The other night I was watching the last couple minutes of the new episode “90210” with my roommates on a fairly uneventful Tuesday evening.

In these last few moments a new bit of drama was revealed, the credits rolled, and a hush spread over the room as the clip went on to preview footage for next week’s all new episode.

*GASP*

One of my roommates was particularly horrified to find out the next new episode isn’t airing next week, or even the week after ... but will return Jan. 6.

As a good friend of mine would say right about now, “Wah, Waah.”

In recent years, network TV has divulged from the standard September to May season in order to lure more audiences (and therefore advertisers) during the usually slow summer months. Also, with the rising popularity of serialized dramas such as “24” and “Lost,” where missing an episode is like losing a lifeline, alternative seasons are becoming more and more common practice. Both the aforementioned shows have taken the last couple of falls off in favor of showing new episodes of a full season back-to-back beginning in January or February. “24” in particular has taken a very long break prior to its two-hour special TV movie airing this coming Sunday, after the team behind the Fox drama opted not to air the few episodes completed before the writers strike began.

While both shows’ total audience numbers have dipped in recent years, fans have rejoiced in favor of the no rerun policy, as it allows them to follow the story lines much more easily.

However, some shows such as “Heroes” and now it seems “90210,” take huge breaks in the middle of the season before beginning, as “Heroes” would call it, a new “chapter.” “Heroes” is still standing fairly strong although its creative juices have been greatly questioned of late. However, there are also examples to the contrary.

Mystery apocalypse drama “Jericho” debuted on CBS a few years back to great numbers and an instant cult following. However, after taking a huge break in the winter and returning in April, many fans both fickle and fanatic were angry about the huge gap in storytelling that resulted in declining audience numbers and eventually, a network cancellation for the show.

Putting a successful show or even moderate hit on the primetime backburner reminds me of that cliche phrase used time and time again: “If you love something, let it go and if it comes back it was meant to be.” However, can the same rule be applied to TV’s fickle and attention-impaired fans?

The key difference between a film and a TV show is that once viewers invest their emotions and time into a film, the final credits roll on the screen, but with a TV show, the final credits of one episode just mean you’re a little bit closer to the beginning of another. In the latter medium, fans are rewarded for their investment rather than punished. But how comforting and familiar can a show be without semi-regular updates on all of your favorite characters?

With this dilemma in mind, as well as the rising quality and bigger story arcs on shows such as “Lost,” TV and movies seem to be closing in on the once-huge gap between them.

What’s to come next? That, readers, is to be continued ... in four to six months.

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