One of my friends recently told me that I consume media like no one she’s ever met. I’m always reading a book, watching a movie, or scrolling on TikTok, but my favorite form of media is definitely TV shows. And as someone who watches a lot of TV, I feel qualified to speak on a problem I have with many modern shows: they’re way too short.
In an era where television is dominated by streaming platforms, six-to-ten episode seasons have become the new norm. Don’t get me wrong, these short, bingeable seasons definitely have their benefits. But I think that in the long run, they take away from everything that makes TV so great.Â
When you’re watching 20 episodes of a show season after season, you’re spending a lot of time with the characters. You get to know them, and there’s enough time that both the main characters and side characters can be fleshed out into three-dimensional people. Whether you’re rooting for them or against them, you care about them and are invested in what happens to them. It’s hard to form the same level of attachment in half the amount of time.
This problem can be amplified by the amount of time between seasons. It used to be standard for shows to release episodes weekly, with only a few months between the end of one season and the beginning of the next. Now, it’s more common for all the episodes to drop at once, followed by a wait of at least two years before more are released. Fewer episodes released less frequently can cause viewers to lose interest in a show or forget about it completely. Just take a look at Euphoria. Viewers had to wait four years for the final nine episodes, and many people who were previously fans didn’t even bother tuning in. Releasing more episodes more frequently keeps people engaged.
Lastly, it often takes shows a minute to find their footing. It’s rare for the first season of a show to be the best one. A great example of this is The Office. It is now considered a classic, but most fans of the show will agree that it got off to a rocky start. I know that when I recommend it to people, I always tell them, “You just have to keep watching.” Following the first six-episode season, they made some necessary changes and came back stronger. But this wouldn’t have been possible if they weren’t given more episodes, and consequently, more time for the characters to develop into the ones that we know and love today.
While shorter seasons may be easier for companies to produce and viewers to binge, they just can’t replicate the connection you develop with a longer show. I’m tired of starting a new show and finally getting invested, only for it to already be over!