By Zoe Hughes
Editor-in-Chief
There was a time when finishing a TV season took months. Now, it takes a weekend, maybe even a single night if you are determined enough.
What used to be 20-plus episodes stretched across a semester has been replaced by eight tightly packed installments dropped all at once. It’s efficient. It’s bingeable. And more often than not, it’s disappointing.
TV seasons have become too short for meaningful storytelling. While some shows manage to make it work, most modern series feel rushed, underdeveloped and less impactful simply because they don’t have enough time to grow.
The shift largely comes from the rise of streaming. Traditional network television built its structure around, often 20 to 24 episodes, like “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” which allowed stories and characters to develop over time. Today, streaming platforms such as Netflix favor shorter seasons, typically six to ten episodes, like “Wednesday.”
The result is a major shift in how stories are told. Instead of building narratives gradually, shows are designed for quick consumption, meant to be watched fast and forgotten just as quickly.
In longer seasons, audiences had time to really know characters, not just their main traits, but their quirks, relationships and growth. Shows like “Friends” or “The Office” thrive because viewers spend dozens of episodes watching characters evolve. Side characters were not just background noise; they became favorites.
Now, with only eight episodes, everything has to happen quickly. Relationships form fast, conflicts escalate instantly and emotional moments feel rushed. There’s little room for subtlety or depth.
Even the so-called “filler” episodes, once criticized, are now sorely missed. Those slower, sometimes random episodes gave showers personality. They allowed characters to exist outside of the main plot and gave audiences a reason to care about them. Not every episode needed to be intense or plot-driven, and that balance made the bigger moments hit harder.
Without that breathing room, modern showers can feel exhausting. Every episode is packed with major developments, leaving little time to process anything before the next twist arrives.
To be fair, there is an argument for shorter seasons. Many believe fewer episodes mean higher quality, tighter writing, bigger budgets and more polished production. And sometimes, that’s true.
But not always.
Even popular shows like “Stranger Things” show the downside. Long gaps between seasons, combined with fewer episodes, can disrupt momentum and make it harder for audiences to stay fully invested. A show may look better than ever, but if it feels incomplete, something is missing.
Meanwhile, shows that still embrace longer formats prove there’s value in giving stories time. “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” continues to engage audiences with its extended seasons, while newer shows like “The Pitt” demonstrate that even 15 or 16 episodes can create a more satisfying rhythm.
Storytelling needs space. Characters need room to grow. Audiences need time to connect.
Right now, TV is moving too fast, prioritizing convenience over depth, speed over substance.
And while it may be easier to finish a season in a weekend, it’s a lot harder to remember it a month later.
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