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jemull t1_j0lb89w wrote

Reply to comment by revjor in [Super Curious] 🫠Why is British TV series short like every season holds up for 6 episodes max? by aparnasesha

The problem with having seasons this long with scripted dramas though is the plot often grinds to a halt because the writers have so many hours to fill.

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JamesMercerIII t1_j0pzq0d wrote

Good example of this is the TV show Lost, which had the same hype and popularity around it as what is now considered a prestige show, but was on network TV (ABC) and had 20+ episodes per season. The quality of each episode varied highly, and the writers went to extraordinary lengths to keep the mysteries going throughout the season.

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jemull t1_j0qenxs wrote

This was one of the shows that came to mind. Another one was Prison Break, where the first season became a frustrating "one step forward, two steps back" slog.

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revjor t1_j0m5rlo wrote

The opposite side of this is they save a ton of money only having to build sets for one show, cast one show, etc.

If your show was popular it saves the studio a ton of money in production costs.

Also, the Primetime, 22 episode, season long story arc wasn't a thing until way later down the line so it's effect on writing wasn't even considered since each episode you'd be doing was standalone.

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