Hot In Cleveland

[imhomerjay]

"At one time" isn't relevant. It's today, not yesterday. Viewing patterns and options change, as do tastes.

Some shows may devote a good chunk of an episode to catching up, but many do (or did) not, save for a brief recap of a minute or less at the top of the show (entirely logical in bringing new viewers on board if it's a complex storyline).

 

[The Voice of Reason]

"At one time" isn't relevant. It's today, not yesterday. Viewing patterns and options change, as do tastes.
Some shows may devote a good chunk of an episode to catching up, but many do (or did) not, save for a brief recap of a minute or less at the top of the show (entirely logical in bringing new viewers on board if it's a complex storyline).

What it boils down to this: Networks will put any program on the air as long as it's cheap to produce.

Yes "one time" is relevant if you factor in that fewer people are watching less television today than years past. At least that's what some media publications are reporting.

Another reason for these "short seasons" is because networks don't want to spend money on summer replacement shows, or have to pay for extra episodes in a year.

 

[imhomerjay]

Yes "one time" is relevant if you factor in that fewer people are watching less television today than years past. At least that's what some media publications are reporting.

Except that they aren't. You could lose count of the studies that find people, across all age groups, are not watching less TV (and that doesn't mean TV shows online or other "non-TV" devices--that viewing is on top of watching on a television). TV consumption, per capita, is steady or climbing. Not sure what "fewer people" means in this context, since the population obviously isn't shrinking.

Another reason for these "short seasons" is because networks don't want to spend money on summer replacement shows, or have to pay for extra episodes in a year.

The "short seasons" discussion seemed to focus on cable in earlier comments. In that context, it's hardly that the cable networks don't want to spend money on summer shows--just look at the lineups. Since the majority of broadcast network shows still follow the fall-to-spring approach, whether those shows are replaced with original content in the summer or reruns is irrelevant--neither shortens their season.

 

[LKellerIII]

I will put it plainly cable series are killing themselves, creating a slow death. People are about to the point of frustration that soon they will give up on watching new shows altogether since in just a little while they will be gone again right after they get started good watching them. This subject as come up with many many of my friends in the recent months and most agree that with many other things to do other than watching TV that have to be done just to live that they often don't have time to catch the few episodes that cable offers before it's gone again and they don't ever build any interest in the shows since all they catch is one or two episodes then can't find it. This will lead to the slow death of cable shows unless they change the way they do things.

You forgot to mention that the first episode of the new season is devoted to remind people what happened the previous season.
At one time a TV series started in September and ran all the way through March. Now it's 10 episodes, then a hiatus for several months or longer.

We must be watching different programs. What I typically see is the ubiquitous "Previously on _________" segment, which is about a minute long during the season, and about 3 to 4 minutes long at the beginning of a new season, after the hiatus. Then they get down to new material.

I've noticed that the shows seem to be getting worse instead of better. They are going to
need some ax murderers or Jehova's witnesses to keep my interest.

I suggest they bring in more whacky townfolks and neighbors (expand the cast like the
Simpsons) to keep it fresh.

I couldn't disagree more. Examples: Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Rubicon, The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Rescue Me

These are all compelling, well-written and well acted series, IMO. And I've left out the many excellent pay-cable (HBO, Showtime) series. Even a couple of the USA pot-boilers are pretty decent - Burn Unit, In Plain Sight. for example. I don't love them all - I've never understood what people see in The Closer, and I find Hawthorne dull. The subject of this thread (Hot in Cleveland) was abominable. But of course, that's just my opinion.

Overall, cable is producing some excellent series, especially dramas. You can stick a fork in the 26 week per year series. They're done. It's too expensive, and the audience is too fractured now.