HOLLYWOOD—I had been so hyped for the new season of “Euphoria” to debut on HBO on Sunday, April 12. The advertisements had been all over the place, so the anticipation was definitely building. However, after watching the season 3 premiere of “Euphoria” I was disappointed.

I expected so much more, and it just felt underwhelming. Then it had me thinking, jeez, it had been 4 years since audiences were last treated to “Euphoria.” Yes, that was back to 2022, and I didn’t realize it was that long ago.

I felt like it may have been like 2 years ago, but not, it was much longer, as many of the stars of the series like Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney have gone on to have illustrious movie careers for them to even come back is a plus. This brings up the age-old question: how long is too long for audiences to have to wait for a new season or for the series to return?

Most TV series return after the few months. Some give viewers a year, but then you have those rare ones that really force you to wait, like “Euphoria” or “Severance” or another series favorite of mine that returns this week, “From.”

The mystery/thriller on MGM+ plus last aired back in 2024. It has been more than 18 months since fans were treated to that chaotic ending that witnessed a key character likely meet their demise. My frustration is that it has been so long I can barely recall everything that unfolded. That frustrates me dearly because now I need a refresher before the new season premieres.

On top of that, when there is such a long wait before a new season airs, not only does anticipation start to waiver, but you also find a series to replace that show that used to be staple watching for you. You forget about it as if it never existed and in my opinion that is a bad thing. You never want the viewer to forget about the series.

A lot of networks and premium cable channels are forcing viewers to wait longer and longer because it may be a money issue, not so much a concern about what the viewers want. Most viewers want the entire season dropped when the new season arrives. Some like the week-to-week anticipation, but the waiting is brutal. This is my argument; a series should return to the air within a year of its previous season ending.

The longer the audience has to wait, you’re losing viewers. Once those viewers are gone, there are times where you might be able to bring them back, but a lot of the time, you can’t.

Written By LaDale Anderson