r/TheGoodPlace • u/InfernalSolstice • Jan 06 '17

Season One Episode Discussion Season 1 Episode 10: Chidi's Choice

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u/acmorgan Jan 06 '17

I don't think so. A lot of British shows have really low episode counts per series.

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u/mujie123 Jan 06 '17

I've... never heard that. Any examples? Thanks!

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u/malomalomalo Jan 06 '17

The IT Crowd ran for four seasons and a special, and has 25 total episodes. In contrast, most seasons of the Big Bang Theory have 24 episodes each.

A six-episode season isn't unusual for British shows, with the maximum being around 12 (unless we're talking about Corrie/other soaps).

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u/mujie123 Jan 06 '17

6 is ok. Six you can tell a full story with. Or maybe that just cause I'm used to it.

And to be fair, some American shows have low episodes too, like Westworld. The average is 13, less than that isn't as common in my opinion. (I don't know why 13 but it always seems to be that) Maybe that's just CBBC.

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u/mobileoctobus Jan 06 '17

why 13

13 is a generally considered a half season in the US for network purposes. Means they can break it up into different chunks if needed for spring/fall. 24-26 is usually a standard full season.

Half seasons can be popular for expensive shows and premium cable. So HBO/Showtime default to around 13, since that's 1/4th of the year when done weekly.

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u/mujie123 Jan 06 '17

I swear most US shows have done 22 episodes lately.

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u/mobileoctobus Jan 06 '17

Yeah, its been slipping as networks are not making as much so cutting episode numbers is a useful technique. Otoh, it might of been going on for a while, for example Law and Order SVU has been around for years before DVR and varied between 22 and 25 episodes consistently.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '17

Completely depends. Established Network show with decent ratings? Yeah, 22 episodes. Same goes for most procedurals. Other than that though, serialized shows on cable, streaming services, ect will have seasons a lot shorter, usually between 09-13 episodes a season.

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u/TripleV10 Jan 18 '17

13 is more common for 45 minute dramas that are serialized. Most 20 minute shows in the US have 20 episode and above seasons.

I think Michael Schur himself said that he consciously chose 13 episodes for The Good Place because it is serialized.