The way I remember it is that in the past a series would start around October and continue until approx April.
Then the next season would start around Sept - October again. You never had to wait really long, and having to wait those 4-5 months was always long enough anyways.

These days with American series (not sure about Dutch series since I don't watch these anymore) it's pretty normal to make you wait a year, sometimes even longer?
Now I get that some things may be more work, special effects and all, although I wonder why it IS such much work? Lost in Space won't be back before the end op 2019 because of that.

Sorry to say, but if I have to wait a year or longer I lose my appetite. If Lost in Space takes that long, maybe early 2020, I've already forgotten what it was about. And Will Robinson will be an adult by that time, haha.

It's how I lost interest in GoT. I could never remember who was who, what had gone down etc. By the time I remembered most of it, the season ended. After a few seasons I completely lost track of some storylines, mixed two up even, and got bored with it all. Too many storylines.

Also lost interest in Into the Badlands, Westworld and so on.

I wonder if it works that way with most people? That you tend to lose interest if it's been too long in between seasons?
If that's the case, networks dig their own grave with series if viewer rates go down cos they make you wait too long.
In the past they started a series and gave it time to grow on people. If they went for a series, they just went for it, not like, let's give them one chapter then wait and see if there's going to be a chapter 2.
Of course if it didn't catch on they'd take it off the air, but I don't think this happened often.
(Now this is how it worked for Dutch series, maybe it always was different in the US?)
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us networks have always been fickle and quick to dump programming. the hurt now is much shorter "seasons" they use to be 20 plus episodes a season now most are under 15 or the season is split in two

Because I watch mostly streaming shows, I usually will binge or watch a whole season in a relatively short period of time, so I dont mind waiting if its something I enjoy. I can always go back to the last episode of the last season to recap, if needed.

There is no more "appointment" TV for me any more and there hasn't been in years. I'm not holding my breath waiting for 9:00 PM on Sunday night or whatever. The only exception is sports. Otherwise, I watch streaming services.

I don't watch traditional TV. Streaming, On Demand, etc. is how I watch shows and movies. There can be long waits between seasons, but I'll usually binge if a new seasons come out all at once.

I remember the old days when I would set my VCR to record a show. I had a bunch of different tapes each set to 'record' on different days.
On Sunday, we would gather round and watch all the shows one right after another.
Then DVDs came out where I could buy a whole season at a time.
I started buying those sets but they were never of the current or just recently finished seasons so I was always a season or two 'behind'.
I loved it that there were no commercials.

Then, I started streaming on my computer. Couldn't really watch much at first. With a 19,400 kbps connection it even took hours to download a short film.
When I got my first high speed connection 56K I started watching small segments after letting it buffer.
Then high speed DSL came out and I started seeing full episodes and full movies hitting the interwebs.
I went to sites like Stage 6, VeeHD and StageVu and started watching flash video and Divx. It wasn't long until I found my computer would barely respond. I had very little hard drives space left.
What I found out was the Divx player automatically saved the streaming file to my temp files. I went into the temp folder and there was a copy of every movie and tv show I watched sitting there.
I was downloading movies and shows and never knew it.
Instead of deleting those files, I moved burned them to a cd as a file.
I was then able to playback any of them whenever I wanted without going on the internet.
I found if I set the divx player to play, I could minimize it and it would download the movie so I could watch it later off-line.
I dedicated a folder and started filling that up and soon, I was hooked. I got to watch whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and without commercials.
Fast forward to today and I am still doing pretty much the same thing.
I watch full seasons at a time, 'collecting' episodes but waiting till I have all of them till I watch.
The sources I use include 'on demand' shows like the new Lost In Space and Star Trek Discovery.
I too am waiting for LIS Season 2 and pretty dissappointed its taking so long but when LIS Season 1 came available, it was the entire season at once. I like that. When season 2 comes out, I will be able to watch all of season 1 and 2 together.

I watched the first 2 seasons of The Walking Dead on TV (with commercials). I've collected every episode since but haven't watched them yet. When the series ends, I will binge watch the entire series at once.
I did that with the X-Files, Babylon 5, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Kindred: The Embraced and a bunch of other series. PLus, I still have them so I can watch them over and over as many times as I want with no commercials.
I have 12 TB of hard drives now and this Black Friday, I'll be buying another 4 TB My Book drive.
I don't sell anything, the files are for my own personal use.
I paid for those files when I paid for access to the world wide web.
Since I didn't put those files on the internet, I am violating no copyrights. All I did was access a webpage and I paid for that.
My computer, your computer downloads the pages you view and puts that data in your temp folder for cache and all I did was 'save' the cache and move it out of the temp folder to view offline.

