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That one Saturday when every commercial break had the same Goosebumps episode cliffhanger
I remember one rainy Saturday in 1996 where I woke up at 6 AM to catch Power Rangers, then Land of the Lost, and by noon I had watched three different shows that all did a 'to be continued' split screen thing, and I spent the whole afternoon waiting for the next episode that never came because Fox Kids switched to a movie at 2.
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rayc381mo ago
But was it really that bad though? I mean, those cliffhangers kept me glued to the TV way longer than I should have been, and without them I probably would have just changed the channel to something dumb like the news. And that Land of the Lost episode with the Sleestak split screen actually made me remember the show better than the ones that just ended normally. Plus if they had followed through with the next episode at 2 instead of that movie, my mom would have made me go outside anyway... so the movie was probably a blessing in disguise. The whole point of Saturday morning cartoons was to build up that anticipation, not give you instant gratification like streaming does now.
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nathan_barnes1mo ago
Gotta disagree, those cliffhangers just frustrated me more than anything.
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the_wyatt6d ago
...and honestly I think that's exactly why I hated those cliffhangers so much, because they were a cheap trick that networks used to keep you from changing the channel to Nickelodeon or something better. You're saying they built anticipation, but I remember just feeling pissed off when the whole week would go by and I'd miss the next part because my family went to the grocery store or whatever. The whole "to be continued" thing was just a way for them to stretch one okay episode into two episodes worth of ad revenue, and half the time the resolution was super lame anyway (like the monster was just a dream or a misunderstanding). And that Land of the Lost split screen moment you mentioned? I actually thought that was more confusing than cool, like my brain couldn't process two screens at once while eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes.
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