Why the even seasons usually have a definitive end

[Hellgod]

But the odd seasons end on a cliffhanger? That's one thing that always interested me.
In season one, the show could have ended there with The Master defeated and the Hellmouth closed. Season Two, It ended on a cliffhanger with Buffy leaving town and Angel being killed. Season three could have ended the show with the gang surviving high school and preparing for college. Season Four ended with Restless which definitely set up the plot for S5. S5 was a book end for sure, Season Six ended with Spike getting his soul back as a cliffhanger. Season seven had a definite end, obviously, but if you count the comics, Season Eight ended on a cliffhanger. I always wondered if there was really a reason for this?

 

[Carrrrgh]

maybe just to keep the watchers interested. I know if i was watching a show that had so many definitive season enders i would probably lose interest because they are too predictable. sometimes you just need a cliffhanger to keep you from abandoning the show. i dont think Joss purposefully created that pattern of back and forth uncertainty but it definitely helped the show stay interesting.

if you think about it, the cliff hangers were always with the most popular characters. Season two ended with the 'death' of Angel but i think everyone had a feeling he would be back (and people hung on, wanting to know for sure he would be), and Buffy leaving Sunnydale but everyone wanted to see how it would happen or where she went when season 3 premiered. Season five ended with Buffys 'death' but how can you have a show called buffy the vampire slayer without buffy? Again people knew she would be back and tuned in to see how it would happen...same thing with Spikes soul in the end of season 6...Spike had become a fan favorite at this point in the show and you had to assume absolutely everyone was tuning into season seven to see the new Spike...

I think its just the way Joss keeps his fans interested and uses his fan-favorite characters to make it happen.

 

[Hale Caesar]

Season five ended with Buffys 'death' but how can you have a show called buffy the vampire slayer without buffy? Again people knew she would be back and tuned in to see how it would happen...

Season 5 was originally the series finale. Joss wrote it to be the final season, but UPN had shown interest in picking the show up for Season 6, so they took it. IIRC, when "The Gift" aired it was advertised as the series finale, because at the time the show was not going to be picked up for Season 6, I even heard it made newspapers...

 

[Carrrrgh]

Season 5 was originally the series finale. Joss wrote it to be the final season, but UPN had shown interest in picking the show up for Season 6, so they took it. IIRC, when "The Gift" aired it was advertised as the series finale, because at the time the show was not going to be picked up for Season 6, I even heard it made newspapers...

ohhh yes i forgot about that 🙂 that makes this even weirder then that its every other season with a big cliff hanger. Nevertheless, i would say it worked in Joss favor because that is one of the most powerful finales of the series, and i know i wasnt the only one itching to get to season six.

 

[zobothehobo]

How a season ends has a lot to do with how confident the writers feel that they will get another season. If a season ends in a cliffhanger, more often than not the showrunner is very confident about another season being ordered... having time to wrap it up. If a season has a definite end, it's less likely of that happening.

In season 3, the show's plot was being altered by time passing and a lot of times when you have a show about high-schoolers when they leave high school, the show fails. So that will explain that wrap up. In season 5, they had some drama with switching networks. And in season 7, they knew it was the final season.

 

[InsaneMystic]

Never thought of this before... nice find! It sure reminds me of the unwritten rule of (pre-reboot) Star Trek Movies: odd ones suck, even ones rock. 😀

 

[Five]

Actually, I think I remember an interview where they explained that for every season except the last three ones, they didn't know, at the time they shot the finales, whether or not the show would be picked up for another season.
That's why seasons 1-4 have kind of definitive endings. The end of Season 2 would have made a rather sad conclusion, but a conclusion nonetheless ; the end of Season 4 did wrap up most problems, even though ending on an episode like "Restless" would have made us... well... restless.
Season 5 was supposed to be the end, as mentioned.
For season 6, they already knew there would be a sesaon 7 (thanks to the change of channel, which was more efficient in warning their shows whether or not they would ever air again!), that's why that's the only season with a real cliff-hanger.
And season 7 was supposed to be the last one from the start.

There you go!

 

[SlayerFest]

Actually, I think I remember an interview where they explained that for every season except the last three ones, they didn't know, at the time they shot the finales, whether or not the show would be picked up for another season.
That's why seasons 1-4 have kind of definitive endings. The end of Season 2 would have made a rather sad conclusion, but a conclusion nonetheless ; the end of Season 4 did wrap up most problems, even though ending on an episode like "Restless" would have made us... well... restless.
Season 5 was supposed to be the end, as mentioned.
For season 6, they already knew there would be a sesaon 7 (thanks to the change of channel, which was more efficient in warning their shows whether or not they would ever air again!), that's why that's the only season with a real cliff-hanger.
And season 7 was supposed to be the last one from the start.

There you go!

What do you mean by "s. 7 was supposed to be the last one from the start?" How far in advance do you think? Because supposedly...Sarah told Joss that she didn't want to do Buffy anymore so he changed what he had in mind. Originally he wanted season 7 to focus on Dawn's "key-ness". Like her finding out exactly where she came from and...stuff.