A television executive, who has been behind shows like The Boys and The Last of Us, rips into years-long gaps between television series. Based on the Naughty Dog video game of the same name, The Last of Us season 1 was released in early 2023. There is no season 2 release date yet, but viewers can expect the show in early 2025, making for a two-year gap. The Boys has had four seasons so far, and experience a two-year gap between seasons 3 and 4.
Speaking at the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo market (via The Times), Sony Pictures Television president Katherine Pope voices her thoughts on the long gaps between TV seasons. According to the executive, "long delays" between television seasons are "not fair to the fans" and "so frustrating." She expressed her personal woes about these gaps, describing sitting down at home and wondering "what happened last season." Pope also described industry worries related to these gaps, saying "we can't afford to lose fans." Check out the full quote from Pope below:
It is so frustrating. Those long delays are just absolutely untenable and they are not fair to the fans.
I’ll sit down with my husband and we’ll be like: ‘OK, what happened last season?’. That experience of watching eight episodes then two years later getting another eight is just not good.
In such a saturated world, we can’t afford to lose fans. It is hard enough to get them.
What Pope's Quote Means For The State Of Television
The Executive Holds Valid Criticism
Pope's quote comes at a time when a huge majority of non-network shows are experiencing extended gaps between seasons. This is a problem across nearly all major streaming platforms. Stranger Things and Wednesday, two of Netflix's highest-performing shows, for instance, will both have longer than two-year gaps between their most recent seasons. On the Max side, one of the biggest offenders in House of the Dragon, which took two years between seasons 1 and 2 and is not expected to release season 3 until 2026.
Long gaps between seasons have not always been the case in television, and has been a growing problem in recent years. Looking at major mid-2000s shows like Lost and Breaking Bad, for example, audiences often did not even have to wait a full year for one season of a show to end and the next to begin. While months-long gaps left audiences in anticipation and waiting for more, the relatively quick turnaround time meant that these shows still seized viewers' attention. As Pope worries, shows with gaps may be losing their audiences.
Our Take On Long Gaps In Between Seasons
I Am Anxiously Awaiting The Last of Us Season 2
I do not hesitate for a second to agree with Pope. While none of us would want our favorite shows to rush a sloppy season, I find myself champing at the bit to get the next chapter of The Last of Us. These high-budget, visually involved television shows undoubtedly take a long time to create. To avoid continually frustrating audiences — especially when cliffhangers like the House of the Dragon season 2 ending occur — major producers must figure out how to curb this trend and deliver their shows to audiences faster.
