Every fall, the same previews start rolling again. Who is A? Find out on this season of Pretty Little Liars. Will Elena choose Stefan or Damon? Tune into this season of The Vampire Diaries. What will Jenna do next? Watch the new season of Awkward.

These shows drag on and on. It seems like these shows will never disclose the one answer all viewers desperately want. Pretty Little Liars will never reveal A’s true identity.

Honestly, the plots became old and repetitive seasons ago. The same characters end up together after making the same mistake and paying the same consequences. I sigh countlessly during each new episode because of the boring similarities to the previous season.

Most viewers, including myself, no longer expect answers. However, anyone still watching probably holds out hope that maybe, this season will finally tell us everything we want to hear. Of course, the season finale then lets us down by ending on the exact same cliffhanger as all of the other seasons.

Rather than just not watching, viewers continue sitting down in front of the TV for the same show every week. Why? No recurring plot could break the bond established between the main characters and viewers. Sure, we already know what happens next, but we watched these relationships blossom and die, and emerge again. Through the dramatic break-ups and the alluring  make-up, viewers connected with these emotional characters in a way that makes not watching impossible.

For example, memorable shows like Gossip Girl, Nip/Tuck, House, and Breaking Bad, ended and joined instant queues across the globe. Now, these shows and other popular series thrive through on-demand websites, still worshipped for their complex characters and dramatic storylines. This proves that the ending of a series helps make the show historic, not how long the show can go before it loses all of its viewers.

Shows like Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, and Awkward had their time and now it would feel right if they retired. The audience may feel sad at first, but it remains for the best.