Why only 8 episodes?

[Nitrus]

I think 10 episodes is a good number, 6 is too little. Some of my favorite UK shows are 6 episodes per series.

But at the the same time, I think 22/23 episodes can be too much.

[YourFutureMuse]

Yeh I agree that 6 is definitely too little and I think Spooks is too high octane to go on for too long lol otherwise I think it would end up a little slower if the series was longer than 10. For me 10 was the perfect number to allow a developed storyline with chance to develop characters within the storyline and so as you still don't get bored of it and think it has gone on for too long..

[Tomsdouble]

Yeah, a lot of American shows are 20-26 episodes long and usually they run for the hour including adverts, so that makes the usual running time about 42 or 43 minutes. (Think of 24, an hour of which runs for about 43 minutes!) Am I to undersand that in the US Spooks (or MI5, as it's called) is shortened so it fits (with adverts) into an hour slot?

Another difference is the teams of writers that American shows use. We might have a series running at 6 episodes and penned by one or two writers as opposed to the American 'writing team' format which clearly gives the show in question a longer run.

However I do think after a few years of 10-episode series' it's a shame to revert to a shorter run. Bring back 10 (or 12)!

[lwhite53]

(30-12-2009 04:12 PM)Tomsdouble Wrote:  Yeah, a lot of American shows are 20-26 episodes long and usually they run for the hour including adverts, so that makes the usual running time about 42 or 43 minutes. (Think of 24, an hour of which runs for about 43 minutes!) Am I to undersand that in the US Spooks (or MI5, as it's called) is shortened so it fits (with adverts) into an hour slot?

When MI5 ran on the A&E network in the US, the eps were cut back to 43 minutes to allow for commercials (adverts) which was VERY problematic, as the eps are already tightly cut by Kudos. Now that PBS has the airing rights, the eps are shown in full but not all PBS affiliates run the show so it's a bit difficult to find it.

[Tomsdouble]

It's clearly bad planning when you have to cut a 56-minute show into a 43-minute slot. How would you follow it? I imagine you couldn't. Not easily, anyway.

[lwhite53]

That was the problem -- it was difficult to follow the action with 12-13 minutes missing. Can't think of why A&E bought the US rights in the first place, knowing the eps would have to be cut. Stupid! and damaging to the series, which may be why it never really took off here.

[Tomsdouble]

You'd have thought Kudos would have known what A&E's plans were (or at least done some homework) beforehand. That kind of editing would not help any show's ratings.

[YourFutureMuse]

When it was shown on Watch I think one of the series was cut down for breaks I think most of the series it went longer than the hour slot to allow for breaks but I think it was when they showed series 5 is was cut down because I remember the ep at the Africa conference they cut out H/R meeting in corridor.. at least I think it was that, something like that..

[Beatriz]

It's a horrible idea to cut episodes like that 10 minutes is too much. If they do the same to series 8... you won't get any decent interaction between characters!!

[JHyde]

I thought the first season did brilliantly in the States. But no, you wouldn't want to cut them down at all.