Everyone dreads the absence of their favorite shows from their lives, not because of the attachment to the characters or wonderful cinematography, but the cliffhangers that leave questions unanswered until the season’s reboot.

Mid-season or winter finales emerged during the 2000s, spreading widely among television programs. When television networks temporarily end their shows during the winter and resume them once the new year arrives, they increase their profits by dividing shows’ earnings into two separate quarters.

These media companies cover up their true intentions by abruptly cutting off the show on a huge plot twist for the main character and presuming their viewers will catch the midseason premiere to watch them find a solution.

“I’ve been with [Teen Wolf] since day one, and after the midseason finale, it will be done. It’s so sad, but so exciting. It’ll give me closure,” senior Mackenzie Union said.

To finish a series, viewers must idly sit during their season’s ‘halftime’ and dishearteningly wait for a complete picture. During the hiatus, people often forget what occurred in the earlier half of the season, and viewers find this process irritating and pointless.

“I cannot stand [midseason finales]. They always end on a cliffhanger,” senior Kesha Perkins said. “Of course on Grey’s Anatomy with Alex, we thought he was in jail, but we couldn’t find out for a month. I was on the edge of my seat. And when they came back on they had a whole episode that didn’t even care about Alex. I was like ‘why am I still watching’, but of course I’m still going to watch because it is addicting.”

Mainstream networks like Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS attempt to draw in more viewers by writing in cliffhangers that keep their audience on the edge of their seats and ensure their return in the near spring. However, by premiering midseason finales, writers actually speed up the season’s plot and create a rushed storyline. Furthermore, if a show does not fulfill its profit expectations, the network will cancel the series and replace it with a new program. For example, in 2012 Terra Nova did not receive sufficient viewing rates, so Fox replaced it with the show Alcatraz, leaving a cliffhanger unresolved.

In today’s society, people crave continuity and lack patience evident in their hatred for midseason finales. However, without fall and winter finales, television shows would take longer breaks in between their seasons. This demand for instant gratification led to the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. With 164 million subscriptions, the future of television lies in online streaming companies.

“I would rather have midseason finales because longer breaks make me feel like I will forget about the show. Also, I will start to hate the creators,” Perkins said.

Luckily, with the blooming springtime, people’s favorite shows make their comeback on televisions, and television addicts can answer their unsolved questions.