Who else is annoyed by these month-long or longer breaks in your favorite TV shows?

I agree very much so. I was annoyed by the breaks in both Lost and Jericho but what makes me even more angry is American Idol, a show which I despise more then anything else in the world. Because its such a ratings powerhouse Fox puts it on what seems like 5 nights a week and that ends up pushing shows like Bones and House off. I for one enjoy both those shows and see a new ep perhaps once a month since AI came on. I don't see the attraction to AI and hate how much coverage it gets not only on tv but local radio stations as the talk radio shows do nothing but talk about it....I cannot escape it. And other then Kelly Clarkson...which of the AI winners can you say has become a real celebrity and successfull musician?

I know I'm going to totally screw myself out of any chance for best answer, but here it goes:

YES, but

the television industry has operated this way for a long time and I find that when people complain about this they're being fairly...what's the word? Stupid. Unless you just started watching television, and unless you are unaware that television is a business, there's no reason to be surprised or especially upset by breaks in new programming.

The year is 52 weeks long, and the television season is around 38 weeks long, whereas the average order for a network television show has been 22-24 episodes for pretty much the entire time I've been watching television, a couple decades now. For cable shows, the order is usually 10 or 13 episodes.

Except for reality shows, much of the programming you enjoy does not make a profit for the networks when first aired. So reruns are almost required, especially for expensive dramas that cost literally millions per episode.

Also, you have to consider sweeps months (November, February, May), which are very important in the television industry. That's pretty much the only time you can guarantee a show will be showing new episodes.

And let's not forget how long it takes to create these episodes. Pretty much every new network show (especially dramas) absolutely cannot do a full season all at once, because networks order a few episodes (so they don't have to pay for a full season's worth of what ended up being a show no one wants to see), and when the network extends the order only then does the show go back into production, with new episodes being released months afterward.

So yes, while I too am annoyed by the way television works I do not act shocked when shows break for a while. I know "24" fans appreciate the way that series is run, and networks may in the future begin to try to run shows straight through, but they will only do so when the viewing audience demonstrates a clear desire not to watch shows with large gaps in new programming. This is actually more true than it has been in the past, especially since the television audience is 'shrinking' (and people have other activities to occupy their time).

yeah.

this is really bothersome because when you want to watch it at the specific time you have already seen it as it is a rerun. the week that you decide to not watch it is the week that it comes back on so then you have missed the first episode of the new running. CSI:NY what is gonna happen to Stella? i guess that is a new topic entirely though.

I hear you. I've drastically cut back on my TV watching in the last 3 years and I don't miss it. The networks run junk, change program times on a whim and allow weeks to pass between regular new episodes. With hundreds of channels to choose from, why is our choice worse now than ever before?

Reminds me of the Springsteen song 57 channels and nothing on.

Seriuosly, the networks are losing my loyalty because of how they are scheduling and what they are scheduling.

Thank goodness I have my PC and the internet.

The long breaks makes me lose interest in the shows. The seasons are shorter to and that is annoying!

There used to be a day when they wouldn't repeat til the summer. Now you're lucky to get 3 or 4 weeks of new ones in a row.

Yeah, that gets on my nerves. I love House and only get to see a new episode like once every two or three weeks. It's annoying.

It was a pain with "Lost" and I think it can really damage a show. You then have to decided if it is worth going back to finish it up or forget about it (Prison Break is another one)

me!! they have a long enough break in the summer! plus over christmas. it does annoy me a lot!! i hate it that with new shows you never know if it'll be coming back or not. studio 60 comes to mind. oh well. what can you do?

I don't watch the shows you have in your question, but I agree about TV shows taking breaks. I hate them. When I am watching one and am so engrossed in it and it says, "tune in to find out what happens (4 weeks later)". I absolutly hate when they do that.