Personaly i always preferd a clean end and then the next season, but yeah these kind of cliffhanger are ok, or if it is a large episode which is split and you know you just need to wait a few days.
But as you said, most cliffhanger nowdays have no purpose, like cutting scenes short or 'but actually it wasn't as it looked' those two piss me off and if a series does that often i usually just stop watching.
That being said, i find it already hard to find series or movies which interest me nowdays.
Dunno, most of the new stuff seems to be aimed at younger (or sometimes i really think dumber) generations, and i have little interest watching teen drama. Or when they insert dumb diversity quotas or worse political crap which is often portrait in a 'in your face' way and if you don't agree your wrong/evil/the problem etc, i really can't stand that when i just want some good entertainment.
These fuckers pretty much ruined all scifi shows i once liked.
Nowdays you get Star Trek...were you can listen endless whining of a gay couple in the machine room and the bridge is filled with crying and sobbing every other scene
Patrick Stewart doesn't play Picard any longer but Patrick Stewart plays Patrick Stewart and somehow the whole 'better future thing' also got down the drain.
Star Wars...do i need to say anything ? I stood up and left the cinema in the as i saw the dumb mary poppins scene as i couldn't stand the garbage anymore.
Never got warm with Battlestar Galactica either, had not much left with the show i liked as kid.
And i'm still waiting for a good movie like Beverly hills cop...or the Bud Spencer/Terence Hill movies
Meh, sorry i'm just ranting at this point