About 'Mid-Season Finales'??

[SDTGisAChristmassyWolefGenius]

This seems to be a new phenomenon - I start watching, and enjoying, a series, only for them to decide they need a break in the middle of the series as well as at the end of it.

The Walking Dead is the latest culprit - not back until mid-january. Same for Special Victims Unit.

This is not a finale - it is a mid-season disappointment!! It Will Not Do. Please adopt the Mastermind approach - I've started, so I'll finish, so I can find out what happens without having to rack my brain next year to try to remember what happened previously.

It never used to happen in the UK when the networks aired shows months behind the US. Now they start within a week or so meaning we're forced to suffer the breaks. YANBU - I don't LIKE it, I don't WANT it, make it STOP!

Apparently no-one watches TV around Christmas time in America. So we all have to suffer.

Yeah, it's a US thing. We used to air American series so far behind that we could cover the gap, but now everyone wants them as soon as they are out, so we get the break too.

It's the trade-off, I suppose. Watch it a while after the US does, but in one series, or watch it just after them, and endure their mid-season break too.

No, no - there is a third option, Caja - that the TV channels give me my tv programmes now!! >

I'm also a fan of The walking dead and it pisses me off lol. We had to wait aaaaaaggges for season 2, nearly a year and at the end I thought it said it returns in february?

Why can't they show it here before America?

I hate them :(

I can't wait until next year for walking dead ... Ill explode if I have to wait that long. I had to wait ages for the 3rd series to start this year ...

Gaah! Why do they do this to us?

Not to mention that it can't be a 'mid-season finale', because it's mid-season!!

Its an American thing. Didn't used to effect us because we got the programmes so much later than them. Now we get them at pretty much the same time, so we also get the break.

And yes its shit.

It's normal, we're only just noticing because we're no longer waiting a year before the series starts. So don't moan - I'd much rather have a gap in the middle than go back to that!

I think it's because so much sport is shown at that time of year in the US, it's easier to have a fixed break than viewers not knowing if there will be an episode one week to next.

Plus mid-season finales/sweeps etc all lead to extra interesting episodes.

I don't think Buffy did it mid-season though, the Walking Dead is the best thing on at the mo, it so often throws up things you weren't expecting, which is rare these days. Would love to know who thought of casting Andrew Lincoln - genius!

They don't film the episodes that far ahead either, so we can't keep watching while they have a break. (Would probably go down badly also)

Buffy definately did. That's why there's a regular pattern of two-parters in each series.

I know far too much about American telly.

Well, I suppose it makes sense to take some regular series off the Tv for the next couple of weeks as people will be out of their routine/socialising more/having people to stay for Christmas and will end up missing episodes. I know you can record them but there's usually a glut of stuff around Christmas time that everyone wants recorded.
Taking them off for weeks is annoying though.

It's bollocks, YANBU!!

Btw sorry to break this to you but it's not back til mid Feb, not Jan!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Watch a zombie film each week instead.

Yes, it's a US thing and I agree very annoying.

I do wonder if it has to do with the filming schedule too. They seem to film each episode very close to airing it (sometimes the same week from what I read about some) and maybe it's also to take into account holidays for the cast and staff?

YANBU they did this with Person of Interest as well and I have to wait until the new year for the rest of the series. Tis v v annoying.

I thought they filmed it all at once? Why would they leave it so late?

Lots of reasons. Each episode can cost $1m so if a show doesn't do well you can cut your losses and cancel it very quickly. You can reflect viewer feedback and get rid of unpopular characters etc ...