If anyone ever wonders where some of these ideas come from, I just watched this year's Smallville cliffhanger. It was another great one from a show known for them. Not in order but at the top.

10. "Who shot J.R." from Dallas- I think this was the first one, but not a particular favorite, but as the first, deserves mention here.

9. Without a trace- last year ended with a shock- the episode appeared to be resolved when some of the agents suddenly came under fire- as I will say again on this list, some of the best ones were ones you never saw coming.

8. "Basics", Star Trek Voyager- this may get some flack, but it was a wild one, with a seemingly insurmountable dilemna.

7. Highlander, pt.1 of the immortal-watchers war. Another cliffhanger that was a surprise.

6. Dynasty, "The Moldavian Massacre"- any cliffhanger where the whole cast gets machine gunned at the end of pt.1 is cool with me.

5. "The Best of Both Worlds", Star Trek TNG- a lot of people's favorite, but I admit Im influenced by how poorly pt.2 lived up to pt.1.

4. Jag, the one with Harm and Mac in Russia. Freezing it with to be continued with a rocket about to hit their jet kept us all wondering all summer.

3. Descent, Star Trek TNG- Would have been number one if pt.2 had lived up to pt.1.

2. Star Trek DS9, the one where Dax dies and Sisko quits- not a true one with everyone in danger, but it was so heartfelt, and seemed to have no solution.

1. Diagnosis Murder, the one where the hospital is blown up. If you see this four parter in syndication now, you have no idea that pt.2 was a shocking, surprise season ending cliffhanger. I watched it when it was originally broadcast, and was floored by it as was everyone I knew. My personal favorite for a slew of reasons.