Why so many tv show hiatuses now days?

Seriously it has become ridiculous with shows putting out an episode after being on hiatus a month then drop back out for another 3 weeks. Are TV executives actively trying to get lower ratings here? What was wrong with the old way, New season starts in september, take a break around Christmas, finish season, break for summer, it was efficient and you always knew from week to week when your shows were on. What the hell is going on here?

I haven't noticed it. But maybe that's because i live in a different country and shows get bought and played per season.

@aiden_cross: Its getting stupid over here

@joshmightbe Even on paid channels like HBO?

@aiden_cross: Actually the pay channels are pretty good about keeping their shows going its the regular networks having the issue

i know right? all the good shows are being destroyed by it. i lost my Scooby to it.....

@joshmightbe: Isnt it just the sweeps format? The television networks determine their advertising from the months of November, February and May, so the time right before May (April) is kind of a dead zone. This means that shows might be put on hiatus so the networks can try out new shows, or alternately that the new shows are put on hiatus so that they can be put into a lineup later on (presumably the next fall)

@razzatazz said:

It's also because of funds, ratings, and viewers. If a show's low on either of those three mid-season, then it's likely to go on a hiatus in order to get new viewers by playing re-runs.

@razzatazz: A lot of them are just showing reruns in those time slots tho, I'd understand if they were trying out new shows or doing tv specials but it seems senseless to just take random breaks for no reason.

@joshmightbe: Quite often that goes back to their budget. They might only have enough in their budget to produce 24 episodes a season, so some of that time has to be down time.

@razzatazz: I get that I just don't understand why they need so much more down time. And some of these shows have no pattern to this down time like How I met your mother has been really weird, it'll put out 3 new episodes in a row take a month off put out 1 new one, take another couple weeks off, show 2 more then take another week. It just doesn't make any sense.

@joshmightbe: That ties back into the sweeps idea. In February they were determining advertising so they put on all new shows to compete against all the new shows from the other networks. Now they are stuck between Feb and May, and so they need to keep the viewer interested without spending too much time or money on the shows. In April though they will build to May sweeps though. I was personally disappointed yesterday to see that the Amazing Race wasn't on, but it was just for this reason. Also Hart of Dixie has been off for five weeks now.

They usually respond to sweeps months. Although some TV shows follow different airing schedules. AMC shows usually continue with one break so the season doesn't conclude too fast. If its a show on a non cable channel it definitely has more breaks and is fitted for certain months for advertising reasons.

I don't think your typical TV executive has anything but the faintest understanding of what viewers actually want.

What we want and what makes them the most money are two different things, remember that. While they want to please the viewer, making money is their main goal. They are, after all, a business. They probably wouldn't be able to get the new episodes to you at all if not for hiati. (A word I just made up, it's plural for hiatus.)

@dabee: Hiati. I like it; I'm adding it to my vocabulary. ^_^

An excellent point. However, especially in the field of entertainment, alienating your viewers, even temporarily, carries the risk that they will begin to seek their entertainment elsewhere.

You're absolutely right, but I'm sure they have some really complicated way to figure that out. I mean, really complicated. Probably like a team of people just sitting in cubicles crunching numbers for hours on end. They wouldn't do it unless they really thought it would do them good.

yaa i can see what you mean

@dabee:

;)