Split television season
A split television season is a season of a television show in which there is a scheduled break in the broadcast schedule, with later episodes airing months after the earlier ones. The last episode of the first half is referred to as the 'mid-season finale', by analogy with the season finale - the final episode of a full season.
History[edit]
The use of split seasons was pioneered by season six of Sex and the City (with a break between September 2003 and January 2004) and season six of The Sopranos, with a break between spring 2006 and 2007.[1]
Reasons for splitting[edit]
Seasons can be split for several reasons. Splits can drive higher ratings and by releasing episodes in more than one year, a single season can be eligible for more awards seasons than it otherwise would have been.[1][2] A break in the production schedule can allow time for development.[3] The break also allows flexibility in timing when the later episodes are shown, for example to coincide the the end of the season with the beginning of a different show on the same network or to avoid coinciding with something competitive.[4] Designating two runs of episodes as one season, rather than two short seasons, can affect contractual negotiations, since these often happen per-season.[3]
Narratively, the break in a split season creates a mid-season finale, with the opportunity to use a cliffhanger, revelation or other dramatic climax to bring viewers back for the second half of the season. The Walking Dead has often killed off main characters in its mid-season finales.[5]
Downsides[edit]
Season splits can lead to viewers feeling misled. In 2013, Apple Inc. was sued for misleading customers who paid for access to season five of Breaking Bad on iTunes, when in fact this was only the first half of season five, which was split into two runs of eight episodes each, the second advertised as "the final season". Apple ultimately gave out iTunes codes allowing customers who bought the first half to get the second half for no extra cost.[6][7]
Examples[edit]
Examples of TV seasons that have been split include:
- Breaking Bad (season 5)[8]
- Mad Men (season 7)[9][8]
- The Sopranos (season 6)[1]
- Sex and the City (season 6)[1]
- The Walking Dead, all seasons except season one.
- Battlestar Galactica seasons two and four
- Teen Wolf (season 3)
- Futurama, seasons six and seven
- Hell on Wheels (season 5)
- The Hills (season 5)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Harris, Aisha (26 September 2013). "The Upside of Splitting TV Seasons". Slate.com. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ Tony Wong (29 May 2014). "Why are so many shows cutting seasons in half? Tune in next year". TheStar.com. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Konstantinovsky, Michelle (31 August 2017). "Why Are Popular TV Shows Splitting Seasons?". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ Wallenstein, Andrew (11 December 2011). "Why Networks Split The Seasons Of Popular Shows". NPR 'All Things Considered'. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ Bradley, Laura (4 December 2017). "Who Will Die in The Walking Dead's Bloody Midseason Finale?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ Shaw, Alexis; Kim, Susanna (24 September 2013). "Apple Offers Refunds Over Broken in Half 'Breaking Bad' Episodes". ABC News. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ Patten, Dominic (24 September 2013). "UPDATE: Apple Refunds Angry 'Breaking Bad' Fans Over iTunes Season Pass Charges". Deadline. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jensen, Jeff (18 September 2013). "'Breaking Bad' and 'Mad Men': Why splitting final seasons isn't a good idea". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ↑ "Mad Men finale season split across two years". BBC News. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
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