How not to end a season

CBS has had problems with fans of the series "Jericho" - they ended the season on a cliffhanger, and then cancelled it. Now, there's talk of a short season in order to "wrap up" the story arc. This is exactly why Joss Whedon always ended story arcs for "Buffy" with each season close - and why I wish the writers for "Veronica Mars" had followed that idea...