Recent comments in /f/television

SkullLeader t1_j733tgj wrote

I think 4-6 seasons is the sweet spot. Most shows seem to run out of ideas or get repetitive and feel like they're trying to milk it for all its worth if they go much further than that. Less than that and probably got cancelled too early, or there just wasn't enough story there to begin with. But also of course the number of episodes per season factors in to this a little too - Most network shows in the past were 20-24 episodes per season, but a lot of cable/netflix stuff these days is 8-12 episodes per season.

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BigPoppaPuff t1_j70v4ql wrote

if the show is serial, 3 is usually all it needs and it will go downhill beyond it. 5 is like the max for REALLY great shows. I know some stretch longer and they're fine, but if you want true wire to wire masterpiece, going longer than 5 is likely to result in something short of that

the MAJORITY of shows would probably just be better served as limited series for the sake of their story that don't really have much legs and will end up wasting a lot of time with side quests that get in the way of the overarching narratives, but the economics of it all say "popular show -> make more seasons" and creatives say "more seasons -> more money for me"

If it's like a sitcom or police procedural or whatever else is purely episodic without much in the way of overarching narrative, then sure, go nuts, do whatever you want.

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bitca57 t1_j70kmut wrote

Less seasons is always better, if you ask me. I don't believe any TV series actually benefits from having 10+ seasons. You see shows like Grey's Anatomy that just seem to never end and you question why it's still on the air because the quality of the show has drastically decreased.

I think the actual perfect amount of seasons a show can have is 4 seasons. I think you can tell a complete story that doesn't falter and doesn't get too bloated in a good 4 seasons. Hell, if you want to extend it, I can be okay with maybe 6 seasons. But once a show starts hitting 8+ seasons, I'll most likely check out. By that point, most shows are repeating storylines and aren't doing anything narratively creative or worthwhile, especially if they are network dramas that are hitting 22 episodes a season.

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ughdrunkatvogue t1_j70kkk8 wrote

If it's a sitcom or a network drama that focuses on a case of the week sort of thing, they can usually last forever. But if it's a show focused on a specific story-line, then I prefer fewer seasons. The Good Place only had 4, Breaking Bad had 5, and Fleabag famously only has 2 after Phoebe Waller-Bridge had to be convinced to have a second season, which ended up being better than the first, and nicely closed the story. The perfect amount of seasons are when the show runners know when to end a story.

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