The original post: /r/television by /u/JoshLovesTV on 2025-07-05 01:19:03.
This is not your typical “shows need 22 episodes again” post. I’m just saying there are a lot of shows in modern times that are forced with a lower episode count when they could benefit from 20 episodes or more. Typically shows that rely on world building and character building.
Most SciFi shows need it like Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape, The X-Files, etc. (Doctor Who needs 13 episodes bc those 8-episode seasons are literally ruining the show.)
Animation typically benefits from more episodes, like ATLA. Imagine if they condensed the show into 10 episodes each season. It would not be nearly as well developed or be as good as it was. There are definitely some cases where animation works better in shorter seasons though, but generally more episodes are better.
Some dramas could benefit from 13-16 episodes a season instead of 6-8. I feel like a lot of modern dramas either fly by stuff so fast you can’t ever have a breather or they drag out a movie into 6 hours. 13-16 is more time to work with to give us more world building, character development, experimentation, etc., while not being too much that risks having more pointless episodes.
I basically think it’s a case-by-case basis. Some shows work well in the 8-10 episode format, and some just don’t. The bad thing is that everything is forced to work in this bubble of short seasons. We should make shows with however many episodes a season you need to tell the story in the best way possible.
(Also, one thing I have trouble with in shorter seasons is that if they do ever try to experiment and do something new, if it doesn’t work out, then you waste a good portion of the season. While when it’s a longer season, it’s no big deal if a few of them are stinkers bc there’s much more. It gives the writers freedom to try new things and see what works and what doesn’t and continue from there.)