That's essentially what they are doing. I read that the production budget of TV episodes doesn't get put in the books until the episodes air. So, splitting the season let's them put the money spent into 2 fiscal years.

What does The Killing have to do with this? That show is only in season 2 and all 13 episodes aired in a row.

He was making a joke. These two seasons have pretty much been 1 big one.

It doesn't bother me. It just means BB will be aroung longer!!!

I think they should go for 12 episodes per split season instead of 8. Then I don't think we would even notice it was a split season!

Fuck 8 episodes.

Those 8 episodes are going to fly by, and then we are going to all be thumb-fucking our assholes for a year while we wait for the final 8......

I guess I can see why some people are upset over the wait between the split season but I can understand why AMC is doing it as well. I guess it doesn't bother me so much since they said initially that's what they planned on doing. They just didn't say how long a wait it would be (I had sort of assumed it would be about a year anyways).

Frankly, this blows ass. Only eight episodes is not enough to have to wait another dang year for the finish.

To really build excitement, they should air 8 this Summer, 7 next Summer, and hold the finale until the Fall of 2014.

I think it should've gotten a sendoff with 2 regular 13 episode seasons if they already penciled in a final episode date. Splitting up 16 is silly.

This trend in cable of smaller and smaller seasons with longer and longer hiatuses is pretty annoying. AMC seems to be managing their shows terribly. I mean, Mad Men was gone for damn year two years. Wasn't the final season of Entourage only about 5 episodes? And the first seasons of Walking Dead and Episodes were each only 6 episodes. How long until they're showing one episode a year?

Like I said earlier, we're lucky to have gotten the sixteen episodes at all. AMC wanted to shorten the final season originally so to have gotten three more episodes than a normal season is a plus in my book. Also it's pretty clear why they're stretching the season out over two years. Keeping a popular show on their lineup for an additional year rather than just one is probably better in their eyes ratings wise.

That link has a neat mild spoiler about what to expect in the first episode of the new season:

Walter has to die at the end of all this.

I understand why they're doing it, but this strategy by AMC will be to the detriment of the show - A year wait between only 8 episodes is a real momentum killer.

I doubt that. If Gilligan and company keep the show as great as it has been the past four seasons as long as they throw a cliffhanger to the end of the first half of the season (it's basically inevitable it'll happen), people will be dying to see what happens next I'm sure. Just need something that's as gripping as the season three finale.

I don't get why people are so bent out of shape about the season being split. It's 1 more year of the best show on TV and as Mike86 said it will definitely leave you wanting more. You get more of a build up and people anxiously awaiting it's return. It's not going to kill momentum.

No, it isn't. Not really. It's just an arbitrary extension created by holding back episodes that will already be done.

Not just "not really", it's not at all "one more year" show. It's 10 more months of waiting between episodes.

Get over it.

Get over what? I'm just explaining things to you since you seem to lack an actual understanding of the situation.

It.....of course.