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The polar opposite of a [[Grand Finale]]: a series ends abruptly, without resolution of its basic premise, due to some unplanned event such as [[Cancellation]] or [[Author Existence Failure]]. The story does not end, it simply stops ''in medias res'', possibly with a [[Cliff Hanger]]. In a few lucky cases, [[The Resolution Will Not Be Televised]], but goes directly to DVD. In even luckier cases the series will be able to [[Wrap It Up]] with a miniseries or theatrical film. More often than not, however, there is no final resolution.
Even more frustratingly, often shows create [[Myth Arc]]s haphazardly, stringing viewers along and never really intending to offer any conclusion to the story [[arc]]s they tell the first 2/3s of, or answering the questions they raise. This is called [[The Chris Carter Effect]], and it typically occurs when [[They Just Didn't Care]].
Sadly common in [[Web Comics]], since these are often one-man shows, and hobby ones at that, and [[Real Life Writes the Plot]] (or doesn't, to be accurate) when the authors get too busy to continue. Moreover, quite a few television shows had also got cut short by The Writer's Strike of 2007. Some did manage to continue, but others were left in the dust. For that matter, pretty much ''every single'' Western animated series with a series-long plot arc tends to suffer from thin trope. It'd be easier to just list those that ''weren't'' Cut Short.
Compare [[No Ending]], in which there is a deliberate decision to end a work abruptly. Can also happen to [[Curse Cut Short|curses]]. If it doesn't deal with the major plot issues, a [[Gecko Ending]] will include this. See also [[Left Hanging]], [[Orphaned Series|Orphaned Ser]]
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* The anime version of ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'' ended at volume 12 or so of the manga, leaving the "Kaoru and Aoi" plot thread unresolved. (The manga ran for 17 volumes and did have a proper ending.)
* ''[[Gantz]]'', or rather the anime version: due to the very slow updating of the source manga, only the first three arcs were adapted before a [[Gecko Ending|confusing filler ending]] concluded the series.
* The ''[[Love Hina]]'' anime finished its first season, began setting up a second... before getting canceled a few episodes in and with zero resolution. Eventually, a few [[OVA]]s came out that tried to rush through the missing plot arcs.
* The first anime version of ''[[Berserk]]'' notoriously ends at the conclusion of "Band of the Hawks", a very long flashback that explains [[How We Got Here]] for the first few episodes. Not only does this leave the series with a massive [[Downer Ending]], it isn't clear how they'd get out (even though you ''know'' they do because of the opening episodes), {{spoiler|because the Skull Knight - who rescues Guts and Casca in the manga - isn't in the anime}}.
* ''[[Rozen Maiden]]'', whose anime [[Overtook the Manga]] and whose manga tragically ended (but now it's starting again) with a [[Deus Ex Machina]] (and an apology) following a dispute between the producers and the publishers.
* The ''[[Pretty Face]]'' manga was also cut short. While the ending was clearly intentional, only one of the major plot points was resolved on screen, and a whole additional year passed with the basic premise, with no clear reason why that didn't deserve to be shown, whilst the year we did see did.
** Ditto ''[[Mx0]]''. How the guy was able to continue illustrating after those is an incredible feat altogether.
* ''[[Double Arts]]'', a [[Shonen]] manga,had just finished setting up its premise, characters, the [[Big Bad]], even debuted the titular fighting style,and it was really starting to distinguish itself from its generic beginnings... [[I Should Write a Book About This|when the person writing the tale closed the book saying, "I may continue it... some other time"]].
* Ditto ''[[To LOVE-Ru]]'', which had a very very unsatisfying ending due to the [[Creator Breakdown]] the artist went
** Even though the story has taken a rather drastic change in tone and major characters, it has seemed to successfully subvert this trope and is now continuing.
** Now Kentaro Yabuki might try to fire back at his ex-wife with ''[[Mayoi Neko Overrun]]''.
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* The ''[[Galaxy Angel (anime)|Galaxy Angel]]'' anime parodies this. At the end of every single season, a huge cliffhanger is set up, and the next season makes absolutely no mention of it whatsoever.
