![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_265364022-fc89.jpg\")
\n\t\tProduction delays have become all too common in the TV industry today (Picture: Apple TV+\/AP)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tProduction delays have become all too common in the TV industry today (Picture: Apple TV+\/AP)<\/p>\n
Key Points<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tsummary__ai-icon<\/p>\n
Fans often drop TV shows when delays between seasons become excessively long.<\/p>\n
Production slowdowns, such as strikes and the pandemic, have led to viewer frustration.<\/p>\n
Shows mentioned include Stranger Things, Severance, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tCreated with AI assistance. Quality assured by Metro editors.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Is there anything worse than motoring through a series, bingeing episode after episode until an ungodly hour in the morning, only to find out that the next season is in the dreaded purgatory of\u2026 development?<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, not only is this new season in production hell, but the script hasn\u2019t been written yet, and the director has another project to finish before he can begin.<\/p>\n
If that sounds like a familiar scenario to you, it\u2019s a situation that has become all too commonplace in the TV industry as of late.<\/p>\n
In comparison to the days when a one-year break between 24 episodes in a season was normal, with the likes of Lost, for instance, managing to release six seasons in six years, TV shows simply are not being made at the speed they once were.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tGet personalised updates on all things Netflix\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro\u2019s TV Newsletter.<\/p>\n
Sign up to our newsletter<\/a> and then select your show in the link we\u2019ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.<\/p>\n Due in part to higher production values, lack of fixed schedules and delayed renewals, not to mention a recent spate of strikes and the Covid-19<\/a> pandemic, the issue has become a source of frustration for many viewers.<\/p>\n So, to find out whether TV fans at home have lost patience with a show\u2019s delays, we have asked Metro readers which series they gave up on completely, despite the fact that they were enjoying it. Here\u2019s what they had to say.<\/p>\n Stranger Things<\/p>\n \t\t Don\u2019t worry, you can admit it. This is a safe space. When the first four episodes of the latest season of Stranger Things<\/a> dropped, you had no idea what was going on<\/a>.<\/p>\n None of us did. It\u2019s been three years, for Christ\u2019s sake!<\/p>\n We\u2019re probably all going to forget what has happened in the first few episodes by the time Volume Two drops on Christmas Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n But for Metro reader Tina Gane, three years has proved to be too long a wait.<\/p>\n She wrote on Facebook: \u2018I\u2019ve tried watching the last season but can\u2019t get back into it. It\u2019s been too long.\u2019<\/p>\n Stranger Things is available to watch on Netflix.<\/p>\n The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<\/p>\n \t\t As previously stated, many shows were impacted by the pandemic.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which first aired on Amazon Prime Video<\/a> in 2017, the comedy<\/a> series was hugely impacted.<\/p>\n Despite the standard release schedule for the series being roughly a year between seasons, production shutdowns and safety protocols extended the wait for season four to more than two years.<\/p>\n For Clare Louise, she explained: \u2018Albeit their delays were due to all the lockdowns etc we had to deal with, I just couldn\u2019t get back into them afterwards.\u2019<\/p>\n The series follows Miriam \u201cMidge\u201d Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), whose seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent she didn\u2019t previously know she had \u2013 stand-up comedy.<\/p>\n The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is available to watch on Amazon Prime.<\/p>\n Severance<\/p>\n \t\t Here\u2019s the one you\u2019ve all been waiting for\u2026 Severance<\/a>.<\/p>\n For all the Apple TV<\/a> series\u2019 brilliance, it feels like a lifetime has passed between each season<\/a> of Dan Erickson\u2019s weird and wonderful science fiction psychological thriller.<\/p>\n Yet again, the show has been impacted by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which halted production.<\/p>\n But showrunner Ben Stiller<\/a> and Erickson have spoken about how they have prioritised creative perfection, rewriting and refining scripts even during filming, leading to extensive prep and shooting schedules.<\/p>\n Donald J Makin commented on Facebook: \u2018[Erickson] had a hard time getting a handle on the series being a success, and once he di,d he got to work.<\/p>\n [For] other series I would rather wait to get something good than a rushed second series as I know they\u2019ve taken time to make great TV and not just rush into production.\u2019<\/p>\n Severance is available to watch on Apple TV.<\/p>\n The Rookie<\/p>\n \t\t Next on the list of TV shows that have lost viewers due to the delays between each season is the American police procedural drama The Rookie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follows John Nolan, a man in his 40s, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the show is based on real-life LAPD officer William Norcross.<\/p>\n However, for Debbie Bennett, she said: \u2018I\u2019m nearly at the end of season 7 of the rookie and [I\u2019ve got to] wait until summer 2026 for season 8.\u2019<\/p>\n Richard Jones echoed a similar sentiment, speaking about the current state of television today, writing: \u2018I miss when TV shows were 24 episodes a year, with them being 22 or 44 minutes long.<\/p>\n \u2018[The] problem with Netflix<\/a> is they don\u2019t want to commit beyond one season in case it doesn\u2019t do the figures they want, which means a delay in signing cast and directors to a second season, so when they do, they have the issue of everyone having other projects and having to work around them.<\/p>\n \u2018We basically had shows that would be on for five or six months continuously.\u2019<\/p>\n The Rookie is available to watch on NOW.<\/p>\n Downton Abbey<\/p>\n \t\t Last, but certainly not least, is none other than Downton Abbey<\/a>.<\/p>\n The inclusion of this ITV<\/a> series might appear unfair, given the fact that each of its seasons was generally produced and aired annually.<\/p>\n A new season typically arrived each autumn in the UK, running from 2010 to 2015.<\/p>\n However, following the postponements of the second movie due to the pandemic and concerns over cinema audiences, Claire Penny said: \u2018They had several seasons and three movies, the third movie took the longest to come out.\u2019<\/p>\n Phil Ogden similarly said: \u2018It\u2019s not just the delays, some shows (BBC and ITV, I\u2019m looking at you) end up with just odd new episodes dotted about randomly throughout the year.<\/p>\n \u2018Life\u2019s too short to spend time weekly perusing the schedules to see what I might be missing.\u2019<\/p>\n Downton Abbey is available to watch on ITVX.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"STRANGER](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_113135258-b95b.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe most recent season of Stranger Things came after a three-year gap (Picture: Netflix)<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PRI_106013802-5245.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe comedy series had a gap of more than two years between its seasons (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n![\"15107591](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_265763765-7694.jpg\")
\n\t\tSeverance has frustrated its fanbase with long gaps between each of its seasons (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n![\"THE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_252158667-7da8.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Rookie fans have shared their anger over having to wait for episodes (Picture: Disney)<\/p>\n![\"Lily](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PRI_154892473-e4c4.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Downton Abbey films were delayed by the pandemic (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Knives Out director says there will \u2018never\u2019 be Benoit Blanc prequels with Daniel Craig<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Amazon Prime removes AI recaps after it made \u2018grossly inaccurate\u2019 mistakes<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Stephen Mulhern: \u2018Bending in impossible positions while naked was most horrific moment of my life\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n