I am the first person to admit that I am a chronic binge-watcher, which means I basically inhale every show that I watch. Lately, there has been a drastic change. Series no longer have multiple seasons, each with 20-24 forty-minute-long episodes. Instead, there has been a rise in a measly 10 episodes per season.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been some incredible shows released in that format over the last few years. But as someone who consumes media at an alarmingly fast rate, I sincerely miss shows with 24-episode seasons.
After some research, I have come to realize that this has been a gradual change. With the increasing popularity of shows like How to Get Away with Murder and Game of Thrones, which featured just between 10-15 episodes per season, shows began to release less episodes. However, this trend existed even before, according to Vulture. In the 1950s and 1960s, series would release as many as 30 episodes per season. From there, it has just continued to dwindle down.
And, yes, a lot of these shows have been incredible and even some of my favorite shows. Look at Game of Thrones and its prequel House of the Dragon, they have amassed huge followings – and rightfully so (although I have my problems with them). Still, sometimes all I need is a not-as-good quality show which can distract me for much longer. Even then, just because a show has more episodes doesn’t mean it’s bad, take Gilmore Girls and Modern Family for example.
This has been a gradual change, and one that is only growing in popularity with Netflix original shows like Stranger Things and the rise of mini-series such as The Haunting of Hill House. And as amazing as these new shows are, I can’t help but miss the 24-episode seasons.