I think we’ve hit the other end of the pendulum and release length.
The traditional 26 season episode, each year like clockwork format had a lot of issues. It lent itself to TV shows with an episodic format, and a lot of episodes tended to be forgettable.
In that context, less episodes and more time to produce is great. However it’s gotten to the point where I think that philosophy is fucking up show quality in a different way.
First, a lot of TV shows have taken the “less episodes” philosophy as a way to cut costs. There are a ton of TV shows where I feel like important plot developments are either left out or rushed because they have to jam everything into eight episodes. Some are even going to six. Showrunners are blatantly doing this to save time/money, not to produce a lower quantity higher quality product.
Second, a lot of “filler” episodes were actually good for the show as a whole. A good amount of them had subtle character development and world building. This allowed for a much more robust main story. It also allowed writers to try out unique concepts that often ended up being fan favorites. With the eight episode format, TV shows often just end up jumping from major plot point to major plot point in a way that feels empty.
The long time between releases also can ruin the emotional investment in a TV show. With the best TV shows, you often feel some connection to the universe and the characters. Waiting a long time between releases breaks that connection. Stranger Things, the show that in many ways popularized the modern TV format, is the perfect example of this. It’s been a decade, two years since the last episode, and everyone is pretty much done. There’s probably a ton of lesser shows that died because viewers just moved on.
Finally, some shows should be episodic and have 26 episode seasons. We live in an era of binge watching. Older episodic shows with tons of seasons and episodes continuously outperform the high budget new stuff, yet nobody seems to ask themselves if maybe there needs to be a strategy shift for new content.
I think we’ve hit the other end of the pendulum and release length.
The traditional 26 season episode, each year like clockwork format had a lot of issues. It lent itself to TV shows with an episodic format, and a lot of episodes tended to be forgettable.
In that context, less episodes and more time to produce is great. However it’s gotten to the point where I think that philosophy is fucking up show quality in a different way.
First, a lot of TV shows have taken the “less episodes” philosophy as a way to cut costs. There are a ton of TV shows where I feel like important plot developments are either left out or rushed because they have to jam everything into eight episodes. Some are even going to six. Showrunners are blatantly doing this to save time/money, not to produce a lower quantity higher quality product.
Second, a lot of “filler” episodes were actually good for the show as a whole. A good amount of them had subtle character development and world building. This allowed for a much more robust main story. It also allowed writers to try out unique concepts that often ended up being fan favorites. With the eight episode format, TV shows often just end up jumping from major plot point to major plot point in a way that feels empty.
The long time between releases also can ruin the emotional investment in a TV show. With the best TV shows, you often feel some connection to the universe and the characters. Waiting a long time between releases breaks that connection. Stranger Things, the show that in many ways popularized the modern TV format, is the perfect example of this. It’s been a decade, two years since the last episode, and everyone is pretty much done. There’s probably a ton of lesser shows that died because viewers just moved on.
Finally, some shows should be episodic and have 26 episode seasons. We live in an era of binge watching. Older episodic shows with tons of seasons and episodes continuously outperform the high budget new stuff, yet nobody seems to ask themselves if maybe there needs to be a strategy shift for new content.