* ''[[Pet Shop of Horrors]]'' only had FOUR episodes made, there's no introduction of the plot from the manga or any explanation of why Count D does what he does, for a ten volume Manga (which is complete and with a sequel in progress) it is very disappointing that the anime didn't get into any of it.
* The anime version of ''[[Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo
** That's because there was a large petition (or something of the sort) from parents in Japan who thought the show was offensive, stupid, [[Comedic Sociopathy|and encouraged bullying.]]
* The ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'' anime ended this way, right after the Future Arc when they come home, all they do is say that Tsuna needs more training before coming a boss and just stare at the sky right when the credits roll. The manga is still ongoing.
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* The ''[[Aoi Hana]]'' anime cuts off right at the crucial moment at which {{spoiler|Fumi realizes Akira was her first love}}. Originally more seasons were planned, but due to disappointing DVD-sales it's highly unlikely any more will be produced.
* The ''[[SWOT]]'' manga ended rather abruptly at chapter 20, right after the conclusion of a fight that would've been building up to a [[Tournament Arc]].
* While ''Wild Knights Gulkeeva'' does end with the heroes having a showdown with the [[Big Bad]], {{spoiler|it's made clear that the [[The End of the World as We Know It|main crisis befalling earth]] hasn't been averted yet and that the [[Big Bad]]'s [[My Death Is Just the Beginning|spirit still lingers in the parallel world the heroes hail from]] and needs to be defeated before earth is totally safe.}} In addition, {{spoiler|[[The Dragon]] becomes [[The Unfought]] because he doesn't see [[The Hero]] as worthy of a battle yet (The [[Big Bad]]'s physical form was defeated by a [[Deus Ex Machina]] partially powered by a [[Heroic Sacrifice]])}}, and on top of all that, {{spoiler|a minor supporting character reveals his [[Face Heel Turn]]}} and there's a conversation with [[The Dragon]] vaguely talking about an [[Artifact of Doom]] [[MacGuffin]]. It's clear the show was setting up for another story arc, but was cut due to poor ratings.
* The anime of ''[[Kare Kano]]'' got cut off after one season for several reasons, among them Studio Gainax having the usual Studio Gainax problems and, rather more importantly, the manga's author reacting ''very'' badly to the direction the anime took and pulling the rights.
* ''[[Faeries Landing]]'' started off slow and then built up to ramming speed with the plot, finally hitting important and very well put together plots and scripts, introduced a new love interest, finally had the main heroine meet her parents completely and both the main villain of the heroine and the main villain of the hero attack their respective targets and just as the hero and heroine go towards their targets for battle...... the volume ends. What makes this a problem? The author dropped the series to start on another promising to come back for it and never doing so. Effectively the series ENDS on a cliffhanger just before the resolution!
* The anime of ''[[Psychic Academy]]'' ends after the [[Beach Episode]], barely a third of the way through the manga storyline. Not only does it not resolve the love triangle, it barely managed to finish defining it!
* The ''[[Tokko]]'' anime ends on a cliffhanger with no resolution to the story. The manga also ends with no real conclusion, only a brief monologue by Ranmaru saying that {{spoiler|the world ended two years later}}. with no further explanation
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== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Cross Gen]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s entire [[Myth Arc]] was cut short due to financial collapse, and even the [[Wrap It Up]] mini series was nipped in the bud. Especially ironic for fans who were leery over getting involved due to having experienced the same thing with Valiant, a few years earlier.
** The ''[[Cross Gen]]'' characters are now owned by Marvel and a revival of some kind is in the works.
* The collapse of Dreamwave Comics cut several ''[[Transformers]]'' comics short; none of the titles were picked up by IGN.
