Summary

• The midseason break for Invincible has caused the show's hype to diminish, despite the strong anticipation leading up to its return.
• The four-episode halves format could make it challenging for viewers to stay engaged and invested in the show, with long breaks in between.
• While the midseason breaks could be a potential problem, season 3 has the opportunity to overcome this by having a shorter wait and introducing spinoff shows or specials to appease fans during the breaks.

The return of Invincible season 2, part 1's ending created an appetite for more, but fans will have to wait.

Over a month has already ed since season 2 part 1 concluded, leaving audiences in the dark about what is next for the sophomore installment. Invincible is set to resume in early 2024, but there has been no official return date. After waiting two and a half years, a month or two might be small in comparison, but this new formula does start to create issues going forward. Robert Kirkman's Invincible plans suggest the show will be around for a while, initially aiming for seven to eight seasons before joking about making 100. With no end in sight, the future of the series could take a big hit through midseason breaks.

Invincible Has Already Lost Some Of Its Hype With The Midseason Finale

Momentum for Invincible season 2, part 2 is dying

When Invincible finally returned, there was so much anticipation, but the hype after the midseason finale has already begun to fade. Given how long the gap was between season 1 and 2, any reveal caused huge online reaction, with Invincible's season 2 teaser trailer gaining a lot of attention. The teaser was released in January 2023 and announced the show would be coming later in the year, which was more than enough to get people talking. Invincible season 2's viewership record smashed season 1's, proving that people were ready for more of the show and were itching for it to come back.

While season 2 certainly made a splash, with each episode having major talking points, the overall hype has died down. The midseason finale was likely created to allow a bit of a breather, letting audiences digest the events of episode 4 before going again. Unfortunately, Invincible's online presence has fallen and although the series still seems in position to perform well upon its return, the break seems to have hurt its momentum rather than help it. Invincible season 2, part 2 still has plenty of questions to answer, but the longer the wait is, the less exciting those reveals will be, which could be a problem for the show's future.

Invincible season 2, part 2's return date has yet to be officially announced.

Invincible Season 2's Four-Episode Halves Could Make It Hard To Stay Invested

The airing of four weekly episodes will fly by and generate impatience rather than intrigue

If Invincible continues to split the show into four-episode halves, it could become difficult for audiences to stay invested. Amazon's traditional eight-episode format worked well for Invincible season 1, releasing its first three episodes at once to get people invested, before the next five episodes were released weekly. Season 2 switched approaches, instead, opting to release four weekly episodes before taking a break and presumably doing the same upon return. After two and a half years of waiting, four episodes before another hiatus isn't a lot. This may have already led to some viewers checking out, while others may struggle to stick with the show in the years to come.

The sooner Invincible returns, the better for its future, but long breaks after an already huge gap between seasons make the series much harder to invest in. When Invincible part 2 does arrive, it will end in just four weeks, which will likely fly by and then the waiting process will begin all over again. With Invincible being Rotten Tomatoes' best-reviewed TV show of 2023, the showrunners are clearly doing something right, and while longer waits often mean higher quality, people won't stick with Invincible forever. Great reviews and an invested audience have led to Invincible being so well renowned, but losing the latter raises concerns about the show's longevity.

How Season 3 Could Overcome The Midseason Problem

Invincible could keep their hype alive with spin-off shows and special episodes

Although the midseason pauses could become a problem, season 3 can overcome it. Robert Kirkman already confirmed the wait for Invincible season 3 will be much shorter than the wait for season 2, which will avoid creating the same level of expectations. While the buzz around the show is a good thing, too much of it could lead to midseason breaks turning viewers away. If Invincible comes around more consistently, it will be easier to deal with the series being gone for a couple of months between each half of the season. Kirkman made midseason breaks work with The Walking Dead and could do so again with Invincible.

Atom Eve's special was also released several months before Invincible season 2, helping build anticipation. This is a format the franchise could adopt for the future, creating one-off specials or entire spinoff shows to give viewers more Invincible. Season 2, episode 3 of Invincible has already set up an Allen the Alien spinoff, allowing Amazon and the creators to cash in on the character's popularity. Seth Rogen's involvement with the series makes the project even more likely as he voices Allen. Using the tools at their disposal, Invincible can still make having regular midseason breaks work, so long as the show finds a way to appease fans in the process.

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