The recent and damning shift from traditional 22-episode TV seasons to a measly 6 to 10-episode average in 2025 has ushered in an entirely new era of television and content consumption. And not for the better.
Coinciding with the slow decline of cable TV and the subsequent rise of streaming services, the decreasing length of TV series indicates a larger move towards profit over creativity, people, and originality. We have seen this shift happen in real time: Game of Thrones (2011) started consistently releasing 10 episodes per
season and per year, only to end its eight-season run in 2017 with only six episodes.
Major TV productions in recent years have followed this same pattern. Squid Game (2021), Stranger Things (2016), and Bridgerton (2020) are some of the most viewed and successful series released in the last decade. Yet, none of their seasons reached 10 episodes. While the move towards shorter series is justified as prioritising quality over quantity, these commercial successes often prove the exact opposite. Bridgerton season four, for example, garnered 80 million views in the first two weeks of its release, and though I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for a period romance, there’s no denying the show’s production value left something to be desired, particularly with badly edited green-screens in key emotional scenes. Stranger Things (2016) is perhaps a key example of this, with its fifth and final season displaying a significant drop in production quality despite a high budget. It seems spending over $400 million USD can’t make up for clumsy set design, heavy use of green screens or poor cinematography.
I will say, there are some instances in which a shorter series may be beneficial, perhaps for a limited series such as Fleabag (2016), or even an anthology series like Beef (2023), Black Mirror (2011), or American Horror Story (2011). For stories where the plot and character progression need to be contained for better storytelling, I have no qualms about seasons being shorter and more impactful.
Where I really take issue, however, is when genres like sitcoms are made with only six to eight episodes per season. Think Abbott Elementary (2021), Derry Girls (2018), or even Schitt’s Creek (2015). Even a sitcom like Brooklyn 99 (2013) started by averaging 22 episodes per season and ended with a 10-episode final season in 2021. This formula often leaves audiences unsatisfied, with character and plot lines underdeveloped and unfinished. Not to mention, this shift has real-world implications for the creatives
behind TV shows, with writers, actors, and production crews being left in precarious, unstable work situations.
What this also means is that only some storylines can be told and prioritised, often erasing marginalised voices. After all, creativity and innovation aren’t nearly as profitable as formulaic and reliable plot lines. On top of this, with most series only coming out on streaming today, many get part or bulk releases rather than an episode per week, deeply limiting audiences’ suspense and emotional investment as it comes out. In prioritising quick consumption and reliable formulas, we are losing creative potential in such a vast and rich medium.
Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash.