What do you think of a three-season arc for an entire show?

[Joe Washington]

Imagine each season of the show represents an act in a three-act play.

The first season sets up the characters, their relationships, and the main arc of the series.

The second season is when things get kicked into high gear and the characters undergo major changes.

And in the third season, things come to a closing point on a character and plot level.

Would such a show work? Would you like to see a show that tried something like that?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Basically, a three season show? It could work, except there's one problem. The first season would need to build up to an interesting climax in its own right, otherwise people will get bored at stop watching.

 

[Joe Washington]

What kind of climax?

 

[TheBrew]

What kind of climax?

Think the original Star Wars Trilogy. Each movie had it's own climax, but the trilogy itself had it's own epic climax.

 

[Spot's Meow]

This is exactly what Threshold was supposed to be. Three seasons, each with a different fcous but a part of the same overall arc. Here is this quote about it from this blog:

In fact, the series had a three-year story arc and the series title would have changed each season. The second year would have been called "Foothold" which would refer to the next level of Molly’s plan that dealt with a massive alien invasion. The third season would have been "Stranglehold" and would have dealt with the response to a well-established alien presence.

I don't know how well it would have worked out. I enjoyed what we got of the first season but obviously a lot of people did not.

 

[Ryan]

Given how many tv series peak on their third season that's a pretty good idea.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Then again, consider how many get canceled in the first season and then think if it's a good idea.

 

[Joe Washington]

What about each of the three seasons being 10-13 episodes long?

 

[Mistral]

I think this might be a future model for dramatic serials as the hit or miss method is missing more often than not.

 

[Roshi]

I think the 24/26 episode format is over. I dunno whether audiences tend to have ADD or lack care/implications in the development of character growth, but the older format (more prone to filler stories) has come to a dead end. I like the British format, i.e. 6 episodes a season. Now the tricky part is to make something successful...

 

[Joe Washington]

How would you do a three-season series arc?

 

[Warp Coil]

A three-season arc, mapped out in advance, would be fine. But each season has to have its own self-contained arc, which builds to a climax at the end of the season and has some level of payoff, then leads into the next phase/season. Viewers would grow tired of having to wait 3 years for the main plot to reach its climax, so there have to be smaller stories and arcs that have beginnings, middles and end that keep people interested.

 

[Roshi]

I may be stating the obvious but a season needs to go from A to B and to C. The same goes for a three-year story arc.

 

[archeryguy1701]

A three-season arc, mapped out in advance, would be fine. But each season has to have its own self-contained arc, which builds to a climax at the end of the season and has some level of payoff, then leads into the next phase/season. Viewers would grow tired of having to wait 3 years for the main plot to reach its climax, so there have to be smaller stories and arcs that have beginnings, middles and end that keep people interested.

I agree with this. I'm a fan of long arcs because it gives the writers more time to really flesh out the story rather than trying to get it all done in a few episodes. However, if 3 seasons are devoted entirely to the one story-line, then there will be too little pay-off throughout to keep people interested.

Joe, you mentioned shortened seasons. That will work depending on the show. Some shows can do full-length seasons and work out great. But there are others that need to shorten the seasons. The best example I can think of is Jericho. It's first season was pretty good overall, but it was kind of up and down with the full season. However, they returned with a 7-episode second season, and they were forced to tighten their ship and really hammer the main story home, and it turned out to be an incredible season.

 

[Joe Washington]

What else would be the benefits of a three-year story arc like that?

 

[Joe Washington]

Well, think of this way, it would be like the last three seasons of Lost. Each season arc has its own focus on a person, group, or subject and by the end of the season, that season arc comes to a resolution with its own share of clarifying answers and lingering questions while at the same time, we peel off one large layer of the series' main arc only to find another that sets up the following season.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Given how many tv series peak on their third season that's a pretty good idea.

Modern Trek would have been screwed, only finding its feet in the third season...

But Ive no objection in principle, and the Threshold thing makes sense enough to wish they'd been able to do it

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Sure, that sounds interesting. A story can have an ongoing arc while still having smaller resolutions within it to hold the audience's interest.

 

[Joe Washington]

What show do you think would benefit a three-season arc like this?