Why Are TV Seasons So Short Now?

Television once gave audiences 20 or more episodes and months to live alongside their favorite characters. Now a series may disappear for years, return with six episodes and end before it feels as though it truly began.

JP looks at how streaming, rising production costs, binge-watching and prestige television transformed the traditional TV season—and considers what was lost when so-called filler episodes disappeared.

In this episode:

• Why 20-plus-episode seasons became rare

• How shorter seasons affect character development and fictional worlds

• Why spectacle cannot always replace time spent with characters

Question for you: Would you choose 6–8 movie-quality episodes or 12–20 less-expensive episodes with more room for the characters to breathe? Find JP on X or Instagram and share your answer.

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