Is 9 the new 13?

[PKerr]

So I've been noticing a few shows this year only having Nine episode seasons, is this going to becoming the norm?

If so I'll be dropping a few shows from my current list if they go that route, I'm still kinda of pissed at what they did with Breaking Bad, it was stupid to break the 5th season into two parts and drag it out the way they did.

 

[Jax]

what shows have gone to 9?

 

[bigdaddy]

what shows have gone to 9?

I'm wondering the same. TNT has 10 episode seasons, but that's to fit in with the summer, HBO has 10 episode seasons, but not all the time. Scandal had 7 episodes in season 1, but that was ABC being cheap.

 

[jayceee]

Season 2 of "The Newsroom".

http://www.hypable.com/2013/06/20/the-newsroom-season-2-to-be-9-episodes-long/


Also "Vikings" season 1 was nine episodes.

 

[Harvey]

According to that article, though, The Newsroom only went to nine episodes (instead of ten) after Sorkin decided, late in production, to restructure the entire season. HBO had initially ordered a ten episode season, just like in the first year. So it hardly seems like any kind of "norm," as the OP suggests.

 

[bigdaddy]

Yeah there is no "normal" 9. The Vikings had 9 episodes, OK. That's not a normal thing in the USA.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think the 26 episode season is dead.

It's hilarious how Breaking Bad pulled a Sopranos. No, that is not one long season split up into two parts. It's two shorter seasons, and you're only calling it one season so people won't complain you shortened the seasons. If there's a one year gap between runs, and they each come in separate DVD packs, those are two different seasons, period.

Back when people had no internet and could only watch what was on TV, it made sense to have 26 cheaper episodes instead of 10 more expensive episodes. Now I can watch any TV show or any movie ever made whenever I want for a flat monthly rate. Now 10 higher quality episodes is more profitable than 26 cheaper episodes.

 

[bigdaddy]

I like the fact Sony threatened to have Breaking Bad move to another network because AMC was too cheap and only wanted to do a final season of....

8 episodes.

(Not 9.)

 

[PKerr]

Copper season 2 is only listing 9 episodes.

I ask because 26/24 went to 22 then to 13.
Here and there I see 13 turning into 12 and shows like Hell on wheels are always 10, now I'm starting to see 9's popping up.

And shows like Southland run anywhere from 6-10 episodes in it's 5 seasons.

I guess maybe I shouldn't have said 9 as the norm, it just seems like these shows's seasons are getting shorter and shorter, there is almost no point in watching them week to week as a season is over in a few months and then you have to wait almost a year for them to come back.

To me it would just be better to let a show run it's entire course and then marathon all of it in a few weekends.

 

[gblews]

Why complain, as long as the 9 (or however many) episodes are good?

 

[bigdaddy]

Why complain, as long as the 9 (or however many) episodes are good?

Yeah, there are plenty of shows and channels to fill in 52 weeks. I don't see the issue.

As the year go on shows have gotten more expensive, so they have less episodes. I rather have several seasons of 10 episodes than one of 22-24 and then get canceled because it's too expensive.

And shows like Scandal and Once Upon a Time and Castle and everything on CBS all still have 22+ episodes a year.

 

[Starbreaker]

I think the 26 episode season is dead.

I'm pretty sure that hasn't been the norm for a decade.

 

[bigdaddy]

I think the 26 episode season is dead.

I'm pretty sure that hasn't been the norm for a decade.

I'd say 20 years, besides Star Treks.

 

[Mojochi]

Hey, Sherlock only has 3 episodes per season, & I'm ok with it, because they got some good stuff happening in there. I don't care how they bust it up, so long as it's good

I agree, over 20 episodes a season was just too hard to keep as a quality endeavor throughout. Look at Lost. So much of that show was dead air. Episodes about Jack getting a tattoo

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Although I think 16 was the right length of season for Lost. It gave the story enough time to breathe without having to have filler episodes.

16 also probably would have been better than 20-22 for BSG.

The problem with 10 episode seasons is that for heavily serialized shows with vast, complex stories like Game of Thrones is that the moment you get really into it and ramped up, now you have to wait ten months to see it continue. Longer seasons give you more opportunity to get excited and ramped up about the suspense.

It might work if all the best shows were staggered throughout the year but they all seem to premiere and run similar seasons so there's whole months out of the year where new TV is just dead.

 

[scotpens]

I thought this thread was going to be about today's kids entering puberty earlier.

 

[Pondwater]

I quite like shorter seasons like they do with Walking Dead and Mad Men. It's one if those quality over quantity things.

 

[The Wormhole]

I think the 26 episode season is dead.

I'm pretty sure that hasn't been the norm for a decade.

I'd say 20 years, besides Star Treks.

Hell, I think by the mid 90s the Star Trek shows were the only ones doing 26 episode seasons. Most shows did 22 or 24.

These days very few shows even go as far as 20. And those that do split the season up anyway.

 

[bigdaddy]

Although I think 16 was the right length of season for Lost. It gave the story enough time to breathe without having to have filler episodes.

16 also probably would have been better than 20-22 for BSG.

16 works well for cable, they do 8 in the summer and 8 in the fall, I think it works great.

I'm pretty sure that hasn't been the norm for a decade.

I'd say 20 years, besides Star Treks.

Hell, I think by the mid 90s the Star Trek shows were the only ones doing 26 episode seasons. Most shows did 22 or 24.

These days very shows even go as far as 20. And those that do split the season up anyway.

Exactly. I'm an 80s child and the only shows I can think of that di 26 episodes seasons (besides kids cartoons) were comedies in the 80s. As soon as they all ended in the early 90s there were no more 26 episode seasons besides Star Trek.

 

[Starbreaker]

Yeah. A common misconception is that shows were doing 26 episodes a season and then just magically went to 13. Just go check Wikipedia. Most dramas on cable are doing 13 and if they're on network TV, they're doing 22-24, sometimes 25 max.