Why do we have seasons?

[Todd Tomorrow]

From what I know in Japan evening dramas last for one season between 9 and 11 episodes and then they are done. Sometimes when one was very successful there will be spin-offs but usually that's all you get. So basically they only do what's known in the US and Europe as a mini-series. Daytime dramas are more like US daytime soaps. Low quality and they crank them out daily. Having been to Japan and doing some channel surfing, Japanese TV didn't strike me as particularly high quality, even the "quality" evening shows looked cheap, because they do so many of them. With a show that runs longer like US shows, it's worth investing more in the production.

I prefer being able to revisit a good show every year. I don't think Breaking Bad, The Wire, Game of Thrones or Mad Men would be considered the quality shows they are had they finished after one season.

I live in the UK and find that just as with US cable dramas, shorter seasons generally result in better quality. I just watched The Honourable Woman, 8 episodes and each was brilliant with no filler.

There now is the model of the anthology drama in the US where one season tells a self-contained story which does not get contiuned. True Detective, Fargo and American Horror Story do that. Maybe you should stick to those if you hate ongoing shows with seasons.

[Jett Rink]

It would be cool if these networks would adopt the Netflix policy. Release a season/series all at once. I for one am sick of having to wait a week between shows and I abhor commercials.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Jett Rink

It would be cool if these networks would adopt the Netflix policy. Release a season/series all at once. I for one am sick of having to wait a week between shows and I abhor commercials.

I record every episode of a season and watch the whole thing when it is about to finish. That does exactly what you want.

[L.J.]

I can't imagine Lost being one season. Do like the shows that do a whole story in one season like A.H.S. because if you don't like this season you will get something different next year. Like a godd quality show with breaks between the seasons like S.O.A. and The Walking Dead. Currently half way through Luther so am enjoying it.

[Jett Rink]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I record every episode of a season and watch the whole thing when it is about to finish. That does exactly what you want.

I don't have cable/DVR, so I am out of luck there. But that is a good idea.

[hanshotfirst1138]

Originally Posted by Jett Rink

It would be cool if these networks would adopt the Netflix policy. Release a season/series all at once. I for one am sick of having to wait a week between shows and I abhor commercials.

That's the way it's been for the last half a century. The whole concept of Netflix is relatively new.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

From what I know in Japan evening dramas last for one season between 9 and 11 episodes and then they are done. Sometimes when one was very successful there will be spin-offs but usually that's all you get. So basically they only do what's known in the US and Europe as a mini-series. Daytime dramas are more like US daytime soaps. Low quality and they crank them out daily. Having been to Japan and doing some channel surfing, Japanese TV didn't strike me as particularly high quality, even the "quality" evening shows looked cheap, because they do so many of them. With a show that runs longer like US shows, it's worth investing more in the production.

I prefer being able to revisit a good show every year. I don't think Breaking Bad, The Wire, Game of Thrones or Mad Men would be considered the quality shows they are had they finished after one season.

I live in the UK and find that just as with US cable dramas, shorter seasons generally result in better quality. I just watched The Honourable Woman, 8 episodes and each was brilliant with no filler.

There now is the model of the anthology drama in the US where one season tells a self-contained story which does not get contiuned. True Detective, Fargo and American Horror Story do that. Maybe you should stick to those if you hate ongoing shows with seasons.

All 200 episodes of Sailor Moon ran consecutively in Japan, that's just one example of a really long show.

There are lots of shows with a minimum of 70 episodes that ran consecutively, and haven't suffered from a loss of quality.

Originally Posted by Foggy

UK is not worse for having short series, the fact is they don't get funded by massive conglomerates, so they just don't have the budget for "big" season. I think the only reason something like a Doctor Who is able to exists is because of it's American success but also because the UK industry is so limiting, a lot of huge tech teams rarely have a chance to work on something because the opportunity rarely arises.

Plus the compact structure lead to less filler and all killer.

Besides having short seasons, a lot of times a UK show ends wth no conclusion. An example of this is Mulberry. Two short seasons, and no conclusion. Does he take her, doesn't he? No one knows, the show just ends!

[djgeneral]

I love seasons. Would never want it to change.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

All 200 episodes of Sailor Moon ran consecutively in Japan, that's just one example of a really long show.

There are lots of shows with a minimum of 70 episodes that ran consecutively, and haven't suffered from a loss of quality.

So you are comparing an anime series with very limited animation to a live action ensemble drama like The Wire or a costly period drama like Mad Men ? Do you really think these shows would retain their quality and be as acclaimed as they are if they were cranking out 70s episodes in a row ?

What are these quality Japanese shows running for 70 episodes which do compare in quality to the shows mentioned or the likes of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, etc. ?

[CouncilSpectre]

In terms of live-action shows, how many of them have 12/16 hour + daily shooting schedules?

If they had to do that all-year around then people would be burnt out.

