Season shrinkage

A few years ago, I bought a DVD set of the first season of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” The show featured a new suspense story each week, with Hitchcock contributing a droll introduction to each story. The episodes were great, even though Hitchcock’s involvement was usually limited to his name and a brief appearance.

One thing about the set seemed particularly strange: It was incredibly long by today’s standards. Most seasons of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” averaged 39 episodes, in stark contrast to the standard 13 that is more common today (or 12 or 10). There are some shows that get up toward 23 episodes a season (“The Simpsons,” for example), but that is quickly becoming a rarity. So why have TV seasons been shrinking in recent years?

I might as well start with the single legitimate artistic reason: For some shows, 20 or so episodes would simply be too long to properly sustain a story arc. Some of the higher quality dramas, such as “Mad Men” and “Boardwalk Empire,” would not be able to remain at a high level of quality if they had to put out more episodes. There needs to be time to reboot before the next season.

And that’s where the legitimate reasons for shrinking seasons end.

Although smaller seasons may be better for certain shows, the length is most likely a symptom of economic pressures that just happen to work in their favor. Most of the time, short seasons are just a way for networks and production companies to save money.

Shooting 10 episodes instead of 20 episodes means spending considerably less on a show. Sometimes an actor’s salary inflates the cost of an episode; other times, it’s special effects’ doing.

Shorter television seasons also point toward the way new shows are left for dead after the tiniest dip in the ratings. Instead of giving a series time to develop and establish a fan base, promising shows are yanked before they have time to mature. With only 10 episodes, it’s easy to pull the plug. And since there are so many short seasons, networks have a million choices to help plug the hole in the schedule in hopes that at least one show will stick.

At some point, a TV season may look like the standard six-episode BBC series. What a horrible fate.