Wednesday producer and writer Alfred Gough explained why eight-episode seasons are ideal for television series. Gough’s insight comes at a time when there is significant talk about how many episodes should be in a regular television season, as broadcasts have seen the number drop rapidly. Netflix is highly anticipated Wednesday Season 2 will have eight episodes, which is the same number of episodes season 1 had, as well as the other Netflix original series it has now.
When asked by Collider How Wednesday season 2 had eight episodes or if Netflix ever asked for more, Gough confirmed that the new season will last for eight episodes. He explained how his writing experience on television, since Smallville to Wednesdayled him to believe that eight-episode seasons work better now than 10-, 13-, or 22-episode seasons. Gough focuses on how the current number allows the storytelling to flow better. Check out his comments below:
Interestingly, eight has become the number. Believe me, look, we worked on 22 episodes, we did 10 episodes, we did all the repetitions of this. Basic cable went from 22 episodes to, like, 13 episodes, right? Then you thought, “Okay, you can tell a story,” and you had a couple of what I call “wheel spinners.” I think in a 13-episode season, there were three wheels. Then they go to a 10-episode season, and we did that. I remember thinking, “Oh, there are always two episodes that feel like they can’t move the story along the way you want them to.”
Ironically, we found with In the Badlands that eight was the perfect number. You could tell a story, you had enough runway, you didn’t feel rushed, and you could reach a satisfying conclusion in eight. It was as if you weren’t asking the audience to sit around a few wheels. Also, television is different now. These things, as you know, are the chapters of a book. Each season is a book, while it’s on network TV, while we’re doing it Smallville, Smallville it was short stories in the world. Then you have a couple each season that gives you a legend. It provided an arc, but it was a different animal.
What This Means Wednesday and Other TV Series
Episode Count Won’t Increase Soon
Wednesday Season 1 is the most watched season of any Netflix original series. If so Wednesday cannot include more than eight episodes per season it’s unlikely that any Netflix seasons will soon exceed this number of episodes. From Daredevil to Grace & FrankieThe original Netflix series had a consistent 13 episodes, which gave it enough time to tell a complete story while not having the narrative breathing room like the previous standard 22 episode season for network or cable television.
From the 12 episodes of the Disney+ season Star Wars: Andor to 10 episodes in seasons 2 and 3 on Hulu A bear, some broadcasters include multiple episodesbut these examples are still a long way from when 22 episodes were expected. As studio executives look for ways to cut rising costs, the number of episodes won’t increase much anytime soon on any of the streaming services. Some scripted broadcast series now have less than eight episodes.
There’s a good reason why long-running shows are still popular
Although the eight episodes are effectively equal Wednesday The story of season 1 also seems to fit the creative vision of season 2, which is not the case for the rest of the series. Most series need more episodes per season to better integrate the various characters and storylines. It is lost, The office, Supernaturaland some series remain popular long after they have ended because there are many episodes rewatching, discussing, and enjoying, and many so called “filler” season episodes that become an integral part of the show’s legacy. Eight episodes can work Wednesdaybut it doesn’t work for every thread.
Source: Collider