Shorter (TV) Seasons, Longer Hiatus

Remember when a new television series premiered in September and its first season, consisting of 24 episodes, give or take, ran until June, and then it went on hiatus for three months before returning with another season of 20+ episodes? For example, the original Star Trek series showed 79 episodes in just three seasons.What is happening to television these days?

Some years ago networks started exercising an option to order just 13 episodes, or "half a season," rather than a "full season" for shows in which they felt hesitant to put a lot of faith. Then, if the show met with their hopes and expectations, they would order another block of episodes to complete the season. Okay, I can understand their point of view. The networks are a commercial business and commercial business is all about money and profits, after all. But a newer trend has crept into our most common form of entertainment, and I for one find it annoying...and potentially bad for the content producers and networks alike.

Back in 2004, what I consider to be the best dramatic science fiction program ever to grace the airwaves...or the wire...premiered on the Syfy channel...or SciFi...whatever it was at the time.

Battlestar Galactica (the reboot) began with a short miniseries in 2003, and when it did well the network ordered a first season. That first season consisted of only 13 episodes. Season 2 ended up being 20 episodes, but fans had to wait six months after season 1 for it to show, and they split the season into two 10-episode halves with a three and a half month long wait in the middle. Season 3 also consisted of 20 episodes and wasn't broken in half, unless you count a relatively short winter holiday break, but fans had to wait seven months for it after season 2. Eight months after season 3 we got the movie "razor," and it wasn't until four and a half months after that that season 4 finally premiered. Season 4 also consisted of 20 episodes, but once again they split the season into two halves with a seven month hiatus in the middle.

Then, of course, there comes another very popular show...

Each season of HBO's Game of Thrones is only 10 episodes long, with an approximately 10 month hiatus between seasons. Beginning in 2011, each season premiered in April -- actually, season 3 premiered on March 31, 2013 -- and ran through June. We got 10 weeks' worth of new episodes and then had to wait 10 months for the next batch! Granted, this show's episodes are worth the wait...but it's 10 months!

Not to be outdone...

USA Network's Colony premiered on January 14, 2016. We got a 10-episode first season that ended on March 17. Season 2 is coming sometime in 2017. As of this writing, no specific date has been announced as far as I can find. So, at a minimum, that's a 10-month wait. Will anyone who watched this show even remember the first season after ten months?

Finally, there is this...

HBO's Westworld premiered on October 2, 2016. Like Game of Thrones, to which the producers have compared it, Westworld's first season is going to be 10 episodes long with the final episode airing this December 4th. The show is doing well -- I am thoroughly enjoying it -- and HBO has just announced that there will be a 10-episode second season, but according to what I just read at the "Independent" website ( http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/westworld-season-2-release-date-hbo-sky-atlantic-2017-2018-new-episode-count-renewed-a7418051.html )...

"As for a release date, HBO is aiming for late 2017 but it might well be early 2018 due to the scale of shooting."

That's an entire year away...at least!

When I started writing this post, I stated that this trend of shows going on extended hiatus is potentially bad for the content producers and networks alike. Why do I say this? Well, another show that did this was SyFy's Helix.

Helix premiered on January 10, 2014 and its 13-episode first season ran until March 28, 2014. I, for, one, am not really into shows about pandemics, but this one was okay. However, season 2 didn't hit the air until January 16, 2015...nearly ten months later. By that time I had forgotten most of what happened and lost interest in the show. I didn't watch season 2, and apparently not too many other people did, either. The show was cancelled after that season.

I suspect that if this trend continues, more and more shows, even the better ones, are going to drop in the ratings after their premier seasons and be cancelled, unless they prove to be massive successes, like Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones. Granted, a 24-episode season of any show more intelligent than a sitcom would cost a massive fortune in this day and age, but I hope that producers and networks will soon begin to reverse that trend and return at least partway to the way it used to be.