All shows have hiatuses, or mid seasons breaks, that never fail to irritate viewers and leave them wondering why they have to wait weeks or months for the next episode.

Although these breaks are annoying and completely throw off viewers, they do have a purpose. The main reason for these breaks is to split up a season and make it longer, but there are also often many personal issues that could cause a season to stop midway. In some cases, a show may be put on hiatus to evaluate the show’s quality and determine if it is worth keeping on the network.

Other times, the mid-season break is caused by the actors. Some actors have legal or health issues that need to be taken care of, therefore they are forced to leave the show for a certain length of time; if it is an important character, the network is likely to put the show on hiatus.

For example, in recent events, Glee star Cory Monteith had to take time out of filming to go to rehab for drug abuse.

Recently, Breaking Bad viewers were disappointed by the sudden hiatus taken right after after big reveal, leaving viewers hanging on until June. This being their last season, producers of Breaking Bad decided to have a break in order to keep the season going on for as long as possible. The popular show is not just taking a break to make the season longer; it also makes room for other well-known and loved show, like Mad Men, to air.

Other shows like Modern Family and The Vampire Diaries have upset viewers by taking breaks and showing reruns in place of new episodes, but no one knows if there is a specific reason for the hiatuses.

“I do not like the mid-season breaks because it takes a long time for the show to come back on and I want to watch my shows,” freshman Thida Pathmmavong said.

Viewers can only hang on for so long.

If a network channel messes with the schedule, many tend to lose patience and instead of waiting for the suspenseful returning episode, they forget about the show altogether.