DJariya

Do you like the extended break? Or do you hate them?

Some shows that are/were notorious for having them include:

Mad Men (currently on a long extended midseason hiatus until Spring 2015)

Breaking Bad broke up it's final season into 2 8-episode parts

Battlestar Galactica did it

Suits on USA

The Walking Dead on AMC

Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family

My Other Self

American Horror Story is another one.

I don't understand the point of it, honestly. There is just so much variety and shows on cable and streaming nowadays that these "breaks" cause shows to lose momentum.

The year-long breaks to milk final seasons is a stupid trend, but as a whole I think it's dumb.

Jonno2006

I like it if it's within the same 'season'

Perfect example is The Walking Dead, i really don't mind they take December/January off as pretty much everything else is dead for the holidays. But stuff like Breaking Bad which was split into actual two different seasons with an entire year apart does not really consist of splitting the season. why not just call it season 5 and 6?

sven

I don't like it. I tend to lose interest in things pretty easy so breaks in the middle of a season is a good way too lose me.

Xiroteus

I'm okay with split seasons with two different story lines. Like what Once Upon A Time is doing or what Haven appears to be doing (not sure if they are doing two story lines yet) As for OUAT doing a eleven episode story then a four month break was fine.

For a shorter season shows I prefer them all at once. Doctor Who did that then split them up when it's already so short. I rather they show them week to week until that season is done.

Regardless if it's a show I enjoy I'm not going anywhere and will continue as that's just how it works. Either I like something or I don't and if I do I am not going to loose interest.

I've thought that myself. If the *other half* of the season is six months to a year later it's not the same season no matter what they want to call it.

DJariya

Another show that stupidly did a split season which killed the show was Caprica during it's 1st and only season.

They aired the 1st 10 episodes consecutively. Then, they stupidly took a 7 month break.

Came back in October and no one gave a crap anymore and the ratings took a massive hit. The show was pulled after episode 14. Then they burned off the last 5 episodes in one massive marathon in January all in 1 day.

DJariya

Yes, but then you're forced to buy 2 over-priced split season sets in order to get the entire season. Cough Mad Men, Breaking Bad

If people bought both Breaking Bad season 5 sets release week and combined what you spent all together, you're spending close to $60 for 16 episodes.

(Waiting for Black Friday or an extra 6 months to 1 year doesn't count) I'm talking about those who purchase it brand spanking new.

Original Desmond

I don't mind a split season as long as there isn't much more than 2 months between the split

i guess the advantage of a split season is it forces the producers to make two finales, a mid season finale and a end of season finale.

Some of the mid season finales have been good

7 month gap is ridic. no more than 3 months

majorjoe23

I don't know if I would call AHS split seasons, they take three weeks off around the holidays.

johnnysd

The one that is pissing me off is Outlander. 6 months between halves of the season. Of course it's all perception too: if they called the second half of season 1, season 2 I would have less of a problem.

I suspect GOT might have a 30 episode season 7 spread over 3 years.

fumanstan

Hate em!

taffer

Same here. Serialized shows (which is 99% of what I watch) especially work much better with binge watching.

PhantomStranger

For an audience's maximum pleasure? Surely not. Split seasons were constructed solely for monetary reasons by the networks and to exert more creative control over bad producers. I don't enjoy them and believe they introduce a lot of problems in long-running serialized programs. They work better in comedies with little continuity.

Drexl

I'm not a fan either.

Also, I think it's kind of unfair that a split season (with a long enough break) gets two years of consideration for Emmys.

Mike86

Depends how long the split is for me. For instance when AMC did it with the final season of Breaking Bad (and now with Mad Men) I found it irritating having to wait a year to see the resolution. I understand their reasoning but still. There are certain instances though such as a lot of the shows on USA where they air half a season, wait a couple months or so and then come back with the other half of the season and I don't mind that. South Park used to do that too and it didn't really bother me. I think when a show is more heavily serialized it kills some momentum by just stopping, but at the same time the use of cliffhangers is a way to draw a lot of viewers back in for the next half.

bluetoast

At least for BB and MM, the production was split along with the season. If they were actually sitting on their ass with the remaining seasons in the van there would be riots.

writer106

I was thinking the same thing about AHS. But during the first season, all 12 episodes aired consecutively.

writer106

I think it depends on the length of hiatus and the genres/types of the show. The split seasons for Pretty Little Liars can be annoying because of the types of cliffhangers they have. What has kind of made split seasons go easier for that show was that they would have midseason finales and then they would do a special Halloween episode. This year they are doing a special Christmas episode.

I didn't mind the split seasons of Breaking Bad and I like how the split seasons for The Walking Dead.

I also remember One Tree Hill did split seasons.

DJariya

Mad Men is one show where a split season doesn't work at all. The narrative of that show just doesn't work having it split almost 1 year apart. Episode 7 of the current season , from what I recall, just felt like another Mad Men episode. It was such a low key episode.

I'm fine with a show like The Walking Dead ending in mid November and returning in early February. They usually design that show with a decent story break in the narrative.

Split seasons have done more harm than good for several network serials like Revolution, Flash Forward, Jericho.

My Other Self

American Horror Story has been advertised as mid-season finales. That constitutes a break to me, regardless of length.

Call it a holiday break, then. Whatever -- there's not much of a reason to do it, IMO.

Mike86

Part of the problem with Mad Men, at least in my opinion, is that its sort of ran out of steam and is sort of to the point where I just want it to wrap up. I don't think the show has been strong enough lately where its appointment television anymore. I barely want to wait week to week to watch it let alone watch seven episodes and wait a year for the other seven. It feels like it was done that way just because whereas a show like Breaking Bad was strong enough from start to finish that it kept momentum going even though the year long wait sucked.