If I want to show someone a movie, I send them to the site that has the stream. Technically, I am sharing a website, not the movie.
My son has a smart tv with internet. I told him to go to a few different streaming sites to see if his TV would recognize the streams and it did. He now watches anything he wants anytime he wants and has since cancelled his satellite service and saves money because he was already paying for internet.
Most gaming systems can play mp4 files. Most streaming sites stream in mp4. So you can stream on your gaming system as well as your phone.

Do a test: See if your phone or system will play a movie from this site.
You will be surprised
http://streamtopmovies.com/
http://www.watchepisodeseries.com/

There are many other sources for streams as well.
Just make sure you have virus and spyware protection.

The fact that you do DL the packages/movie onto your PC IS downloading and is illegal. For a long time it was legal to stream and DL in my country, but the EU starting moaning as in no other EU country it was allowed anymore except for over here. So we had to bow down to the f*(king EU again and lost our freedom, again.
Streaming is as illegal as DLing as you do DL these packages whilst streaming. And that is illegal.
Don't matter if you pay for internet, you pay for internet services, not to illegally DL.

I am not happy about it myself, as I DO pay money for watching TV. I have no choice, I have to if I want to have a cable modem. You cannot have cable modem only for internet, so I pay about E17 a month for TV I do not watch. I'm quite PO about that.
Then I wanted to do it legally, HBO, Netflix or something. Turns out I then get the Dutch version of these networks, not the American ones, meaning I still cannot get what I want to watch. I get Dutch crap presented on Dutch HBO and 2-3 yr old American series that I have already seen or have no interest in whatsoever. I'm not paying for that

So all in all I pay an arm and a leg each month for internet AND tv that I don't watch, and yet I can still not legally watch what I want to watch. All because of copyright.

Yeah, but then you must have something else to fill in the gaps. That's where it gets difficult for me. At some point you have seen most series that interest you, and the ones that are still running you're up to speed with. Then what?
I've regurgitate a whole lot of old movies as well, at some point you run out of options.

Every webpage you load is downloaded.
Copyright infringement has specific stipulations.
The most important is copyright infringement as infringing upon somebody's copyright.

There are loopholes to all copyright laws as well.
Namely non-profits and research.
Well, I am studying the film industry and collecting samples for a paper I will publish when I have inspected all possible sources and assessed all referenced items. I'm still collating.

Plus, I never sell my research materials nor do I claim to have made any of the samples myself. Thus, not violating anyone's copyrights. I am also not making nor distributing copies of anything.

As for the internet.
There are sites that my internet cost does not cover.
If I choose to use those sites, I must pay additional fees to do so.
If I do not pay the fee, I cannot access the website.
I access the sites that are available to me for the money I pay every month. I pay for that access. If I do not pay for that access, I cannot access those sites.
Therefore, when I look at a site that has a picture of a puppy, I paid to see that picture of the puppy. When I stream a movie at a site, I paid to load that site and play that movie. It is included in my access fee I pay every month otherwise, I would not be able to view that site.

Every time you click a link (url hyperlink) you upload to that site and it downloads to your device. My personal data about my computer is uploaded and stored (cookies) my IP and mac address is available. If the site can download my data, why can't I download theirs?
Some sites take my data and sell it, I don't sell their data.
If anyone is being violated its me.

Ever notice the browser feature in the file menu that offers you the ability to view this page offline/work offline? Its so you can save the temp cache of the page you are viewing and look at it offline. All it does is move the cache to where you can find it. It doesn't clear the cache when you close your browser because the cached page is no longer in the temp folder.

Hey, it's no skin of my nose. It's just that if you feel a system isn't fair it doesn't mean you have legal right to do otherwise.
If a site asks membership fees and then grands you access to their site, movies & series, still doesn't mean to say it's legal.
Sometimes laws are weird. For instance over here you're allowed to buy weed & hash, but you're not allowed to sell it. Yet the owners of the coffeeshops are allowed to do so. Not legally, but it's tolerated. I believe it is also not legal to stock his shop, yet it is tolerated. Government created this "tolerance" policy for that so the coffeeshops could do their business without getting in trouble, but technically speaking it isn't legal.

