Why do we have seasons?

[Scarface32]

Japanese TV shows typically don't have seasons, they run consecutively until a series ends (with preemptive breaks in between for sports and other special events). In the US we have "seasons." Want to see what happens next on Show X? Too bad, wait until next year.

The UK is even worse about this than we are, their seasons (or series as they call it) are even shorter! Around six episodes is an average season on the BBC.

Why can't we all just have consecutive episodes like they do in Japan?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Anthony P]

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.

That makes no sense what so ever. Obviously different shows have different production costs and so the time slot replacement of one show could be a lot less then an other one, and if you have long seasons (1/2 a year) repeats could be used the rest of the time to make the production cost more affordable but in the end if show A and show B and show C cost the same per episode to produce how is it cheaper to have some episodes being show A, others B and others C instead of all of them being A?

And in reality the opposite would be true since if all the episodes are A (instead of some B and C) a studio might save on designs and sets. There is also the fact that the people involved need to make enough for a standard of living, and so with 9 episodes they might need to be paid a bit more compared to 20 episodes.

[rickah88]

I don't think there is any one answer for the OP, but basically production costs would be the biggest one. Then a close second would be marketing from the studios. Obviously they want a return, ASAP, on their investment.

I think the advent of the DVR has been, and will continue to be a huge changing factor. The days of the networks running 22 episode "seasons" has, greatly, changed because society has changed. Of course I'm talking about the US, we aren't solely a 9-5 work/eat dinner/watch 6pm news/watch episodic tv/then watch late night talk shows before bed, to repeat the next day. People are much more "on the go" these days, which is why streaming is so popular. Also the afforementioned DVR, which enables people another viewing option, and to "binge watch". Helped, in large part, by cable TV shows that have been highly successful, with only ~12 episodes, the networks(always moving at a glacial pace) are finally starting to realize that this recipe is works well with today's "on the go" society, and are starting to adapt to it...again, at a snails pace.

And like others have already pointed out, actors/crew need a break too. For personal reasons and to work on other projects. Also "Seasons" transfers well to packaged media, when/if that show receives a home video release.

So kinda my take on the whole "TV seasons" thingy.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Why can't we all just have consecutive episodes like they do in Japan?

There are soap-operas and other shows that run continuously in the US but I don't think it's possible with the larger shows, either financially or logistically. The markets are completely different too. I had a book on Anime and it listed all the content up to it's publication and you'd be amazed by how many series' were just abandoned after a few episodes, they just have a completely different way of doing things in Japan.

It would be possible to make the show continuously but the costs would be astronomical and you'd basically be asking the cast and crew to give up their entire lives for the duration of the show.