# Mid-Season Finale — Series Format

> The episode that ends the first half of a season. Major cliffhanger before mid-season break.

## Format basics

- Length: matches series (often longer than typical episode)
- Major cliffhanger
- First half of season's story arcs partially resolved
- Hook to bring audience back after break
- Often production milestone (winter break)

## When mid-season finales happen

- Network TV: half-season hiatus (Christmas)
- Streaming: rare (binge model)
- Cable: midseason breaks
- Limited series: rarely (usually shorter run)

## Structure

```
COLD OPEN (0-5 min)
- Quick recap or new hook
- Stakes amplified

ACT 1 (5-15 min)
- All season threads converge
- Climax setup

ACT 2 (15-35 min)
- Climactic events of first half
- Stakes paid off (some)
- Major reveals

ACT 3 (35-50 min)
- Apparent resolution
- Then twist / new threat
- Cliffhanger established

TAG (50-60 min)
- Cliffhanger image
- Question audience must wait to answer
```

## Sample mid-season finale

```
TITLE: "Karavan" Episode 7 (mid-season finale, 13-episode season)

LOGLINE: As the siblings close in on their father's killer, one of
them is taken — and the other two must decide if they will negotiate
or attack.

COLD OPEN (0-5 min):
- Recap of season's clues
- Eldar returns from Yemen with proof of corruption
- Nigar has decoded part of father's USB
- Ramin's research has named the suspect

ACT 1 (5-15 min):
- They meet to share findings
- The killer is Garib Bey, their father's old business partner
- Now retired, seemingly powerless
- They plan to confront him

ACT 2 (15-35 min):
- Confrontation at Garib's mansion
- Garib admits his role
- He shows them: he is dying. Three months at most.
- He says he killed their father to protect his own children
- Their father had been about to expose his crimes
- Then: Garib's son (also their father's old enemy) bursts in
- Garib's son SHOOTS Garib (his own father)
- "He talks too much."
- Garib's son grabs NIGAR
- Holds her hostage

ACT 3 (35-50 min):
- Standoff at the mansion
- Garib's son demands the USB and the family business
- Eldar tries to negotiate
- Ramin (the academic) shocks everyone — pulls a hidden gun
- Tension peaks
- The son fires at Ramin, who falls
- Eldar tackles the son
- During the struggle: Nigar is dragged out, into a car
- The car drives away
- Police arrive, find Eldar with the dead Garib

TAG (50-60 min):
- Cliffhanger: Eldar in interrogation, framed for Garib's death
- Ramin in surgery, condition unknown
- Nigar somewhere in a moving car, blindfolded
- Final shot: Eldar's lawyer in the interrogation room — same lawyer
who represented their father — looks at Eldar and says: "I'll handle
this. But first you tell me everything."
- Cut to black.

(Audience must wait six weeks for episode 8.)
```

## Key principles

### Pay off (some) season setup
First half threads partially resolved. Audience feels rewarded.

### Raise stakes for second half
Things get worse, not better. New problems introduced.

### Major cliffhanger
Audience needs to know what happens next.

### Multiple characters in jeopardy
Spread the tension.

### Production-friendly stop point
Often a natural break in production schedule.

## Cliffhanger types

### Life threatened
Character in danger, audience anxious

### Identity revealed
Major secret out, world changed

### Decision pending
Character must choose, audience waits

### New threat introduced
Bigger antagonist appears

### Loyalty broken
Trust shattered, alliances unclear

## Common pitfalls

- Cliffhanger doesn't earn (forced, not setup)
- Resolution too complete (no hook)
- New character/threat unprepared
- Tone shift jarring
- Low-stakes climax (felt small)
- Ignoring established subplots

## When to write mid-season finale

- Network production needs winter break
- Streaming season has natural mid-point
- Cable midseason break
- Specific cliffhanger setup ready