* The second volume of ''[[Batman Adventures]]'', which had taken comic book tie-ins to cartoons to a new level; it was set in the [[DCAU]] after ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' and during(ish) ''[[Justice League]]'', acting almost like a sequel series with well-written stories that averted the original [[Status Quo Is God|status quo]] while also bringing closure to various characters and foreshadowing new ones. It was canceled after only 17 issues to make way for ''[[The Batman]]'''s tie-in comic. Before going out, they were able to resolve some plot threads: {{spoiler|revealing the truth behind the Penguin's mayoral election, having Penguin quit as mayor, making a major revelation about Poison Ivy which acted as her exit from the series, providing closure for the stories of Clayface and Mr. Freeze, and having Batman confront Joe Chill without even knowing it.}} But that also [[Left Hanging|left various plot threads unresolved]]... {{spoiler|The identity of the DCAU's new Red Hood who was only able to make one full panel appearance, the Phantasm's motivations for allying with him, the Riddler being left in a coma, Talia's reactions to being abandoned by Batman after taking a bullet for him, Eel O'Brien was introduced but never got around to becoming [[Plastic Man]], and so on...}} On message boards creators Dan Slott and Ty Templeton have spoken of much more awesome sounding ideas for future issues which would tie DC Animated Continuity together in new and awesome ways... they had planned for up to their 40th or so issue!
* ''[[Quantum and Woody]]'' was <s>canceled</s> suspended after issue #17, then resumed eleven months later with issue #34 as a meta [[Time Skip]]. The comic then resumed at #18, building towards the events in #34, but was canceled for good before that could be shown.
* The 1980s UK ''[[Zoids]]'' comic (written by [[Grant Morrison]]) was canceled just as the story started to become really interesting.
* ''[[X-Men|X-Men Forever]]'' was intended to be an ongoing series that was cut short due to lackluster sales. it was an attempt for [[Chris Claremont]] to wrap up long simmering plot points from his original legendary run with X-Men from '74-'91. While some of the plot points were wrapped up, the comic was cancelled just as a ''whole new set of plot points had been introduced.'' However, while for most comic writers, this is a severe annoyance, for [[Kudzu Plot|Chris]], [[But for Me It Was Tuesday|it was just Tuesday]].
* The ''Maggie the Cat'' mini-series, a spin-off from ''[[Jon Sable Freelance]]'', was cancelled after two issues with no resolution.
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== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Samurai Jack]]''
* About half of all animated adaptations of [[Spider-Man (comics)|Spider-Man]] sinde the 1990s has sufferend of this:
** ''[[Spider-Man Unlimited]]''
** ''[[Spider-Man: The
** Another example is ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', who got cut short despite good ratings due to the shuffling of rights.
* ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'' was ended before they could gather all 13 [[McGuffin]]s , or defeat the [[Big Bad]].
* The two American-made [[Humongous Mecha]] [[Animated Series]] from [[The Nineties]], ''[[Exo Squad]]'' and ''[[BattleTech]]'', both end with unresolved [[Cliff Hanger]]s.
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* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' Due to [[Executive Meddling|those pesky Nickelodeon execs]], the [[Too Good to Last]] show was cancelled right when the plot was about to surface. [[Internet Backdraft]] abounds. Still, fans cling to the hope of it being [[Uncanceled]], and the possiblity remains.
* Obscure 1980s cartoon ''[[The Bluffers]]'' centered around a [[Gang of Critters]] trying to find out the secret of a villain named Clandestino. It got canceled before they could say what his secret was.
* ''[[Hey Arnold!]]!'' never did explain what happened to Arnold's parents on their final mission, all because the show's creator couldn't agree with Nickelodeon over the necessary contract extension. Result: no extension at all.
* ''[[King Arthur and the Knights of Justice]]'' was unexpectedly cancelled after two seasons and 26 episodes, with its premise (collecting all the [[MacGuffin]]s and freeing the original King and Knights) far from resolution.
* ''[[Sym-Bionic Titan]]''. The conflict was building up, the show was gaining fans, and the staff was all set to make a second season. Then the show got canceled because it failed to secure [[Merchandise-Driven|any key toy deals]]. Attempts to get the second season made were fruitless, and [[Genndy Tartakovsky]] was so displeased with the way [[Cartoon Network]] handled his series that he left them to form his own studio under Sony.
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