To Be Continued Right Now

As Alice and Bob take their Wiki Walk, they find something... new. What could it be?

You'll find that out and more "On the Next..."... I mean, on this very page.

A reveal or plot resolution is set up to be explained in the next episode or following a commercial break, but is then immediately explained.

Contrast Cliff Hanger, To Be Continued. Compare The Reveal, "Find Out Next Time!".

Examples of To Be Continued Right Now include:

Anime and Manga

  • One episode of Cromartie High School, two plots to it, one of which was that no one ever cares to know "Hokuto's Lackey"'s name. The other plot was resolved in the next episode. the teaser for the next episode plays with this by informing in advance that Hokuto's Lackey will never be named.

Narrator: Will anyone learn Hokuto's Lackey's name? What will happen with the Boss Championship? Many questions will be answered in the next episode of Cromartie High School... and many will not. We hope you will join us then.

Film

  • The Simpsons Movie did this around the start of Act IV, with "To Be Continued" appearing on screen, and then followed by "Immediately" not long after.

Live Action TV

  • A go-to Running Gag in The Stinger of Arrested Development episodes. They would all be set up with The Narrator saying "on the next Arrested Development..." followed by the resolution of a gag in the current episode, and the next episode having nothing to do with that gag. Particularly noticeable in the episode "The Ocean Walker", where the stinger is the next couple seconds of the same scene, and the next episode is set days later.
  • Before the 2005 revival, Doctor Who was repackaged in the US (and other places too?) as "movies" with a full story - or leastwise four or five episodes - all put together in one presentation, cutting out the opening/closing credits for all but the opening of the first and closing of the last episode. So the cliffhanger of any given episode tends to be resolved immediately.
  • Penn and Teller Tell a Lie: During the "Linen Armor" sequence, they appear to cut to commercial, featuring an American Chopper ad, only for Penn and Teller to interrupt, saying they're in charge here, and they're not going to make you wait 3 minutes to see what happens.
  • The Gift Shop Sketch from That Mitchell and Webb Look consists entirely of "Previously On..." and "On the Next..." segments, meaning that it does a lot of this.

Video Games

  • Eternal Darkness has an insanity effect that tells the player the game is to be continued in the sequel, then the effect ends and the game continues.

Web Original

  • The 13th episode of Dragon Ball Abridged ends with this, as the narrator talks about the appearance of Frieza and his lieutenants, Zarbon and Dodoria.

Narrator: [Dramatic music stars playing] A new evil has revealed its face. Who are these mysterious enemies? And do Gohan and Krillin stand a chance? The answer to these questions will be revealed... [Music swells] right now! [Closeup of each villain] Zarbon, Dodoria, Frieza, and oh my, no.
Krillin: Wait, what?!

How will Captain America get out of this one???? Will he turn the White House into rubble? Or will he escape to have his American ass beaten once more???? Tune in next time... which is... Right now!

Western Animation

  • One South Park episode teased at several questions, including the identity of a character dying. None were going to be answered, until the last five seconds reminds the viewer of the questions, saying "You'll find out... Right now! Yes, no, Ms. Choksondik."
  • The Simpsons episode "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" had this: "Chief Wiggum, P.I. will return... right now!"
  • Used to a low extreme fairly often on Word Girl. The narrator adds drama to the climax of the episode with "Will Wordgirl make her way out of (this situation) and defeat (villain)??" But most of the time, everything concludes right then.
  • The 1960s Spider-Man cartoon was made to be shown a few minutes at a time. When it was repackaged as a full half-hour program this ended up happening.
  • The Powerpuff Girls: "I See A Funny Cartoon In Your Future," patterned like an episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle, has the girls in a literal cliffhanger with the announcer entreating us to not miss the next episode to see what happens. After an ersatz commercial with the Mayor and Miss Bellum, the episode continues.

Will this page have a stinger...?

Find out!... Three seconds ago.

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