From that Friends moment at the altar on Ross’s wedding day, to Hank’s realisation in Breaking Bad that Heisenberg may be closer than he thought, there’s nothing audiences love more than a gripping cliffhanger. But, with so much competition, is it possible to decipher which top TV cliffhanger was the most powerful?
In order to find out, the series-bingeing experts at findmycasino.com decided to delve into the world of TV legend and utilise YouTube statistics to identify the best TV cliffhangers of all time.
|
Rank
|
Show |
Description |
Views |
Likes |
YouTube analysis score/10 |
| 1 |
Game of Thrones |
The White Walkers invade |
13,000,000 |
100,000 |
9.74 |
| 2 |
The Office |
Jim and Pam kiss |
3,000,000 |
48,000 |
9.34 |
| 2 |
Breaking Bad |
Hank figures out Walt is Heisenberg |
3,700,000 |
38,000 |
9.34 |
| 3 |
Sherlock |
Sherlock jumps |
2,900,000 |
36,000 |
8.82 |
| 4 |
Friends |
Ross says the wrong name |
2,700,000 |
28,000 |
8.55 |
| 5 |
Grey’s Anatomy |
The last match goes out after the plane crash |
2,900,000 |
9,900 |
8.03 |
| 6 |
The Good Place |
Eleanor figures out she is in The Bad Place |
1,300,000 |
15,000 |
7.76 |
| 7 |
EastEnders |
Kat Slater reveals she is Zoe’s mum |
1,900,000 |
8,900 |
7.64 |
| 8 |
The Walking Dead |
Negan kills the cameraman |
1,000,000 |
15,000 |
7.37 |
| 9 |
Breaking Bad |
Jesse kills Gale |
861,000 |
15,000 |
7.24 |
| 10 |
Loki |
Loki is in a different TVA |
831,000 |
13,000 |
6.98 |
| 11 |
The West Wing |
The President is attacked |
1,100,000 |
2,900 |
6.97 |
| 12 |
The O.C. |
Marissa shoots Trey |
574,000 |
4,100 |
6.58 |
| 13 |
Stranger Things |
Hopper sacrifices himself |
382,000 |
4,800 |
6.32 |
| 14 |
Sons of Anarchy |
Abel is taken |
502,000 |
3,800 |
6.19 |
| 15 |
ER |
Lucy and Carter are stabbed |
1,000,000 |
2,000 |
6.06 |
| 16 |
Grey’s Anatomy |
Meredith meets Addison |
358,000 |
2,500 |
5.79 |
| 17 |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
Buffy sacrifices herself |
180,000 |
2,200 |
5.4 |
| 18 |
Lost |
Jack wants to go back |
232,000 |
1,900 |
4.74 |
| 19 |
The Simpsons |
Maggie shot Mr. Burns |
159,000 |
2,200 |
4.74 |
| 20 |
Star Trek: The Next Generation |
Picard is assimilated |
157,000 |
1,200 |
4.48 |
*= represents two values with an identical score
EastEnders’ Zoe Slater grabs seventh place
Now the stuff of UK TV legend, the iconic and highly quote-able line ‘You ain’t my mother!’ was first shouted in a revealing argument between Kat and Zoe Slater and aired on EastEnders in 2001. Now, over 20 years later, this captivating cliffhanger moment still holds true in seventh place with a YouTube analysis score (calculated using an average percentrank of YouTube views and likes) of 7.64/10. This episode also has a whopping 1.9 million views and 8,900 likes, beating big-budget dramas such as ER, The Walking Dead, and Lost.
Game of Thrones’ White Walker invasion tops the table
With many unexpected twists and turns through its eight-year television run, Game of Thrones takes the crown in first place with a near-perfect 9.74/10 YouTube analysis score. The ending of season 7’s epic finale, “The Dragon and the Wolf” throws the fate of all our favourite characters up in the air as the wall defending the Seven Kingdoms is breached. This Game of Thrones episode racks up a staggering 13 million views and 100,000 likes; a combined total that’s 33 times that of Stranger Things.
Breaking Bad and The Office come in joint second place, both with a YouTube analysis score of 9.34/10. In Breaking Bad’s nail-bitingly tense “Gliding Over All’, it’s revealed that DEA officer Hank is on the cusp of a realisation that could shatter the rest of the Breaking Bad storyline. Another gritty global favourite, this iconic finale still only rakes in 3.7 million views and 38,000 likes; less than a third of those gained by Game of Thrones’ “The Dragon and the Wolf” in first place.
In a tie with Breaking Bad, The Office’s infamous “Casino Night” episode, in which our favourite workplace besties, Jim and Pam, finally take the next step in their relationship, also hits second place. A classic favourite, this 2006 hit episode still has audiences shedding a tear over 15 years after it first aired. And, with a whopping 3 million views and 48,000 likes, this iconic kiss racks up eleven times the views and likes than Ross’s blunder at the altar in Friends, which only reached 2,728,000 views and likes total.
Detective drama, Sherlock, follows up in third place as the top UK representation in the table. The show’s 2012 episode “The Reichenbach Fall” gains an impressive YouTube analysis score of 8.82/10, with audiences left fearing that all is lost as Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock appears to seal his fate in this gasp-worthy episode. With 2.9 million views and 36,000 likes, viewers were left on tenterhooks at the end of this season finale.
And, in close fourth place, comes the Friends episode that had fans glued to their screens. In this unforgettable episode, Ross makes an unforgivable faux pas in his wedding ceremony to Emily. Gaining an 8.55/10 YouTube analysis score with 2.7 million views and 28,000 likes, this Friends hit scores just 0.27% behind Sherlock’s apparent demise.
The noughties were the best decade for TV cliffhangers
With almost half (45%) of the episodes in the top ranking having aired in the 2000s, it’s clear that the millennium brought with it a love of TV drama. The year 2012, however, was one of the most well-represented in the ranking, with Sherlock, Grey’s Anatomy and Breaking Bad delivering endless entertainment with over 9.5 million combined views and likes.
