of the true plan of Drill — actually an alien race who have been contacting Earth for some time — to abduct the children. It ends with the aliens absconding with their victims, setting up a story that was destined never to be continued, with the sci-fi show ending on a frustrating cliffhanger.
4) Sunny (2024)
Sunny is an example of a great recent sci-fi TV show that nobody talks about, but perhaps for good reason. Considering the show was unceremoniously axed after a single season, its audience will never be satisfied with its story, which is doomed never to be resolved. It follows a woman, Suzie (Rashida Jones), living in near-future Kyoto who receives a domestic robot after the disappearance of her husband and son.
Sunny‘s story explores Suzie’s grief over the loss of her family and the bond she begins to form with her new robotic friend. Its slow-burning story hinted at corporate conspiracy and a potential mystery, with season one’s final episode hinting that Sunny could be connected to her husband’s disappearance or potential whereabouts. It was a huge bombshell to end the season on, but sadly, fans will never learn the truth.
3) The Society (2019)
The Society isn’t among the best-known sci-fi shows of recent years, and that’s unsurprising considering its frustrating end. The show ran for a single season, and its tense thriller narrative was only revealed as sci-fi as part of its final cliffhanger. Considering it had clear potential to become a truly great sci-fi TV series, its premature cancellation is especially irritating.
The show follows a group of teenagers who are forced to cooperate in order to run their community after returning from a field trip to find that the population of their town has disappeared. Inexplicably disconnected from the outside world, the show’s central mystery and dystopian undertones made its story exceptionally gripping, with its final episode revealing that they were actually trapped in an alternate reality. The cliffhanger set up the announced second season, which was then frustratingly cancelled before coming to fruition.
2) Sliders (1995-2000)
Once considered one of the best sci-fi shows on TV, Sliders has instead become remembered for a far less flattering reason. The show ran for five seasons and followed a group of people who travel between parallel universes in the hope of returning home to their own reality. It delivered several memorable sci-fi TV moments, though its final season ended things on an infuriating note.
Having spent its entire run building up a massive narrative arc involving protagonist Quinn’s origins, the season 5 finale saw his story left ambiguously. The rest of its cast then made one final jump, though their destination was never revealed. Every major plot thread in the show was left dangling, with many considering Sliders a classic example of a sci-fi show that deserved one more season just to wrap up its story.
1) FlashForward (2009-2010)
FlashForward has become relatively infamous within sci-fi circles, with its name inspiring exasperation in all who have seen it. The show’s central premise follows a group of FBI agents investigating an unexplained phenomenon in which the majority of the Earth’s population blacked out simultaneously, receiving a short glimpse six months into their future. A blend of mystery, drama, and sci-fi, FlashForward impressed critics and audiences alike upon first airing.
Unfortunately, it was instead destined to deliver one of the most frustrating sci-fi TV cliffhangers of all time. The season 1 finale doubled down on its central mystery, with another blackout hitting the world, providing viewers with a tantalising peek at what was to come in the next chapter of its story. Considering that FlashForward actually gave hints as to where it was heading, the fact that the cliffhanger won’t ever be resolved still stings more than a decade later.
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