The Cliffhanger Curse: Why ‘Chicago Fire’ Fans Have a Major Gripe with the Series’ Endings 🤯
For over a decade, Chicago Fire has been a master of high-stakes drama. But while the fires are intense and the rescues are breathtaking, it’s the season finales that often leave fans more frustrated than thrilled. The show has a long-standing tradition of ending its seasons on a massive cliffhanger, leaving the fates of beloved characters hanging in the balance. While a well-executed cliffhanger can build excitement for the next season, Chicago Fire has been criticized by its loyal fanbase for its reliance on a predictable and often repetitive formula. The “is-he-or-is-she-dead” endings have become a major gripe for fans, a source of collective eye-rolling and a test of their patience. This article explores why the show’s cliffhangers have become a problem and why fans are sick of the series’ “will-they-survive” endings.
The Anatomy of a ‘Chicago Fire’ Cliffhanger 💥
The typical Chicago Fire cliffhanger follows a predictable script: a major event, usually a fire, explosion, or building collapse, puts the lives of multiple characters at risk. The final moments of the season are often a quick-cut montage of chaos, with a close-up shot of a character looking terrified, followed by a smash-to-black. The camera often lingers on a character’s face just long enough for fans to wonder if this is the last time they’ll see them. This formula has been used time and time again, from the Season 2 finale’s massive explosion to the Season 11 finale’s warehouse fire.
The problem with this formula is that it has become a predictable and tired trope. The audience knows that the show will not kill off more than one major character at a time, if at all. The stakes, while presented as life-or-death, are often not as high as the show wants us to believe. Fans are now able to predict the outcome of a cliffhanger with a frustrating degree of accuracy. The suspense, which is the point of a cliffhanger, is gone, replaced by a sense of narrative fatigue.
The ‘Will They Survive?’ Game 🤨
The show’s reliance on the “will they survive?” cliffhanger has turned the end of each season into a frustrating guessing game for fans. The show often places multiple characters in peril, leading to a long and painful hiatus where fans are left to speculate on who, if anyone, will be killed off. The speculation is a fun part of a fanbase, but when it becomes the only thing a show is doing, it can get old.
The show’s most famous and frustrating cliffhangers involve this very trope. In the Season 5 finale, Casey and his team were trapped in a burning warehouse, and the show left their fates in the air. The Season 7 finale saw the crew in a high-stakes call that ended with a building collapse, and the Season 8 finale saw the entire team in a massive fire that led to a “to-be-continued” ending. In each case, fans were left with a sinking feeling, knowing that while the show was trying to be dramatic, it was also just playing a game.
The problem is that the “will they survive?” game has no real stakes anymore. The audience knows that the show’s core cast is protected by their contracts and that the show will not kill off a beloved character without a major and emotional send-off. The result is that the cliffhangers, which are meant to be a source of tension, become a source of annoyance.
The Narrative Consequences: A Lack of Real Stakes 😩
The reliance on cliffhangers has had a negative impact on the show’s narrative. The show often builds up a compelling storyline throughout the season, only to end it with a cheap “to-be-continued” ending. This leaves the audience feeling cheated, as the show is not providing a satisfying conclusion to its season-long arcs. The show is constantly putting its characters in peril, but it is not following through with the emotional and professional consequences of these events.
A perfect example of this is the Season 11 finale, which saw the entire crew of Firehouse 51 facing a massive fire that ended in a building collapse. The show left the fates of several characters in the air, including Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), who was in the middle of a major professional and personal storyline. The cliffhanger was a major source of frustration for fans who felt that the show was not only playing a predictable game but was also disrespecting the emotional and professional journeys of its characters.
The show’s reliance on cliffhangers has also led to a lack of real stakes. The audience knows that the show will not make a difficult decision without a major and public announcement. The show has a long history of a character’s death being revealed in a simple, quiet way, and the show’s cliffhangers are not the way it handles a major death. The result is that the audience is not invested in the drama, as they know that the outcome has already been decided.
The Solution: A New Kind of Ending ✨
The solution to the Chicago Fire cliffhanger problem is a simple one: a new kind of ending. The show doesn’t need to end every season on a massive explosion or a building collapse. It can end a season on a quiet, emotional moment, a new beginning, or a satisfying conclusion to a season-long arc. The show can still have drama and tension without putting its characters’ lives in peril.
A perfect example of this is the show’s handling of Matthew Casey’s departure. The show gave him a beautiful, emotional send-off that was a perfect tribute to his character’s journey. It was a finale that was both sad and hopeful, a perfect conclusion to a long and emotional story. The show should learn from this and create endings that are a testament to its characters and their emotional journeys, not a predictable game of “will-they-survive.”
In the end, Chicago Fire is a show that has a lot of heart, a lot of action, and a lot of great characters. But its reliance on a predictable and tired cliffhanger formula is a major gripe for fans. The show needs to learn that a great season finale is not about a cheap scare but about a satisfying conclusion to a season-long story. It’s time for the show to end its cliffhanger curse and to give its fans the endings they deserve.
