#trust me this isn’t new because of the bingeing model in the slightest

[litres-of-cocaine]

whoever started calling 10 episode seasons a ‘binge-format’ is the bane of my existence

like genuinely a smaller number of episodes doesn’t make a binge format - releasing episodes all at once does, whether that’s anything from four episodes to twenty. (something that’s pretty standard right now because of the switch from paid channels to streaming services)

i’ve seen it suggested as well that shows with 20-25 episodes a season are inherently a better format and…. no????

twin peaks season one has nine episodes (including the pilot) - one of the best tv seasons of all time. artful, beautiful, mysterious, and good fun. makes great use of the tv form but doesn’t drag itself out.

twin peaks season two has twenty-one episodes - absolutely shambolic. there are seven good episodes, then eleven bad ones, then two good ones. s1 was so popular execs wanted to do a long season but knew people were getting frustrated about not knowing the killer’s identity, so forced lynch and frost to reveal it *way* too early and ruined the mid-point of the season. nine episode season could’ve meant the finale had the reveal, didn’t compromise the point of the show and still didn’t drag itself out.

20-25 episode seasons are so so often procedural shows that have stock characters and are more about the environment of the show than plot or character or meaning.

which is okay! like it’s good for entertainment purposes, plot isn’t difficult to follow as a lot of the episodes can be viewed as stand-alones. it functions a lot of the same way sitcoms do.

but comparing idk grey’s anatomy with a show like the bear (which you could also argue is a workplace drama) and saying oh it has 20-25 episodes so must be a better series is batshit.

short series make good shows!

in my option they make better shows, but that’s just my opinion