Maybe where you live it's different from over here when it comes to DLing and streaming, but I doubt it very much as America was the first one to be difficult about it. We were the last country (in the EU at least) where downloading and streaming was legal until some 3 years ago.
You can have personal beliefs that what you do is fair and right, and I agree with you as I don't think the system is right either. But it's still the system and doing otherwise is illegal and can cost you a serious fine.
My provider flatly refused to pass on details of ppl DLing & streaming, so I was quite safe. But a few months ago they were forced to do so by court.

Oh well...

Well, copyright laws all changed. It was because of the movie industry. They failed to renew copyrights on movies like "It's a Wonderful Life", so then t.v. networks started playing them every year without having to pay for any rights. When Hollywood calculated how much money they were losing, they began pushing for longer copyrights (it's now 125 years!) plus stricter regulations against piracy.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about it all.

We have basically been forced to purchase cable subscriptions in this country because of the switch from analog to digital broadcast. Too many areas just can't receive good consistent signal over the air anymore.

Cable wants to give you a bunch of channels you don't want. But it won't remove them and credit your account so that you can purchase the channels you do want.

Cable wants to offer broadband internet, but then wants to throttle speeds for any site it chooses, like Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, etc.

Meanwhile, HBO and many other cable networks are now offering online subscriptions.

My point being that we are forced into buying cable packages we don't want. The government has forced us. The cable companies are trying to force us. They refuse to adapt and embrace the future that is evident.

Internet TV is the future. For decades, cable customers have wanted a la cart service, but network bundling has prevented that. With Internet TV, customers will only subscribe to the network sites that they want, whether it's HBO, Discovery, History, Showtime, Cartoon Network, Disney, etc. Cable TV is a dinosaur headed toward extinction, whether the cable companies like it or not.

Unfortunately, because of copyright laws, this new version of Internet TV may force out sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu if they don't adapt. These sites have to pay a licensing fee in order to carry copyrighted material, but the copyright holders often only sell the license until the DVD versions come out, then pull the licensing so they can boost DVD sales. But Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu actually have adapted -- they have created their own shows, and those shows have done well. Thus these 3 at least are on their way to becoming Internet TV Networks. But many of the smaller and lesser known sites will be forced out of the picture. We begun to see it already.

I think it all comes down to mismanagement and a lack of accountability. We have a tendency to expand too rapidly with new technology. Then we try to keep patching things once we realize the mistake rather than downsizing to become more manageable again. Because we refuse to just bite that bullet, we make everybody else suffer. And it's all because of greed.


But we digress...

Wonderful assessment, actionlynx.
Yes, SparklingCrystal country policies and ISP policies are different.

Thing is, watching a stream or downloading a source to watch offline is a reality and has been for over a decade.

I had a digital antenna for channel broadcasts.
I had various cable subscriptions.
I had satellite service.
I paid for this in addition to my internet.
When I had cable internet I requested to have the cable service suspended and only have internet and they agreed and stopped cable but left the internet active.
When I moved in here, there was no cable or internet or phone at the duplex and I was the first resident to request internet.
I have phone HS internet alone and it has been fantastic.
I chose a higher speed and pay extra for it.
I have unlimited service (set to 1000 GB) and I never even come close to the limit.

I do not put the movies or shows on the internet.
I merely watch them, just like if a friend lends me the dvd.
I do know someone that was uploading movies to the internet and he was flagged and told to take down all the violations and he did and that was it. But, now his activity is monitored.
The person who publishes copyrighted works is the target of the policing actions.
Everyone else is merely using their internet to access a site.
DVR is basically downloading from the cable or satellite system to watch a show/movie when you want.
If recording a movie/show is against the law, why is it sold as a feature on VCRs & DVRs? If the recording feature is intended for a certain purpose why is it able to record the source?
The person using the feature is not in violation of copyright.
The only ones that are responsible for copyright are the ones broadcasting the copyrighted content.
When watching TV or listening to the radio you are technically streaming the connection. You are using dedicated equipment that streams content on purpose. You tune to a channel and stream the content.
You click a link and stream the content on your computer, gaming system, tablet or phone.
You didn't put that content there, it was on a public source.
Its not the responsibility of the end user to determine if content is copyrighted, it is the responsibility of the one broadcasting (making available) the content.

