10 Most Frustrating Hiatuses In TV History

Plenty of TV shows had a hiatus between seasons, but some were more frustrating than others. Many of the best TV shows of all time took a break between installments, whether that was just for a few weeks or even years. TV show hiatuses have happened for a range of different reasons. The various writers’ strikes over the last couple of decades typically interrupted filming, for example. However, some hiatuses also occurred because of shooting conflicts with actors or because the story wasn’t ready yet.

What constitutes a frustrating hiatus varies, too. Some were irritating because the previous season or episode ended on a frustrating TV cliffhanger, whereas others were annoying because they were unnecessary and hurt the pacing of their respective shows. Regardless of the reason, these TV show hiatuses made a splash.

10

Invincible

5-Month Hiatus During Season 2

Invincible

Invincible is a multimedia franchise that began with the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley. The series follows Mark Grayson, the son of Earth’s strongest hero, Omni-Man, as he enters into his powers at the cusp of adulthood. A television adaptation began in 2021 and retells the core story of the comics while fleshing it out and expanding on characters and concepts introduced in the medium.

Character(s)

Invincible
, Debbie Grayson
, Atom Eve
, William Clockwell
, Omni-Man

Video Game(s)

Invincible: Guarding the Globe

Following a two-year gap between Invincible season 1 and the “Invincible: Atom Eve” special, audiences were overjoyed when season 2 finally began in November 2023. However, after only four episodes aired, mere weeks later, Invincible season 2 came to an abrupt halt. The latter four episodes were released throughout March and April 2024. What was particularly frustrating was that voice actor Ross Marquand confirmed that Invincible season 3 was almost complete just weeks after season 2 finished.

Rex Splode looking at his hands very frustrated next to Allen the Alien looking embarrassed in Invincible

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Series creator Robert Kirkman explained in an interview (via Collider) that this decision was made partly because of production and partly so that viewers could process the events of Invincible’s season 2, part 1 ending. While this made sense to a certain degree, a five-month hiatus after only four episodes seemed like overkill. The story was building a lot of momentum, and then right when it was in the swing of things, the hiatus happened.

9

Arcane

3-Year Hiatus Between Seasons 1 & 2

The fact Arcane ended with season 2 made the three-year hiatus after season 1 that much more irritating. Although the gap between the seasons was definitely for the best — seeing as season 1 took almost six years to produce, and viewers wanted the greatest quality possible — it was still an incredibly frustrating wait. Arcane’s intricate animation style took a lot of time to get right, and even though it was crucial that season 2 perfected it, it made many impatient for the next installment of the show.

Although the payoff was worth it, and Arcane season 2 provided a satisfying conclusion to Vi and Jinx’s stories, it didn’t make the hiatus any less painful.

The League of Legends adaptation drew audiences in with its powerful storytelling, too. Arcane’s season 1’s ending was the definition of a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, and many were desperate to find out what happened in the fallout of Silco’s death and Jinx’s attack on the Council. Although the payoff was worth it, and Arcane season 2 provided a satisfying conclusion to Vi and Jinx’s stories, it didn’t make the hiatus any less painful.

8

Game Of Thrones

1-Year Hiatus Between Seasons 5 & 6

Although there was only a year between Game of Thrones season 5 and 6, it felt like much longer, as audiences waited in anticipation to see what happened after Jon Snow was stabbed to death. The incredible shot of Kit Harington’s characer staring upward while lying in the snow was reposted and shared across social media numerous times, and audiences were quick to question the validity of his demise. The mystery of whether Jon was dead ultimately became a cultural phenomenon.

Jon-Snow-in-Game-Of-Thrones,-Shane-in-The-Walking-Dead-and-Rory

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This hiatus was one of the most aggravating ever, and the payoff was disappointing, as just two episodes into season 6, Jon was brought back. Many considered Jon Snow’s “death” in Game of Thrones a dumb decision, especially as the show had the opportunity to do something more interesting with his character arc. Even if the show still revived Jon, it could’ve been executed in a far more dramatic way. Instead, it felt like a cheap ploy for viewings rather than a plot twist.