[detective392]

Actors, writers and other staff need breaks. In Japan its mostly anime that runs straight for 100+ episodes which is a lot easier to do than a live action series.

IMO the UK is better for having shorter seasons. The UK delivers the best shows in any genre and part of that is the short episode order and telling the story without fillers.

Not saying the UK doesn't have fillers but it's so much better than US shows where we get around 4 episodes of the actual plot and the rest are filler/procedural.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by detective392

Actors, writers and other staff need breaks. In Japan its mostly anime that runs straight for 100+ episodes which is a lot easier to do than a live action series.

IMO the UK is better for having shorter seasons. The UK delivers the best shows in any genre and part of that is the short episode order and telling the story without fillers.

Not saying the UK doesn't have fillers but it's so much better than US shows where we get around 4 episodes of the actual plot and the rest are filler/procedural.

I live in the UK and you only get the good stuff. There are a lot of bad shows here. I don't think even the best UK shows exceed the best of US cable dramas like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men or The Sopranos.

[detective392]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I live in the UK and you only get the good stuff. There are a lot of bad shows here. I don't think even the best UK shows exceed the best of US cable dramas like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men or The Sopranos.

Guess we are opposite than. I'd take these shows over the ones you listed any day.

Downton Abbey
Broadchurch
Endeavour
Midsomer Murders
Doctor Who
Torchwood
Robin Hood
Merlin

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

So you are comparing an anime series with very limited animation to a live action ensemble drama like The Wire or a costly period drama like Mad Men ? Do you really think these shows would retain their quality and be as acclaimed as they are if they were cranking out 70s episodes in a row ?

What are these quality Japanese shows running for 70 episodes which do compare in quality to the shows mentioned or the likes of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, etc. ?

No I'm not comparing anything. I was giving an example of a long show. (Plus I never said the word drama, they could be comedies or anything)

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

No I'm not comparing anything. I was giving an example of a long show. (Plus I never said the word drama, they could be comedies or anything)

So you are a "quantity over quality" man.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

So you are comparing an anime series with very limited animation to a live action ensemble drama like The Wire or a costly period drama like Mad Men ? Do you really think these shows would retain their quality and be as acclaimed as they are if they were cranking out 70s episodes in a row ?

What are these quality Japanese shows running for 70 episodes which do compare in quality to the shows mentioned or the likes of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, etc. ?

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

So you are a "quantity over quality" man.

You're being annoying now.

And since you're so hell-bent on being "nothing animated" the Sailor Moon live-action show ran 49 episodes consecutively as well. I can list a dozen shows with long runs that aren't animated. When did this go from being a question as to why we can't have it like that, to a debate about animated vs. non-animated.

Also, stop the personal attacks!

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

You're being annoying now.

And since you're so hell-bent on being "nothing animated" the Sailor Moon live-action show ran 49 episodes consecutively as well. I can list a dozen shows with long runs that aren't animated. When did this go from being a question as to why we can't have it like that, to a debate about animated vs. non-animated.

Also, stop the personal attacks!

He didn't say anything about it being animated.

I find it hard to believe that you aren't processing his answer. Why don't we have shows that run consecutively?

1. We do. They're called soap operas.

2. The reason those shows aren't good, is because they really can't be. You're forced to constantly push forward. There's filler, bad episodes, bad acting, and more because you HAVE to meet deadlines.

Of course, no matter what you'll get those variables. But they're obviously more frequent in soap operas.

As for anime, they have a production cycle of 10-15 months before they start airing, then finish their episodes all at once. Shows like One Piece have an episode every week or so, but seriously. Look how much filler is in that show.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

You're being annoying now.

And since you're so hell-bent on being "nothing animated" the Sailor Moon live-action show ran 49 episodes consecutively as well. I can list a dozen shows with long runs that aren't animated. When did this go from being a question as to why we can't have it like that, to a debate about animated vs. non-animated.

Also, stop the personal attacks!

Nobody is attacking you. If you make claims on a public forum, you may want to be able to back them up. I'm not seeing a list of great Japanese shows which are on par with US cable quality shows.

I've seen a bit of the Sailor Moon live action show and it's not quite up there with The Wire. If you are happy to just watch shows best suited for eight year old girls or on the level of daytime soaps, good for you.

[Samus Aran]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Besides having short seasons, a lot of times a UK show ends wth no conclusion. An example of this is Mulberry. Two short seasons, and no conclusion. Does he take her, doesn't he? No one knows, the show just ends!

And their seasons air whenever they feel like it, so you could be waiting a while.

[detective392]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Besides having short seasons, a lot of times a UK show ends wth no conclusion. An example of this is Mulberry. Two short seasons, and no conclusion. Does he take her, doesn't he? No one knows, the show just ends!

Mulberry was canceled which is why it doesn't have an ending. Just like many many US, JP, UK, etc shows. Episode length has nothing to do with a show getting canceled.