Invincible Season 3 will fix the show’s biggest problem 

We’ve finally gotten an update on Invincible Season 3, and it seems that the show will address the second season’s biggest problem.

While we loved seeing Mark’s body and spirit broken over and over again in Season 2 (don’t worry, he can take it. He’s… well, you know the rest), the show had one major weakness, and we’re not talking about ultrasonic sound.

No, Invincible Season 2’s big issue was that it was cruelly broken into two pieces by the evil geniuses at Prime Video. 

Thankfully, a recent leak (so take this with a pinch of salt large enough to give a Viltrumite a headache) suggests two things: Invincible Season 3 is coming much sooner than we expected, and there will be no mid-season break.

I will break you! 

Prime Video

Of course, you might wonder what the problem is with mid-season breaks. After all, older readers will be intimately familiar with TV shows disappearing from schedules for a few weeks over the holiday season.

They’re arguably incredibly important, allowing the production crew to get some rest, helping build interest in the show, and allowing writers to catch up with their work. 

I actually don’t mind a well-thought-out mid-season break, and they can be really effective if done properly. Yet, I must admit, the Invincible Season 2 split made me grumpier than Battle Beast with a hangover. It felt really manufactured, robbed the series of its momentum, and created an odd disconnect between the two parts. 

While I enjoyed all the storylines in Season 2 – the looming threat of Vltrumites, Angstrom Levy’s multiversal escapades, and Mark’s breakup with Amber – it didn’t quite weave them together in an entirely satisfactory way, something that’s only exacerbated by the long break between the two parts.

Also, I hate to sound like an entitled fan, but after three years of waiting to air just four episodes before taking it away again, it was just cruel. I know there were issues around production because of the pandemic and strikes (and I sympathize with those affected), but I’d waited nearly 900 days. I wouldn’t have minded waiting a few more months to get the full season.

Split the difference

Prime Video

Of course, Invincible isn’t the only show to split its seasons into chunks, nor is Prime Video the only streaming service doing this. I’m only using the show as a punching bag because I know it’s invincible – but this practice of splitting seasons is happening more and more, and it’s really annoying.

Netflix split Stranger Things Season 4, and they’ve done the same with Bridgerton and Emily in Paris. Why? Well, according to Kasey Moore, the founder of What’s on Netflix [Via Yahoo Entertainment], a split season keeps the conversation about a show going over a long period of time and gives them two big boosts in viewership. There are supposedly other benefits as well.

“Some of the split seasons this year [were] somewhat forced upon Netflix. In 2024, we’re dealing with the aftermath of the writers’ and actors’ strike, meaning Netflix’s U.S. slate is much lighter than usual,” Moore explained. “Split seasons fill in gaps that would’ve otherwise been left vacant.”

Sadly, while I understand there are logistical reasons for this strategy, I don’t think the model serves the viewer. The breaks often seem arbitrary, as though they weren’t considered during the writing process. At best, they rob the show of tension and any momentum they’ve built up, and at worst, they leave me feeling confused and disorientated.

Seriously, when I came back to watch Emily in Paris Season 4 Part 2, I couldn’t remember what the hell had happened. So when poor Emily went skiing with her fella and his ex, I couldn’t work out why she was putting herself through this torture! This problem would have been easily solved by just dropping the season all at once.

I also disagree with the idea that it keeps the conversation going for longer. Now, I can only speak anecdotally about this. Still, as someone who keeps an eye on fan discussions and trends for work, it seemed there was a lot less enthusiasm for Invincible Season 2’s final entries compared to the warm reception of its first four episodes.

Indeed, much of the chat seemed to revolve around how people were annoyed at the split and didn’t know the show was returning. To my mind, Amazon would have been better served by airing all eight episodes weekly, which would have helped the story flow better and kept the dialogue around the show positive.

So, to wrap up this long, rambling moan, I’m glad Amazon has seen the error of its ways and is (supposedly) giving us Invincible Season 3 in one big lump. Now, if someone could have a word with Netflix about Stranger Things Season 5, we’d be well on the way to fixing modern TV.  If you love Mark and his friends, why not check our breakdown of the Invincible cast or our list of the 10 strongest Invincible characters?