Season vs. Series

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

I'd think probably any complete boxsets would be called "The Complete Collection" or "The Definitive Collection" something along those lines.

 

[Reverend]

As someone already pointed out, the difference stems from the fact that UK tv shows are ordered one "season" at a time; hence Red Dwarf I-VII and if you watch Doctor Who Confidential, you usually get a glimpse of the clapper board which will have "Doctor Who IV" on it (for the most recent series.) The reason for this is simply that there isn't nearly as much money, or the viewership for that matter, in the UK compared the the US and we also lack a demand for sydicated programs as the major channels either make their own shows or buy them from the US or Oz.
Of course these days with Sky and Freeview there are allot more channels than there used to be (4!) so there's more going on than there used to be, however it's mostly channels dedicated to repeats (UKspeek for reruns).
But yes, DVDs and the internet mean the terminology has become a little muddled.

 

[RoJoHen]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

I'd think probably any complete boxsets would be called "The Complete Collection" or "The Definitive Collection" something along those lines.

Well, yeah, on the box, but I doubt that's how you would refer to it in speech.

 

[Jim Steele]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

I'd think probably any complete boxsets would be called "The Complete Collection" or "The Definitive Collection" something along those lines.

Well, yeah, on the box, but I doubt that's how you would refer to it in speech.

People on the internet make it sound so much more confusing than it actually is.

There is such a thing as context.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

I'd think probably any complete boxsets would be called "The Complete Collection" or "The Definitive Collection" something along those lines.

Well, yeah, on the box, but I doubt that's how you would refer to it in speech.

You'd probably just say "I got the full/whole series on DVD" as opposed to "I got the first series on DVD" and as Jim says it's easy to understand in context.

 

[RoJoHen]

I will context your face!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

UK tv shows are ordered one "season" at a time

American ones are, too, really. Shows rarely know whether it will be renewed for another season.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

UK tv shows are ordered one "season" at a time

American ones are, too, really. Shows rarely know whether it will be renewed for another season.

Or even 13 episodes at a time with orders for the back 9 coming later.
I think it comes more from the way we use the word series. As in 6 episodes are being broadcast in series, hence "this series" of a programme. Next year there will be another series of the same programme.

 

[captcalhoun]

i've been calling them 'seasons' since around 1992ish when i joined a TNG fanclub and they referred to 'seasons' of TNG and TOS.

another reason for not using 'seasons' in the UK is the year-round running of soaps like Emmerdale, Eastenders and Coronation Street. there's no 'season' when the dman thing runs 52 weeks a year...

 

[RoJoHen]

^American soaps do the same thing, so we don't refer to them by seasons. Don't really call them series either. They're just soap operas...in a world all their own. And since they will likely never be released on DVD, it doesn't matter.

 

[Count Zero]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

Well, I'd be wondering how to fit that on any of my shelves. Such a box would be huge...

 

[bigdaddy]

In the US, it seems to be common practice to refer to an entire TV show as a "series," which is broken up into several "seasons."

In other countries, they use "series" the way we use "season."

So what do non-US people use to refer to an entire TV show?

In the UK - we use series to refer to the whole show and we use series to refer to a series of the series. I hope this clears this up for you.

You crazy Brits and your crazy ways.

This is why the Colonies wanted their freedom.

 

[RoJoHen]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

Well, I'd be wondering how to fit that on any of my shelves. Such a box would be huge...

Huge...and glorious!

 

[Count Zero]

Yeah, I know, but there are shows that do have the seasonal format. Doctor Who is the first one that pops in my head, and the DVDs say "Series 1, Series 2, etc," which is fine. But when that box set comes out one day with the collection of every season/series, I was just wondering what it would be called.

Well, I'd be wondering how to fit that on any of my shelves. Such a box would be huge...

Huge...and glorious!

Indeed!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I think it comes more from the way we use the word series. As in 6 episodes are being broadcast in series, hence "this series" of a programme. Next year there will be another series of the same programme.

Or a 150 episodes of the same program could be a "series." Any number and any period of time would work, there's no reason why the passage of a year needs to cause the series to stop being a series.

I think it's because Hollywood was begun by people who came from the New York theater industry, where "season" means a social season, which runs from early fall to late spring. In the summer, everyone goes to their country homes. The live theater entertainments were therefore geared to follow the rich folks and lay fallow during the summer, when the audience wasn't around. When TV started up, it mimicked the theatrical season approach, because the audience went on vacation in the summer and the ratings dropped.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I think it comes more from the way we use the word series. As in 6 episodes are being broadcast in series, hence "this series" of a programme. Next year there will be another series of the same programme.

Or a 150 episodes of the same program could be a "series." Any number and any period of time would work, there's no reason why the passage of a year needs to cause the series to stop being a series.

Hence why we say series for both seasons, and the show overall, I suppose.

I think it's because Hollywood was begun by people who came from the New York theater industry, where "season" means a social season, which runs from early fall to late spring. In the summer, everyone goes to their country homes. The live theater entertainments were therefore geared to follow the rich folks and lay fallow during the summer, when the audience wasn't around. When TV started up, it mimicked the theatrical season approach, because the audience went on vacation in the summer and the ratings dropped.

I suppose that could be right, but we do use season as in "The Autumn/Winter season" meaning the new run of shows in Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer, but we don't call the actual runs of shows.

 

[dragunzng]

Well, until I visit another country besides the US, I will have to play ignorant.

Wasn't trying to imply that, apologise if it came off that way!

 

[RoJoHen]

Well, until I visit another country besides the US, I will have to play ignorant.

Wasn't trying to imply that, apologise if it came off that way!

And I was not trying to be serious, so I apologize if you didn't pick up on my hilarious and witty sarcasm.