Back on target; I would rather wait longer and have the whole season available at once than to be strung along week to week or month to month.

It's so amazing how back in the day with just a minimum of channels for me it was channel 2 4 5 and then 8 for nothing more than the price of the electricity and yet it felt more entertaining even if you were low man on the totem pole designated channel changer..maybe hoping mother and father would have another child so that you could move up in status and hand over that duty to the lower sibling..T.v shows were more wholesome and like a nice dinner more fulfilling..and now so many channels with what seems like the substance of a t.v dinner and not so fulfilling and less family based..grab a gat and start blasting and one main star who just happens to be Billy Joe bad azz who knows everything can solve any problem and some how always gets the women..I think a lot has been lost in most t.v shows as we drift away from the wholesome shows that made you walk away when they were over with a better frame of mind..Perhaps it's just me and the fact that I am getting older and have seen the change and how society is more drawn to the less fulfilling wholesome shows which seem like a cheap t.v dinner with no dessert.. not fulfilling and a whole lot of non nutritional additives for the mind I seem to think that the wholesome shows helped set the tone in families and society and how well we got along with each other both inside and outside our homes..I could be wrong ,but it's not like it would be the first time ..

I never thought Id say this, but I totally agree.

I really think we have been sold a bill of goods regarding how wonderful all these modern 'developments' and technology are. I believe most of the older ways were better, much more dependable, and much more encouraging of human interactions and experiences. The new 'technology' makes things 'easier' and more convenient, but at what cost. Most of it is not as dependable, in my opinion, as the old ways and require you to zone out of the human experience more than to tune into it. It may have been much better for us to have a time when all the shows went off, to have a media that took into consideration family times and times that children were watching, to have land lines where people had to have the PATIENCE to leave a message and WAIT for what was convenient to ANOTHER persons schedule for a response. It may have been better if we were relying more on books that had to be REVIEWED and verified and published, than on sites and anonymous contents on the WEB that anyone can post.

I am getting older, but I dont think that 'technology' is quite the bees knees in terms of how much of our community and soul we are losing for the advantage of having more 'efficiency' and convenience. And the next thing is AI, which is now being tauted everywhere I look as something to just accept and embrace. We are in times, I think, where we are seeing more change happening in much less time than before, but I dont know if forgoing the adage 'slow and steady wins the race' is not going to cause us a world of regrets later.


lol, rant over.


To answer the OP, lol, No. Time doesnt mean much with TV when there are so many ways to watch, and always the option to refresh your memory by streaming old episodes.

double post (dont know why my computer does that... sorry)

Yeah, I don't like where our current consumerization of technology is headed.

I - for one - would love to do away with cellphones. People don't need to be able to contact me 24/7. I like my space and my privacy. But just because everyone else has a cellphone, now I need one too -- because of my job. Any job! They really get bent out of shape now if you don't have a cellphone. I'm sorry, but I'm not a SLAVE.

Technically speaking, I'm contracted to work X hours per week for Y wage per hour and abide by Z list of rules and ethics. Anything else falls outside the scope of the contract, and I'm not required to do any of it. So technically, if I were fired over not having a cellphone? It should be considered a breach of contract with all the appropriate penalties.

On topic...

I'm really annoyed with the delays. GoT, Sherlock, and I'm already forgetting who else. I have a hard enough time waiting between seasons of Doctor Who!

Really, 9 episode seasons are too short. That's not even 1/5 of the year. I really prefer having 2 seasons per year, each with their own sets of shows rather than reruns.

But this is why I tend to binge watch instead. Let them get online or on DVD, and then I'll watch an entire season over the course of a week.

I find it interesting how there's more commercials on traditional TV now, with all the competition and ways to avoid commercials now. It's like you can actually see traditional TV dying.

I know this topic was more about the length between seasons, which it seems has gotten longer on traditional TV, but no so much on other means.

We live in a pretty interesting time, not just for TV but most technology. Lots of big changes happening and we get to see how it changes us, good and bad. Ultimately, it's up to us to decide what stays, what changes, and whether it's good or bad.