7

Andor

3-Year Hiatus Since Season 1

Andor’s hiatus is still ongoing, though there is an end in sight: Andor season 2 is set to be released in April 2025. The Star Wars series received widespread acclaim during season 1, which aired throughout 2022 and was frequently praised for how it expanded the franchise’s lore. Andor focused on the Empire’s reign and those outside of Star Wars’ most notable families, like the Skywalkers and the Palpatines, which was a refreshing change of pace.

K2SO looks at Jyn in Rogue One while Cassian is listening in Andor

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The Andor season 2 trailer took forever to be released, finally arriving at D23 in November 2024. Although filming was frequently delayed because of the SAG-AFTRA strikes, it was strange that Andor didn’t get an update sooner. This was especially frustrating because The Mandalorian & Grogu, Rogue Squadron, and several new installments of upcoming Star Wars TV shows were announced after season 1. Hopefully, the wait for the second half of the Star Wars series will be worth it.

6

Attack On Titan

Multiple Gaps During Season 4

Attack On Titan had several hiatuses, but the most frustrating were easily the four gaps in season 4. Attack On Titan season 4 was split up into three segments, the third of which consisted of two separate specials. This would have been fine if the time between each installment was days or weeks, but instead, the final season aired across three years. From December 2020 to November 2023, Attack on Titan released 35 episodes and two specials. Although this was mainly so that the show could catch up to the completed manga, these multi-month breaks were incredibly jarring.

Attack On Titan Final Chapters Part 2 Eren Armin Farewell

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Attack On Titan season 4 began with a time jump, which was hard enough to get used to in the first place. However, by the time audiences got used to the new characters and the shift in the timeline, Attack on Titan took another break. The gap between part 2 and part 3 was over a year, and by that point, viewers had to re-familiarize themselves with what was happening. It was a shame, considering it was the last season of the show, but the story became so muddled because Attack and Titan stopped and started so many times.

5

Sherlock

2-Year Hiatus Between Seasons 2 & 3

Sherlock’s “The Reichenbach Fall” delivered one of the biggest TV show cliffhangers of all time. Viewers lost their minds when Sherlock Holmes fell from the roof of St. Bart’s hospital, and many quickly immersed themselves in theories about how the detective survived. There were two years between Sherlock seasons 2 and 3, and even though there was a seven-minute Christmas episode in 2013, it wasn’t a proper installment. In fact, it simply riled audiences up more.

Anyone who watched Sherlock at the time had their own ideas about how Sherlock tricked John into believing he was gone. It was a situation in which everything was so hyped up that Sherlock’s writers needed to provide a perfect solution. Otherwise, it would’ve been a disappointment. And unfortunately, it was. While the various moving parts that helped Sherlock fake his death in “The Reichenbach Fall” were impressive, it relied too much on coincidence and the suspension of disbelief. After two years of waiting, it didn’t live up to expectations.

4

The Big Bang Theory

5-Month Hiatus During Season 1

Without the 2007 writers’ strike affecting several TV shows, audiences probably wouldn’t have received an incredible 12-season run of The Big Bang Theory. Eight episodes of the sitcom aired, before it went on a months-long hiatus. During this time, CBS reran the early episodes of The Big Bang Theory season 1, and because of how many times it kept popping up on TV screens, audiences started to take notice of the show. Viewers were relieved when episode 9 aired five months later, regardless of whether they liked The Big Bang Theory or not.

Blended image of original Katie and Penny in The Big Bang Theory

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Due to the lack of programming, The Big Bang Theory was repeated multiple times. Those who enjoyed the show were happy to see what happened next in Penny and Leonard’s will-they-won’t-they relationship storyline, and whether Raj was able to speak to women without drinking. Those who didn’t click with it, however, were thankful that a different episode was airing. Although eight episodes seemed like a lot, the repetition became irritating, especially as each only had a runtime of around 20 minutes. This was before the peak of streaming, so there were only so many channels to watch.

