Before we get too upset, repeat after me–“At least they haven’t been canceled.”
According to the Futon Critic, the ratings slides by “V” and “Flash Forward” have been cut.
But to quote the great Douglas Adams, “Don’t Panic.”
The cut isn’t a drastic one–each series is having its season cut short by one episode. That means we’ll get 12 episodes of “V” for the first season and 24 of “Flash Forward.”
New episodes of both shows return in March.
Not disastrous news, but not really good either.
Maybe it’s time to abandon the expectation that a season has to be 22-25 episodes long. Put the money and creativity into producing 13 really great stories rather than stretching it out to two dozen. Maybe the networks will be more willing to buy genre shows if producers shoot for quantity over quality.
The BBC seems pretty successful with that.
This is a cost cutting move. The recession is effecting everyone, even the entertainment industry.
agreed – the BBC has a great model with the “series” concept. run one or two “Series” and don’t worry so much about syndication or the # of episodes – just tell a great story!
FX has been following the 13 episode style for some time now. Though there may have been a season of The Shield that went more than 13 episodes. But by and large their shows only run about 13 episodes. I think A&E’s shows also follow the 13 episode format, at least I know for sure that Breaking Bad does. I definately think a 13 episode season is the way to go.