TVSquad

they should air the complete series without breaks ... and then run it again without breaks

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I don't mind the Jericho break, since we'll have gotten 11 episodes before the break, and when you factor in that there would've been several repeats during the holidays/January dead time, we'll actually only have been deprived of maybe 4-5 new episodes before the show returns in February.

However, the Lost break is just baffling. Only six new episodes before a long hiatus? That's barely enough time to get viewers hooked again after the long summer break. Why not just hold off the entire season until January and run it all at once, like 24? Lost was already losing to Criminal Minds towards the end of its six episode fall run. If it gets pummeled in the ratings when it returns, I won't be surprised. Bad scheduling + little payoff for viewers = a show that burns hot and bright for a short time, then fizzles out in an embarrassingly lame fashion.

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I do not like shows that take breaks.
I do not like having to wait.
I cannot stand to turn on TV,
And have a rerun stare back at me.

I'd watch new episodes constantly.
My evenings would be filled with glee.
I want to see new episodes.
I think these breaks are such a load!

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I hate this trend. We just get into a routine with our shows and they all start to either drop into oblivion or go on haitus. Well, by the time they return, I'll probably no longer be interested. Who needs it?

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I dislike this to....but it has created a lot of anticipation. Our family is all sitting down tonight for the fall finale.

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It pissed me off when Fox did it in the past, and it pisses me off now. Just as I'm starting to get into the new season of Lost, bam! "fall finale"! Of course, in the case of Jericho, I missed out so far, and this will give me time to catch up so it's appreciated.

I think it all depends on how the network handles it. If they air the episodes online so that viewers can catch-up and add extra content (Jericho), then it could be a good thing. Otherwise, it's just a pain.

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I like this because you watch straight 11 or 12 eps. Maybe it's just me but after 11 weeks straight i need a break and gives people a good chance to catch up with the show online if you missed anything. then come back from break and watch the season all the way through. I hope this is a growing trend because like what "GrumpyOldMan" said it creates anticipation.

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The production should be completed one season at a time, like 24. Should the show suffer from poor ratings, it can go straight to web, like Vanished.

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I still think "fall finale" beats the "who the hell knows when a new one airs?" treatment. At least you know when the hell it airs next- in 3 months.

But really, all shows should go the cable/24/Day Break route and just air consecutively for however many weeks, then stick another show in the slot for the rest of the year.

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I wonder if the ability to put shows on break like this has more to do with TiVo and other online sources of viewing episodes. Personally, I've never gone online for "ancillary materials" from the network of a show (OK, exception: Ron Moore's "Battlestar Galactica" podcasts).

When "Lost" went away, when "Prison Break" and "Jericho" go away, they're out of my mind. When they come back, they'll start popping up on my TiVo again, and I'll begin watching again. It's not like I'm going to forget the show existed by February. There's a huge relief in not having to "keep track" of shows -- when's it on now? With TiVo, I get it. For those without TiVo, there's iTunes or free rebroadcasts at network sites. Most people aren't committed to "appointment viewing" in specific timeslots anymore. Between now & then? Other TV, or non-TV stuff, will keep me busy.

But the "Lost Experience" or the "Jericho Countdown"? Meh. Maybe teenagers get into that stuff. Just put the show back on sometime, unlike, say, "Kidnapped."

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I like the idea of running a show its entire season without breaks - like the cable channels do.

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I would much rather ABC have held back "Lost" until January and then run all 23 or 24 episodes on consecutive weeks.

For that matter, I don't understand why a multi-arc show like "Lost," which typically focuses on only a handful of characters per episode, doesn't break through the usual 20-something episodes per season and run almost continuously from September to May.

Sure, it's an expensive show and it takes a lot of human capital to put each episode together, but soap operas have been producing 250-plus episodes a year for for 40 years by scattering the stories.

"Lost," which already uses the same approach, can't produce 35 episodes a year?

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I agree with Jennifer, I think all this "Fall Break" stuff is a direct result of Lost's scheduling problems with last season.

The 1 new + 1 recap + 4 weeks off + 2 new + 3 weeks off style it aired in was very damaging.

Fox has worked around this with 24 by making sure they're far enough into the shooting before starting, which is what ABC should probably do with Lost, but it's understandable with a freshman series like Jericho they didn't want to commit that many eps.

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Porchland, you're right about the problem of cost. But with Lost, it's only compounded by filming in Hawaii, employing quite a bit of CGI, and using more expensive casts, sets and producers than soaps do. The kicker for me is that the writing would suffer over the course of a 35 ep year. I mean, they've been having trouble writing enough quality eps over a typical 22 ep order; so why push them to write and produce more? I know most people would hate this, but I'd much rather have a strong 13 episode season than the weaker full ones we've seen in season 2 and (so far) in season 3. Same goes for Jericho and Heroes. But that's just me.

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"able to put up enough original content online to satisfy fans"

Which is all very well for the US fans. Those of us in other countries who are watching Jericho - legally I might add, on tv within 12 hours of the US seeing it, cannot access the video content on CBS website. It's restricted to US folks only. I know we don't count in terms of ratings, but I think it's a bit unfair when we will have the same hiatus as the US folks do.

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Lost received a lot of complaints in Season 2 (and I think in Season 1) when they broke foe the holidays. ABC followed the formula of repeats and other craziness that left viewers confused, not knowing when to watch again. ABC then decided to air the series in sequential order because its a serial. Jericho is also a serial. Dramatic sericals are making a comeback in prime time so we will see this sort of thing happening. Law and Order and CSI can air haphazardly becaise stories are usually contained in a single episode.

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I was hoping that JERICHO might pick up some viewers who were watching Dancing With The Stars. Now we'll never know. I HATE reruns whenever they're shown so no biggie for me.

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I understand that most people don't work in television but people need to think about what it takes to actually produce a one hour drama. It takes about three weeks to shoot the episode nevermind actually writing a good episode.

Editing, scoring, special effects, retakes if necessary also are a part of the tight production turnaround schedule that TV is under. So like it or not, it's either 'Fall Finales' for the serial shows or annoying but necessary repeats.

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Speaking from the other side of the Atlantic, I'm baffled at the way most series in the US mix in re-runs amongst new episodes.

Here in the UK you get either all new episodes in a run (admittedly much shorter runs 6-12 shows being the average), or a repeat run. You always know where you are, and don't want to miss fresh episodes, and aren't left annoyed when you settle down to watch your favourite show only to discover that you've seen it before.

When the UK buys a show, it nearly always waits until January to start airing a new season so it can run uninterrupted until May/June by which time we've just about caught up with you (Lost is an exception this season with a new network buying it, Sky One, which is trying to mimic the US airing pattern and air the show a day or two after it airs in the States to minimise downloads).

It's obviously impossible to have new episodes of quality shows every week from September to May, so why not just run two different series over that time? I guess ABC is doing that with Daybreak.

The traditional model by which TV shows earn their revenues is being turned on its head anyway with DVD boxsets and iTunes sales etc. Reaching syndication is going to become less important (you've already got the DVDs on your shelf, and they don't have ads!), so running five seasons of 22 episodes or so to reach the magic 100 won't be so necessary.

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