TV Tuesday: Is It Here Yet?

[yourlibrarian]

It’s pretty obvious these days that for many if not most shows, the 3 month break between seasons rarely applies. What is your preferred length of breaks between seasons? Are breaks between seasons too long these days?

Poll #33651 Season Breaks

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

Do you find breaks between seasons to be too long (in general)?

View Answers

Yes
15 (44.1%)

No
4 (11.8%)

Depends on the show
14 (41.2%)

Depends on another factor I'll mention in comments
1 (2.9%)

Which comes closest to how long of a break do you prefer between seasons?

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3 months
8 (23.5%)

6 months
11 (32.4%)

9 months
8 (23.5%)

1 year
7 (20.6%)

18 months
0 (0.0%)

2 years or more
0 (0.0%)

What factors might affect how long of a break you find suitable?

View Answers

How many episodes each season has
27 (77.1%)

If it's the first season versus a show that has many seasons
8 (22.9%)

The genre of the show
9 (25.7%)

If the show relies on big cliffhangers at the end of seasons
16 (45.7%)

If the actors are very in demand and you'd prefer any wait to a cancellation
14 (40.0%)

If you're only somewhat into the show
14 (40.0%)

If the plot is complex and you don't want to have to keep rewatching before a new season starts
15 (42.9%)

If a long wait means you lose track of its return
23 (65.7%)

If a long wait means it gets supplanted by other shows you watch
14 (40.0%)

Something else mentioned in comments
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[rogueslayer452]

While it depends on the show and what service they're on, breaks between seasons have definitely gotten far too long, with the reduced number of episodes per season making the prolonged wait less justified to be honest.

I find myself not wanting to get into newer shows nowadays because of this. I've been burned before in the past about getting into a new show only for it to be cancelled shortly after discovering it, and that happens so frequently nowadays, but then there's the issue of having a show with so little episodes and such a long wait in between that I kind of just lose interest.

[yourlibrarian]

Judging from the answers so far it appears that's a consensus, even if the show itself may mitigate how much of a wait is expected. I do find it interesting that what constitutes a "long wait" varies so much per person though. Having grown up with a standard 3 months of a hiatus, and rarely having much new programming during those months, I felt that 6 months was a pretty good stretch for rest, recharging, and getting new plans underway.

I don't really mind a year's break either, as long as it's consistent. That's something I probably should have added to the poll, because new seasons are so erratic in when they return that it adds to the difficulty in keeping track of it, particularly if a show is not one of your top few views. Then add the fact that there's always so much new content coming out, pretty soon one has 50+ things in the watchlist (across various services).

[mllesatine]

I just thought about "Andor" which took around 3 years (September 2022 to April 2025) between their two seasons. I frequently checked when the show would return but how many people simply forgot that they saw the show?

I'm now waiting for the third season of "Interview with the Vampire". 15 episodes in three years is especially dicey in a show where the main characters are vampires and don't age. They already changed young Claudia once. Both actresses are/were great but I understand that not everyone can wait around for work like that.

"P-Valley" has been renewed for a third season in 2022 and that hasn't come out yet.

[yourlibrarian]

Wow yes, I remember bringing up this point before in other discussions revolving around production schedules. If you have shows with young leads, or even young regulars, it becomes really weird when not much time is supposed to have passed onscreen yet the kid became a teenager or the teenager an adult during that time.

With those sorts of shows if you're planning for more than a season or two, they need to be closer together.