To entertainment junkies, a favorite television show is in a way part of one’s personality. It says a lot about their preferences and tastes in how they spend their free time. These fanatics become so dedicated to their favorite series that it eventually is ingrained in their identity.

If a series is iconic enough, when it inevitably retires from television there are hopes that it will be revived in the future. Reboots are an easy way for networks to earn a profit off a franchise with an already well-established fanbase. No matter how much they change the plot or cast, the loyal fans are sure to be interested in the revival of their past.

However, there is a very careful formula for when a television is brought back. Producers must ensure that the show has been off-air for long enough so that it isn’t compared to the original series and is viewed as a reboot rather than simply an additional season. At the same time, leaving it in the grave for too long may lead to the audience forgetting about its existence all together.

A recent study performed by AAG set out to crack this specific code. They found that if you’re going to sit around waiting for your favorite television show to come back, you’re going to have to be extremely patient.

The average scripted television show goes off-air for over 17 years before being brought back. That’s nearly two decades – meaning that you’ve probably changed a lot since your heart broke over your favorite sitcom cancellation. Still, it’s always fun to watch a modern version of a blast from the past.

Game show lovers are a little more lucky, they only have to wait approximately eight years for a reboot of their favorite scheduled program. However, only 16% of these reboots come back with the same host as the original series. Game show hosts are a quintessential component of the content, so at the point is it even right to call it the same series?

At the end of the day, we can expect some major changes to the original series when a reboot is announced. A lot of the time, revivals miss the mark big time – but it’s still fun to indulge in a television show that used to be a part of your lifestyle.