A season finale (
British English
British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
: last in the series;
Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a
season of a
television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to attract viewers to continue watching when the series begins again.
A season finale may contain a
cliffhanger ending
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhange ...
to be resolved in the next season. Alternatively, a season finale could bring storylines to a close, "going out on a high" and similarly maintaining interest in the series' eventual return.
Mid-season finale
In the 2000s, the terms "mid-season finale," "fall finale," or "winter finale" began being used by television broadcasters in the United States to denote the last episode before a mid-season
hiatus, often for the
holiday season. As with a season finale, a mid-season finale can include a major plot development, or a cliffhanger ending that will be resolved when the series returns. Winter/Fall finales are often used by networks to draw attention and encourage viewership of such episodes as
event television Event television (sometimes used in verb form as the buzzword "eventize") is a television network marketing concept which arose in the early 2010s and is characterized by a shift in priorities towards enticing audiences to watch programming immedia ...
, especially if they fall during the November
sweeps period. The practice has faced criticism for affecting the structure and narrative of broadcast television programs, as writers may be coerced by broadcasters into placing cliffhangers and plot developments in midseason episodes, rather than allow a plot to build up to a traditional season finale.
Series finale
The ''final'' episode of a television series often concludes the entire premise of the show, wrapping up any loose ends and storylines. On occasion, the season finale has become the series finale due to
cancellation of the series, sometimes unexpectedly so,
leaving plot points unresolved.
In sports
In
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...
, the term has evolved to describe the final event of a
sporting season, e.g. in
soccer or
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
,
Crash.net, "Strijbos wins season finale, Ramon crowned"
Retrieved September 26, 2007 perhaps partly because of the popularity of these with television viewers.
See also
* Season premiere
* Series premiere
* Series finale
References
Television terminology
Last events
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