British TV Question for Our Brits

[Ben]

The IT Crowd is one of my most favorite of TV shows, but each series only contains six episodes. Is this very common for British TV?

It drives me nuts waiting a year (or more) to only see six episodes. It doesn't seem like it would be very profitable for the studio and actors either. So do any of you know the lowdown on why seasons are so short?

[Cromlech]

I don't watch TV apart from Top Gear, so I actually had to look up some of our shows online to check. 
Top Gear, Gavin & Stacey, Men Behaving Badly, and Red Dwarf all have about the same amount per series.
Others, like Fifth Gear, Bugs, Spooks and some others had more (8/10 or something like that).

Why? I have no idea.

[Iain]

Bugs me too. No idea why it is, but six seems to be the number for most shows per season.

Looking it up gives a number of theories, funding and the fact that most UK shows are written by one or two people seem fairly plausible answers.

[Ben]

Well, if nothing else I guess they leave you wanting more, versus some of our US shows that go on and on, long past the point of being amusing. We did create the "jumped the shark" phrase after all. :)

[HankB]

Back when I was a kid, a typical TV series (such as Combat! or The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) had 24-30 episodes per season.

Today's writers/producers are lazy . . . and in many cases, unimaginative and untalented.

[Gowen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumped_the_shark

Had to look that one up, Fonzie jumping a shark.

[RocketMan]

Back when I was a kid, a typical TV series (such as Combat! or The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) had 24-30 episodes per season.

Today's writers/producers are lazy . . . and in many cases, unimaginative and untalented.

I wonder if it's more the cost of producing a series in this day and age that has reduced the number of episodes per season.

[MillCreek]

Most US shows now have 25-26 episodes for a full season.

[RocketMan]

Most US shows now have 25-26 episodes for a full season.

The only two my wife and I watch are at 13 per season.

[Perd Hapley]

The only two my wife and I watch are at 13 per season.

Which are?   

[MillCreek]

The only two my wife and I watch are at 13 per season.

A television series that is intended to be broadcast as a finite number of episodes is usually called a miniseries or serial (although the latter term also has other meanings). A short run lasting less than a year is known in the United States and Canada as a season and in the United Kingdom and (not necessarily) the rest of the PAL countries as a series. This season or series usually consists of 15–26 installments in the United States, but in the United Kingdom there is no defined length. United States industry practice tends to favor longer seasons than those of some other countries.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_program
Many shows are ordered for only a half season to see if they take off.

[Jim147]

I don't watch a lot of TV. Watching the Drags from Seattle right now.

I'm seeing several shows that have went to a 13 show mid-season break and then finish up the season later.

I don't remember any of the British shows I used to watch having a season. Like The Black Ader, Montey Python, Dr. Who. But I was catching them on PBS or one of the local small stations before I'd ever heard of a BBC America channel Or Satellite TV for that matter.It was big time when we went up to seven stations.

jim

[Vodka7]

I'm not British, but the original Office was done the same way, six eps per season (which they seem to call a series over there?)

It might just be comedies, though.  Dr. Who is sure way more eps than that a year.

In America it's generally 22-26 eps a year, with the main exceptions being cable dramas (The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, all those types of shows run around 13/year.)

[RocketMan]

Which are?  

Mad Men on AMC.  They do 13 episodes each season.  Castle on, uh, ABC?  SWMBO really likes Nathan Fillion ever since I introduced her to Firefly.  It looks like Castle runs a 22 to 24 episode season, except for the first season that was ten episodes, so we've missed a few.  Hmmm...

[HankB]

What constitutes a "season" these days, anyway?

Take Stargate Universe.

First episode originally aired on 10/02/09, and seemed to conclude its first season 10 episodes later on 12/04/09.

It resumed four months later on 04/02/10, concluding after 10 episodes on 06/11/10.

Despite the long hiatus, all 20 episodes are considered to be "Season 1."

Season 2 is scheduled to begin at the end of September 2010 . . .

[RevDisk]

Well, if nothing else I guess they leave you wanting more, versus some of our US shows that go on and on, long past the point of being amusing. We did create the "jumped the shark" phrase after all. :)

Except for shows that are really bloody good.  coughFIREFLYcough

[StopTheGrays]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumped_the_shark

Had to look that one up, Fonzie jumping a shark.

...while he was wearing his leather jacket...on water skis. Fonzie, not the shark.

[Iain]

Except for shows that are really bloody good.  coughFIREFLYcough

Yeah, generally British TV does slightly better at killing a show at the right time. Famously - Fawlty Towers, there are only 12 episodes. There's only three six episode series of Black Books too. The UK version of The Office, only 12 episodes and two 45min Christmas specials. Don't have time to outstay their welcome. Firefly is the cult hit that is at least in part due to that.

With Fawlty Towers, Black Books and The Office the end was in the hands of the creators. They decided when they didn't want to carry on, and had complete control over their creations.

(Please ignore the glaring 'Last of the Summer Wine' shaped hole in my thesis)