How to Survive a Mid-Season Break

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The mid-season break (or hiatus) has quite a history in television, but I like to think it’s alarming popularity began with the boom that was the 2007-2008 writer’s strike. The vast majority of primetime dramas and comedies went off the air, and no one truly knew when they would be coming back. Widespread panic swept through the nation while studios and networks scrambled to find a solution.

Nowadays, we know when the mid-season break is ending – a show will advertise it’s “Fall” or “Spring Premiere” during the long weeks and months between, say, episodes #12 and #13. Some shows that are particularly lucrative (ahem, ABC Family) will have multiple breaks. Other shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, will have seemingly random re-run weeks instead of a new episode. Most networks use this to build up suspense (and consequently pump up the ratings) and obviously it works. But if it isn’t the most frustrating television-related thing, I don’t know what is.

Lucky for you, I’ve survived many a mid-season break without being committed to a mental hospital, so I’d say that just about makes me an expert. In light of this, I thought I’d benevolently give you the advice you’ve been looking for.

Change the Channel

Obviously nothing can replace your precious True Blood, Mad Men, *Insert show here,* and I would never suggest attempting to make that switch. (You know those pregnant ladies who brag about replacing cigarettes with lollipops? Replacing Breaking Bad with Keeping Up With The Kardashians doesn’t really work like that.) But trust me when I say it’s imperative that you change the channel. If your favorite, currently-on-hiatus series is aired on AMC, don’t sit around all day watching AMC and their endless slew of reruns and promotions for the show in question.

Create a Blacklist

When it comes to mid-season breaks, you’re just going to have to rip the show off like a band aid and go cold turkey. That means no watching reruns, no searching the series name in a Google News search (or any Google search for that matter), and certainly no going on forums related to the show. No, in fact, you have to create a blacklist for yourself. The good folks of Tumblr will be familiar with the term “Blacklist” in this context, but for those who aren’t: There are various services out on the internet that will allow you to block anything *Insert show here* related when you’re going about your daily internet activities. Use them, and use them generously.

Don’t Watch the Promos

Only a week left until your show starts back up again?! (How did you know that? Did you Google it? Tsk, tsk.) Don’t watch every 30-second clip the network or show website releases, because you will literally torture yourself. You may laugh, but I’ve seen firsthand how the mental effects of ‘psyching’ yourself out like this can take a hard hit on your performance at work (not to mention your social life will also be on a hiatus).

This might not be the advice you wanted to hear, but a little tough love is just what the Mid-Season Break Doctors (yours truly) ordered. You’ll be a healthier, happier viewer if you cut it out cold turkey. Even better, you won’t have already found a million spoilers on the internet that will ruin the Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer premiere for you. A little painful, but brilliant. Now go watch the History channel, go to Winchesters, and wait for this to all blow over.