Line #3 Main/IrregularSeries


1	A series which, by design, does not run regularly. It may be a series of annual made-for-TV movies, or a series composed of MiniSeries airing every few years (But lacking the regularity of a TelevisionSerial). Often happens when a PilotMovie sparks enough interest to prompt a second movie, but not enough to prompt a regular series.
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3	In the US, these are typically {{revival}}s of series which were originally regular in format. They are far more common in the UK. British Irregular Series are often aired on public television in the US as part of a GenreAnthology such as ''Series/{{Mystery}}'' or ''Series/MasterpieceTheatre''.
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5	See also InconsistentEpisodeLengths for when the length of each episode is what's irregular, rather than the publication schedule.
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7	----
8	!!Examples
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10	[[AC:{{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]
11	* ''Anime/LupinIII'' has made six regular anime series, but has run for over twenty years as an annual series of made for TV movies in Japan. Link to the list: Anime/LupinIIIYearlySpecials
12	* Creator/RumikoTakahashi's ''Manga/MermaidSaga'', a manga variation of this, was periodically released in episodic stories over the course of ten years.
13	* ''Manga/ThusSpokeKishibeRohan'' has no set schedule, with gaps between installments ranging from one month to over a decade.
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15	[[AC:ComicBooks]]
16	* ''ComicBook/{{Robin}}'': When [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] was introduced as the new Robin, he appeared in numerous mini-series before his ongoing started.
17	* For its first few years, Creator/IDWPublishing's ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' series consisted of [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMegaseries multiple mini-series]] and [[ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron a 12-issue event series]] before receiving [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW an ongoing]].
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19	[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
20	* ''Literature/AdamDalgliesh'': The Roy Marsden adaptations consisted of [[MadeForTVMovie TV movies]] and mini-series, with releases spanning from 1983 to 1998.
21	* Unlike regular [[PanelGame panel shows]], ''Series/BigFatQuizOfTheYear'' is a yearly feature-length special that airs around Christmastime. Big Fat Quizzes with other topics (BFQ of Everything, decade-themed quizzes) vary from year to year with no set release schedule.
22	* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' started life as a MadeForTVMovie, then became a series which aired as every third episode of ''The NBC Mystery Movie''. Later, it became a series of TV Movies which aired with decreasing frequency.
23	* The ''Series/FoylesWar'' series that were produced following the show's [[UnCanceled un-cancellation]] became more noticeably irregular in their release, with gaps of 2-3 years between series.
24	* ''Series/HettyWainthroppInvestigates'': The pilot aired in 1990, whereas the four series aired 1996-98.
25	* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'': A four-year regular series sandwiched between two pilot movies and three [[MadeForTVMovie made-for-TV-movies]].
26	* ''Series/InspectorMorse'' aired as a number of MiniSeries.
27	* ''Series/JonathanCreek'': Aired as a combination of specials and series, most notably with three specials released during 2009-2013, which came between the fourth (2003-2004) and fifth (2014) full series of the show.
28	* ''Series/{{Marple}}'': Each of the six series, aired between 2004 and 2013, contains 3-4 feature-length episodes.
29	* ''Franchise/PerryMason'' ran regularly from 1957-1966, then was revived for a series of TV movies in the 90s.
30	* ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' ran from 1989 to 1993, then became a series of feature-length specials whose releases spanned almost two decades.
31	** The format switched to "series of TV movies" in 2009 to allow the actors to follow up on other commitments that a full-scale TV schedule would conflict with.
32	* ''Series/PrimeSuspect'': Aired one series per year from 1991-96 (skipping 1994) then the final two series aired in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
33	* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' became one following its original eight-season run, as installments thereafter are [[MadeForTVMovie made-for-TV movies]].
34	* ''Series/TheRockfordFiles'' became a series of TV {{Film}} for a time after the regular series ended.
35	* ''Series/RumpoleOfTheBailey'': Released intermittently from 1978 to 1992.
36	* ''Series/{{Sharpe}}'': Also ran like this, with a really noticeable time skip between the most recent installments.
37	* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' consists of four three-episode series, with a two-year gap (or three, in the case of the fourth series) between them.
38	* The German language crime television series ''Series/{{Tatort}}''. 1971 saw 11 episodes, 2008 saw 31, and not evenly distributed to boot. In the first twenty years, the [[InconsistentEpisodeLengths length of episodes varied]], too, up to two hours; more recently things settled on about one and a half hours.
39	* ''Series/TheThickOfIt'': The first two series aired in 2005, followed by specials in 2007, a third series in 2009, then a fourth and final series in 2012.
40	* The British documentary series/social experiment ''Series/{{Up}}'' takes this to extremes by airing a single instalment ''every seven years''. It started by showing the participants at seven years old, and has gradually charted their lives in seven-year intervals ever since.

Context Main / IrregularSeries