A study done by Parrot Analytics has found that in 2018, 19% of TV shows were over 20 episodes. In 2023, that figure dropped to 4.5%, showing how people are favoring shorter content. Netflix’s Ripley is one example, as the story unfolds over just eight episodes.
Why Are Television Shows Getting Shorter?
One of the main reasons why television shows are getting shorter is because of production costs. If broadcasters commission fewer episodes, then this makes it easier to limit the cost of a season. Streaming has also helped to influence this. Traditional television shows have to occupy a slot every week, but a series on-demand can be released as a self-contained story in a single day.
Shorter stories can also include tighter plots, meaning there’s not as much space for secondary storylines or things that delay the main storyline. Even though television shows are getting shorter in length, episode durations are increasing.
Many modern-day episodes are now an hour long, whereas ten years ago, they were 45 minutes on average. Showrunners are also expanding the length of seasons, but only if it’s warranted. The White Lotus season one is only six episodes long, but season two has seven episodes, and season three has eight, showing that even though there’s a universal reduction in season length, showrunners are willing to go the extra mile if the story warrants it.
Shorter Formats Are Appearing Across Entertainment
It’s not just television shows that are exploring shorter formats. A clear example can be seen in sport. The MLB now has a pitch timer, which helps to cut nine-inning games by 24 minutes.
In cricket, The Hundred limits each innings to 100 balls, ensuring a match can start and finish in two and a half hours.
Music has also become shorter. The top 100 songs in the 1990s were on average four minutes long, but in 2024, this dropped to three minutes, showing a measurable shift for artists.
Even in iGaming, it’s possible to see how entertainment is starting to adopt quicker formats without losing appeal. Real-money casino games like Speed Blackjack can be up to 40% faster than regular blackjack games. The underlying game doesn’t change much, but it does help the format to adapt to changing viewer habits.
Another factor that is contributing to television shows getting shorter is higher budgets. Modern shows are now using special effects, global locations, and cameras that were once reserved for Hollywood blockbusters. Spreading a huge budget over 10 episodes is much more cost-effective than stretching it across 24 episodes. Writing shorter seasons also means writers can take on more projects in the year, resulting in lower staff costs.
As seasons are shorter, people are much more likely to finish them, rather than dropping off halfway through. For streaming services, this results in higher user satisfaction and subscription rates. As streaming services are now greenlighting their own original productions, trends like this make perfect sense for the current filming economy.
Sharon is an avid writer who has a concentration on nonfiction content. She has been treading the writers’ field for more than ten years and hopes to broaden her experience by delving further into book publishing. In her spare time, she enjoys a good read or movie that takes her back in time.
