Fans of the brilliant, clever and quite subversive comedy series Russian Doll could be forgiven for figuring there wouldn't be a second season at all, given the first was such a self-contained story, and the concept of the time-loop can be limiting in terms of scope and setting to tell a continuous story.

RELATED: 'Russian Doll' and 8 Other Great Riffs on the 'Groundhog Day' Concept

Despite the relatively self-contained nature of the first season, we were treated to a second - after a lengthy wait. Although the pandemic is undoubtedly partly to blame, the fact remains it was nearly a three-year gap between seasons, which in the age of streaming and consistent releases feels a bit strange. Here are some other shows that made fans wait for a while between drinks.

24 (4 years)

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Although some of it has aged about as well as milk left out in the sun (the uncomfortable Islamophobic edge and willful disregard of the Geneva convention when it comes to torture, for example) 24 was a juggernaut of its time. This was largely down to two factors: the novelty of its premise, with events taking place over 24 hours in real-time, and Kiefer Sutherland's towering, nuanced performance as federal agent Jack Bauer.

After having been put through the wringer again and again for 8 years, after season 8 the show went on a hiatus. Four years later, and strong intelligence of a plot to assassinate his old boss and now President James Heller (William Devane) bring him out of hiding and back into the world of espionage, with 24: Live Another Day.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (6 years)

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Although he seems to enjoy doing it for the most part, the fact is, Larry David doesn't need to make Curb Your Enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, given how well he and Jerry did from the syndication deals for Seinfeld, neither one of them needed to work a day again in their lives. Fans are lucky that Larry still feels the drive to do it.

Well, sometimes, anyway. There is the fact that in 2011 David took a six-year hiatus from making Curb, as he struggled to find inspiration for a 9th season. After coming up with a musical about Salman Rushdie, to feature Lin Manuel Miranda on the music, they were cooking with gas, and Curb finally returned to our screens - thankfully.

Arrested Development (7 years)

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For a long time considered to be the funniest show on television by critics and being an Emmys darling, the brainchild of creator Mitchell Hurwitz unfortunately couldn't translate this prestige into ratings. Whether it was too clever for its own good or went over the head of audiences as a show ahead of its time, Arrested Development never found its footing on Fox, and was canned after 3 seasons.

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Seven years later, a surge in DVD sales and availability online gave the show a larger following. As they tend to, Netflix aimed to capitalize on this momentum, after buying the streaming rights for the first three seasons and commissioned a fourth in 2012 - a good idea on paper. However, several production factors - most noticeably the incredible cast's full schedules - meant that it failed to capture the spark that made the first run of the show so iconic.

Gilmore Girls (9 years)

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Gilmore Girls is remembered as much for its quickfire, humor-laden dialogue as it is for being an important step in representing alternate parenting styles in mainstream television storytelling. The bond between Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) definitely faced its challenges but was ultimately too strong to let anything the original series threw at it break it.

This central pairing was what made the show what it was, and after being canceled at the CW, Netflix picked up the rights and commissioned a follow-up season to tie off some loose ends from the original run and provide fans with an update on the lives of these two iconic characters.

Will & Grace (11 years)

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One of the most well-remembered and iconic sitcoms of the nineties and early noughties, Will & Grace was and still is an important step in queer representation on mainstream screens. While it did have some problematic moments, Will particularly demonstrated an evolution in the way queer characters were represented in sitcoms, as he was a multilayered, complex man - not a stereotype relegated to jokey side-character status.

After an 11-year absence from our screens, a viral reunion short made NBC realize these characters were still immensely popular, and audiences would embrace more stories set in this universe. They greenlit a revival for the 2017-8 TV season, that lasted three years until the series finale in 2020.

The X-Files (14 years)

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"The truth...is out there." One of the most iconic taglines in television history, coupled with that brilliant theme song, and an intriguing hook - what if the FBI investigated supernatural crimes? All of these factors combined to make The X-Files one of the most popular television shows of the nineties, regularly attracting audiences in the millions.

The original run ran into some problems as tensions between co-stars David Duchovny and Jillian Anderson reached something of an impasse. After 9 seasons Fox canceled the show. A theatrical film followed, and then 14 years after the initial finale, an event series was made putting Mulder and Scully at the frontline of a conspiracy yet again. Both of these later revivals have received mixed reviews from the fanbase.

Doctor Who (16 years)

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While technically the longest-running live-action fictional series in history, Doctor Who hasn't been constantly on the air since it first ran in the early 60s. In fact, there have been a couple of gaps, with the original run being from 1963 to 1989. An attempt was made to revitalize the series via a backdoor pilot in 1996.

RELATED: All the Doctor's Regeneration Scenes in 'Doctor Who' So Far Ranked

Of course, the famous revival occurred in 2005, with Russel T. Davies and a talented writer's room with the likes of Mark Gattiss and Steven Moffat being tasked with reviving the Doctor for modern audiences. Since then the revival series has enjoyed consistent popularity amongst fans and newcomers alike.

Dallas (21 years)

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The original run of soap Dallas was one of the biggest hits of eighties television, bringing in huge numbers week after week with the famous "Who Shot JR?" storyline captivating the nation (even being parodied later on by The Simpsons). However, for many the 9th season of the show, which we discover in the 10th season was "all a dream", is where the show jumped the shark, and its reputation suffered a blow from which it never really recovered.

However, that didn't stop ambitious producers from green lighting a continuation of the original series 21 years after the first finale aired. Unfortunately, it couldn't make the same impact the initial run did, and after only three seasons was canceled by network TNT due to the low ratings it garnered.

Twin Peaks (26 years)

A screenshot from the Twin Peaks opening credits
Image via ABC

Fans of David Lynch are pretty aware that one of his defining characteristics as an artist is that he'll do things in his own time. Being in the unique position to be able to make decisions based on what he wants to do artistically makes being a fan something of a double-edged sword, both frustrating and strangely alluring.

Perhaps none of his projects demonstrate this better than Twin Peaks. After some hefty studio involvement forced Lynch to change the second season, fans were aware he intended to come back and do a third - but they probably didn't anticipate waiting for 26 years. Finally, in 2016, Lynch returned to the fictional town to great critical acclaim, despite the wait.

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