A mechanism or tactic · 1930 · Television
The cliffhanger
End the episode before the answer. Give the viewer a fixed slot, a daily rhythm, and a question with no resolution, and they will come back tomorrow at the same time for years.
The oldest engagement mechanic in media and the most efficient. A cliffhanger is not a plot device, it is a scheduling device - it converts a feeling into a diary entry. A twelve-part serial is not a story, it is a habit with characters in it.
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