Fall Finales

Last night was the fall finale of Heroes, marking the end of an eight-episode fall season. The show now goes on winter hiatus for six weeks, returns with a block of sixteen new episodes in January, and finishes with a season finale (or would that be a spring finale?) in May.

Heroes isn't the only show adopting a two-finale system. Shows like Prison Break and Jericho are also giving the new concept a try. Of course, they're all following the lead of Lost.

During the summer, Lost announced it would be airing a block of six new episodes in the fall, taking thirteen weeks off, and airing the remainder of the season (without repeats) in the new year. This would help avoid the stress and chaos the network created last season when fans never knew if Wednesday night would bring something new, something old, or something recycled (episodes containing 95% reused material).

Breaking Lost's season into two blocks was good for the fans and the network. It made it easier for fans to follow the show and it gave the network a season within a season to showcase another program.

The concept of two blocks of fresh episodes makes sense. One wonders why executives were so reluctant to do it before. Perhaps there was never enough demand for a change. Popular shows like ER, CSI, or Law & Order don't rely on long story arcs, cliffhangers, or momentum. There isn't a critical link between episodes and there's rarely the risk of the audience losing track of the main storyline because the main storyline is contained within the episode.

With a show like Heroes, which relies on pacing, ongoing story arcs, and an established timeline, mixing new episodes and repeats indiscriminately breaks the continuity and turns away fans who tune in to find out what happens next.

If the popularity of shows like Heroes or Prison Break continues to increase and both shows retain their audiences over the winter break, expect to see more programs with fall finales next year.