Season/Series
Dec. 22nd, 2014 03:51 pmAnd now a minor rant about television.
Back in the good old days of VHF, UHF, and actual dials that we were warned not to touch, television season started in September and ran until June. Show that premiered in January were called "mid-season replacements."
The British, not locked into this calender year, call their runs of a show "series." The BBC had no problem with premiering a show in August, having it run to November, then starting it up again in May.
Now American shows, especially on the cable channels, are doing the same thing. You get weird breaks, "mid-season finales", and other weirdness. Even on the networks we're seeing that. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on a long break, with the Peggy Carter miniseries slotted for a midwinter replacement.
I think it's time for American television to give up and adopt Series as the default for a bloc of a particular show to be shown in order. It would simplify things.
Now back to binge watching Arrow.
Back in the good old days of VHF, UHF, and actual dials that we were warned not to touch, television season started in September and ran until June. Show that premiered in January were called "mid-season replacements."
The British, not locked into this calender year, call their runs of a show "series." The BBC had no problem with premiering a show in August, having it run to November, then starting it up again in May.
Now American shows, especially on the cable channels, are doing the same thing. You get weird breaks, "mid-season finales", and other weirdness. Even on the networks we're seeing that. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on a long break, with the Peggy Carter miniseries slotted for a midwinter replacement.
I think it's time for American television to give up and adopt Series as the default for a bloc of a particular show to be shown in order. It would simplify things.
Now back to binge watching Arrow.