A mid-season finale is the last episode before a mid-season hiatus, often for the holiday season. It is a term used by television broadcasters in the United States to denote the last episode before a break in the middle of a season. The purpose of a mid-season finale is to allow the shows production team to catch up with filming, editing, and writing before they air more episodes. 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, 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 mid-season episodes, rather than allow a plot to build up to a traditional season finale.