It almost seems unfair when our favorite fall TV shows go off air for a couple of months, leaving us with nothing to watch but reruns. However, the cast, crew and writers deserve a break after their hard work. After all, the shows aren't over — we're just waiting for the second half. Midseason finales just aired or newer shows finished up their first season, hoping to be renewed next fall. Here's how the nine most-talked about fall TV shows are doing: 

"Scandal" (ABC) 

The fifth season of Scandal returned with a bang and even more scandalous moments: Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) served Mellie (Bellamy Young) with divorce papers and moved Olivia (Kerry Washington) into the White House. However, the midseason finale was shocking: Olivia missed a White House dinner to get a secret abortion. Not only did she refuse to tell Fitz where she really was, but she also broke up with him, sending our Olitz dreams into a tailspin. Will she reveal the truth to Fitz when the show returns on Feb. 11? 

"How To Get Away With Murder" (ABC) 

HTGAWM is far from suffering a sophomore slump; in fact, the series is stronger than ever since joining Shonda Rhimes empire in 2014. In the last moments of the midseason finale, we finally found out what we had all been waiting for: which intern shot Annalise (Viola Davis)? And to our amazement, it was Wes (Alfred Enoch). But it also turns out that Wes and Annalise have a secret past together that Wes may not know about. This will definitely be explored when the show returns after its winter break. 

"Grey’s Anatomy" (ABC)

Everyone’s question going into the twelfth season of Grey’s Anatomy was: how is the show going to move on after Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) death at the end of season eleven? Shonda Rhimes promised us a “lighter” season, but in Shonda’s words, that’s only a level down from being completely dark and twisty. So far, Penny (Samantha Sloyan), the woman who inadvertently caused Derek’s death, is now working at Grey-Sloan, receiveing an understably mixed reception from the residents. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is trying her hardest to stay strong amidst her new-widow status, but is having serious issues with her sister-in-law, Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). And what is going on between Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Nathan (Martin Henderson)? Even after ten years, Grey’s is showing no signs of letting up; the show returns on Feb. 11, 2016. 

"Screams Queens" (FOX)

Ryan Murphy’s new comedy-horror series premiered in mid-September and finished its season on Dec. 8. The premise of the show was about a sorority that has been targeted by a serial killer. The original 15-episode series was cut down to 13 episodes and received mixed to negative reviews from critics. While the show had a worthy cast including Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer and more, it’s unsure if FOX will either renew or cancel the show. 

"Empire" (FOX)

The musical drama has received critical acclaim and maintained stellar ratings throughout its sophomore season, which aired its midseason finale on Dec. 2. The show will return on March 30, 2016, and fans are already hungry for answers: What will Lucious (Terrance Howard) do now that Empire has been taken away from him? What happened to Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) and her baby after an unmasked intruder pushed her down the stairs? How will the Lyon brothers and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) react to all the new changes in their lives? Stay tuned! 

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (FOX) 

There has been a ton of laughter on police sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" lately, and the arrival of Katey Sagal in the second half of the season looks to heat things up. Rumor has it that she will star as Jake Peralta’s (Andy Samberg) mother. It’s well known on the show that Jake didn’t have the greatest childhood — will his father show up to add more humor to Segal’s guest performance? 

"Modern Family" (ABC) 

"Modern Family" is on its seventh season and is still going strong in terms of rating and piquing viewer interest. They just aired their midseason finale, “White Christmas” – all Gloria (Sofia Vergara) wanted as a nice holiday weekend in a rented cabin with the whole family, but it turned into a huge, hilarious nightmare of family drama.  

"Heroes Reborn"  (NBC) 

"Heroes" was a superhero/science-fiction television show that aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010. The show received a cult following after its spectacular first season, but never recovered from its poor second season; it was canceled after season four. However, a continuation of the original series premiered in September: "Heroes Reborn." While there are a slew of new characters, actors from the old series have reprised their roles in this new generation (except for Hayden Paenttiere – where you at?!). Reborn aired its midseason finale in November, and has received surprisingly good ratings as a reboot. 

"The Vampire Diaries" (CW) 

Nina Dobrev, who played lead-role Elena, announced that she was leaving after the conclusion of the sixth season, critics and fans were left in a tailspin. It can be difficult for a show to recover when the most important lead actor or actress departs from the show. While the ratings are definitely not as great as they have been in previous years, the show’s seventh season has been incorporating flash-forwards in an attempt to create a more interesting story line. 

Reach staff reporter Adrianne Ramsey here.