3

Torchwood

2-Year Hiatus Between Seasons 3 & 4

Torchwood made the mistake of killing off a majority of its cast within a matter of episodes, with Tosh and Owen dying in the season 2 finale and Ianto in season 3’s penultimate episode. The Doctor Who TV spinoff was already on thin ice with viewers, and many felt uneasy when the BBC announced that Torchwood season 4 was a collaboration with Starz. However, Torchwood was offered the benefit of the doubt, and there was hope that the show would redeem itself after a two-year hiatus and Ianto’s death.

Waiting for Torchwood’s return was frustrating enough, but the result of being patient was even worse.

The show would’ve been much better without a fourth installment, and Torchwood: Miracle Day was not worth the hiatus whatsoever. It was bad enough that Gwen and Jack were the only remaining members of the original team, but new additions Rex and Esther fell flat as characters and were simply annoying. The story, which focused on a world where nobody could die and Jack suddenly regained mortality, started off as intriguing, but it became so convoluted and overly stretched out that it got old. Waiting for Torchwood’s return was frustrating enough, but the result of being patient was even worse.

2

Jane The Virgin

11-Month Hiatus Between Seasons 4 & 5

Jane the Virgin’s season 4 finale twist was groundbreaking, especially as audiences had only just gotten used to the fact Michael was dead. Following the revelation that Jane’s husband was actually alive, Jane the Virgin went on a painstaking 11-month hiatus. Viewers were desperate to find out how Michael had survived, where he had been, and why he was back. Although 11 months between seasons wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, it was incredibly frustrating, especially as season 4 was the shortest installment of the show at only 17 episodes.

Composite of Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad, Kristen Bell in The Good Place, and Josh Radnor in How I Met Your Mother

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It wasn’t just the cliffhanger that was an issue, though. Exactly one month after “Chapter Eighty-One,” Jane actress Gina Rodriguez guest starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Alicia. Rodriguez’s Alicia was a new love interest for Rosa Diaz, and many believed she would become a recurring character. Therefore, they feared that Jane the Virgin season 5 would be pushed back even further because of filming commitments. However, this was ultimately proven to be untrue, and Jane the Virgin season 5 provided audiences with much-needed answers to their questions.

1

Arrested Development

5-Year Hiatus Between Seasons 4 & 5

Arrested Development Poster


Arrested Development is a comedy TV series that chronicles the descent from the wealth of the fictional Bluth Family. Michael Bluth, the most “well-adjusted” of the group, decides to break away from the family and let them fall into ruin after his father is imprisoned for real estate fraud. Despite his attempts, Michael tries to protect his family – from themselves – as he tries to settle his family’s affairs and clear them of wrongdoing while caring for his teenaged son.

Release Date

March 15, 2019

Seasons

5

Writers

Mitchell Hurwitz

Showrunner

Mitchell Hurwitz

Considering Arrested Development had already been canceled and revived once, the five-year hiatus between seasons 4 and 5 made the show’s future look bleak. Arrested Development season 4 was a disappointment, and the timeline of events was so confusing that Netflix had to release another edit in order to clarify things — although many found it even more complicated than the original cut. In fact, it was a surprise when Netflix announced that season 5 was coming and that viewers might finally discover who killed Lucille Austero.

The first few years without an update were frustrating, but Arrested Development’s hiatus went on for so long that many gave up on a resolution altogether.

The first few years without an update were frustrating, but Arrested Development’s hiatus went on for so long that many gave up on a resolution altogether. During the five-year break, the cast’s careers soared even more than they had already. Michael Cera was a big Hollywood name, Jason Bateman had become the lead in Ozark, and Will Arnett was better known for BoJack Horseman than he was as Gob Bluth. The reunion of Arrested Development’s prominent cast was exciting, but the payoff was truly shocking, and the storylines were poorly resolved.