Why are British show seasons so small?

[who?]

We should go back to having 30 or more episodes a season.

 

[squarecut1]

It's funny Sherlock keeps coming up. I watched it and thought it was fantastic. Everyone I talk to about it (Americans) hated it.

/shrug

I am surprised anyone could hate it. It is just awesome on so many levels. The characters, the story, the dialogues.

 

[EvilYoda]

I just finished Sherlock season 2 yesterday - I get it, I like the show, but it's not as amazing as I've been led to expect.

 

[Blackjack200]

I am surprised anyone could hate it. It is just awesome on so many levels. The characters, the story, the dialogues.

Well, one of the people who hated it was a girl that I'm not dating anymore, and the other was my mom, who doesn't like anything violent.

I just finished Sherlock season 2 yesterday - I get it, I like the show, but it's not as amazing as I've been led to expect.

You almost have to rate the individual episodes separately. The first one with the cab driver, I thought was excellent. I didn't like the Hounds of Baskerville as much. Now, I think it was the second episide, the with the woman

Spoiler

that gets executed at the end

, was one of the best things I ever watched, TV or movie. Everything about it was just fantastic, the dialogue, the twists, the side plots. Marvelous.

 

[blakeatwork]

Dear God I forgot Dr. Who, Wallander, Case histories, Bletchley Circle, IT Crowd and others. LOL

Holy crap! Go outside!

 

[Phoenix86]

It's funny Sherlock keeps coming up. I watched it and thought it was fantastic. Everyone I talk to about it (Americans) hated it.

/shrug

Sherlock episodes are like two hours each.

I love Sherlock.

Do the math, it's 3 hours of content/year (3-2hour episodes in 2 years), the same as a feature film length/year, in about the same time. It's a little bit more content than that because it's actually 3 episodes every 2 years. The point is, it's comparable and it probably shouldn't be.

 

[cronos]

That is a lot more than typical British TV series. One of the best things to have come on TV in the last few years, Sherlock, only has had 3 episodes per season. Those seasons have been two years apart too. Quality over quantity.

...that's not really the best example.

GOT - written by 1 guy, adapted by 2 other guys who may hire a few other writers to adapt it to the screen, there's so much material a lot has to be cut out. the story is set, there's not really anything to 'create'. if anything GOT should be more than 10 episodes a season if HBO wanted to spend more $$$.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say to him. GoT is a terrible example for a typical 'American' TV series with 'quantity over quality' episodes. With the amount of material the story has, it's a miracle they can fit a book in one season. In fact they did end up separating book 3 into two seasons. Not to mention 10 episodes is not 'a lot more' than the typical British series. Sure Sherlock has only 3, but others, say Doctor Who has 13 and Downton Abbey has 8. Ten episodes is pretty average. Also, while I don't necessarily think of GoT as 'the best tv show ever', it is a pretty tight series and nobody can say that a lot of parts of the 10 episodes are wasted.

All I'm saying is that there are dozens American TV shows that embodied his argument of quantity over quality, 22 episodes in a season with half of them fillers, and these will be excellent examples when comparing to typical British TV shows. GoT is not one of them.

 

[pmv]

I think its because the US system is more of an industrialised production line, while the UK way is more like the eccentric amateur (working alone in his shed).

Which isn't to say the US system doesn't produce high quality stuff when its at its best, its just all far more professionalised, with large teams of experienced writers. While in the UK its always been a bit more random and hit-and-miss.

So as its all organised around particular writers, they don't have the stamina or desire to keep going for long seasons the way a professional team does.

I think its a bit like the difference between Dr Who and Star Trek - not the shows but the characters. A bunch of trained technocrat professionals working as a team vs an eccentric but brilliant individual.

There are probably loads of other eccentric oddball Time Lords out there who we don't get to see because they were all bloody useless, while all the Star Fleet crews at least meet a certain minimum standard of competence.

I reckon its related to the "Gentlemen vs players" thing.

 

[jerk-chicken]

I just finished watching "Prey" and thought the same thing.

 

[dainthomas]

It's funny Sherlock keeps coming up. I watched it and thought it was fantastic. Everyone I talk to about it (Americans) hated it.

/shrug



Sherlock episodes are like two hours each.

You should stop talking to them. At all. It's the best thing on TV (edging out GoT).

 

[gorcorps]

I agree. 10-13 a-la HBO is the sweet spot. 22-24 as is the standard in the US for broadcast TV is excessive. Sherlock though is the other extreme at only three episodes per season and even with that it only airs every other year (although the episode is longer so it's more like three full movies instead of three TV series episodes).

But aren't the HBO type shows an hour each? Most of the 22ish episode shows I watch are 1/2 hour, so it seems like a wash

 

[moonbogg]

They have short attention spans?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

it's quality over quantity, combined with lower budgets. the best zombie/horror show i've ever seen was dead set - 5 episodes and done. the thick of it was 6-10 per season (series) and ripper street was about 8 for 2 seasons.

Also keep in mind that OTA television in UK is socialized. This means content creators deliver product to the government to buy (or not) and air

only the bbc is socialized, if that's the correct term. they've had privately held ad supported OTA for ages, and a million cable channels just like we do.

 

[squarecut1]

I just finished Sherlock season 2 yesterday - I get it, I like the show, but it's not as amazing as I've been led to expect.

I feel the same way about game of thrones. It is all subjective.

To me, the first two seasons of Sherlock were just brilliant.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

But aren't the HBO type shows an hour each? Most of the 22ish episode shows I watch are 1/2 hour, so it seems like a wash

that's like saying 2 motorcycles equals a car. they are completely different things.

 

[zinfamous]

Shows like Luther and Sherlock are ~90 minutes each, though. So you should look at them as a few full length movies per year.

 

[cronos]

But aren't the HBO type shows an hour each? Most of the 22ish episode shows I watch are 1/2 hour, so it seems like a wash

There are half hours shows and there are full hour shows, both on cable and broadcast TVs. In the US, most of the ones on broadcast TV channels have 22-24 episodes per season.

 

[who?]

Even the hour dramas are 22 episodes.
I remember when TV movies were made for TV like "Duel" by Steven Spielberg.

 

[RossMAN]

When does The Fall return for season 2?

 

[techs]

Even the hour dramas are 22 episodes.
I remember when TV movies were made for TV like "Duel" by Steven Spielberg.

I remember seeing it so many years ago. An awesome movie with a minimalist construction. Low budget Spielberg was better than a lot of the new high budget Spielberg

 

[shadow9d9]

It's funny Sherlock keeps coming up. I watched it and thought it was fantastic. Everyone I talk to about it (Americans) hated it.

/shrug



Sherlock episodes are like two hours each.

I've turned about 10 people onto Sherlock and every single one has absolutely loved it. Perhaps you are not around intelligent people?

 

[Blackjack200]

I've turned about 10 people onto Sherlock and every single one has absolutely loved it. Perhaps you are not around intelligent people?

Maybe. Honest to God the same thing happened with Breaking Bad.

 

[ElFenix]

Yes, that is why it has so many filler scenes and story lines - to drag it out for all those long number of episodes

You really need to read the books if you think you're getting filler scenes and storylines.

 

[Phoenix86]

Maybe. Honest to God the same thing happened with Breaking Bad.

Confirmed, either brain dead or their sense of taste is muted.

 

[BoberFett]

The best British shows are 6 episodes per season.

Fawlty Towers
The Office
Extras
Life's Too Short
Inbetweeners
IT Crowd
Spaced
The Young Ones
Mitchel and Webb Look
Snuff Box

And the list goes on...

Even a US show that took place in England:

Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret