What's your ideal TV series length and style? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Skavau@lemm.ee to c/Television@lemm.ee

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A lot of people now are frustrated with contemporary series being much shorter than they used to be. Down from 20-24 episodes a season in the 90s and 00s to about 10-12 in the 10s and 6-10 now (varies somewhat by streaming service and country). People are also frustrated with the big gaps between seasons (The Last of Us, HOTD, Stranger Things) which I do completely agree with and think needs to change.

My ideal is about 10-12. I personally really dislike 20-24 episode long series, and dislike the "monster of the week" formula that many older series used to have. At least for dramatic shows. For sitcoms and adult animation it makes more sense due to much shorter episodes and a more flippant and less high-stakes style of writing (although I don't gravitate so-much to that type of show in the first place).

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[-] andrewta@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

90s style and early 2000s. Without the larger number of episodes you can’t have the fun episodes. You will not get character growth with only a few episodes. You won’t have characters go from loving and funny to pissed off. At least you won’t have it make sense.

Honestly if they keep going the route they are, I’ll just watch movies and re runs of old shows (on dvd/bluray). I have no interest in a TV show that only has 6 episodes in a season. By the time I start to get interested in a character(s), the season is over or the show is cancelled.

[-] Skavau@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Well to be fair, not all shows are designed to be 'fun' as such. I can't imagine something like Dark, or Silo, or Black Sails or Mr. Robot having "fun" episodes (Elliot Aldersons dream in S02 not withstanding).

[-] DosDude@retrolemmy.com 1 points 1 week ago

Black sails is mostly fun episodes though. Or I just mostly had a blast watching them.

[-] Skavau@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, but it's a pretty serious show is what I mean.

[-] realcaseyrollins@narwhal.city 0 points 1 week ago

You can have character growth in a couple dozen episodes though.

Wednesday even had some character growth in only one season, although it resulted in her just becoming more like everyone else in a way I didn't really like.