Fans of TV shows will be familiar with the format that these shows run on. Unlike movies, they are divided into episodes, and the show can span across years or even a decade in some cases. However, why are TV shows called seasons? Worry not because we’ll tell you why!
TV shows are called seasons because they are divided into multiple seasons or years. In every season, there are multiple episodes that end with a season finale. While TV shows are the correct term, it isn’t wrong calling them seasons either.
If you’d like to know how long these seasons run and why they are called series in the UK, continue reading to find out!
They Run on a Seasonal Basis
TV shows usually run on a seasonal basis which can last anywhere between 3 to 6 months. Also, since they only release one season per year, they are considered as seasons. While the episodes only take a certain chunk of the year to air, you won’t see more episodes until the start of the next year.
Usually, TV shows aim for either the fall slot or the spring slot. They take a break during the winter to edit the show or fine-tune it for enhanced quality. Keep in mind that this is not always the case for all the shows. However, the routine mentioned is followed by the majority of the TV shows.
How Many Episodes Are in a Season?
This can purely depend on the TV show and in which way they are headed. There are many shows that have a lot of episodes in one season like Lost, How I Met Your Mother, or Friends. Usually, comedy shows have about 20-24 episodes per season with a grand season finale at the end.
However, there are multiple shows that only have about 8-10 episodes. A perfect example of this can be taken from the mega-successful Game of Thrones. It started with about 10 episodes per season but eventually only had 8 in its final season. As aforementioned, this is totally dependent on how the showrunners want the show to run.
Here is the trailer for all eight seasons of Game of Thornes to show you how far the show progressed before its conclusion:
It’s Called Series in the UK
If you are a UK viewer, you’ll find it odd calling shows “seasons”. That is because people call it a series in the UK. This is due to the fact that multiple series can run in one year, unlike seasons that will not release new episodes until the next year.
Plus, a series is typically short with about 3-5 episodes. There are times when another series starts after a few months, but there have been times when viewers had to wait multiple years to get another series of the same show.
Conclusion
There you have it; that answers your question about why are TV shows called seasons. You can now tell your friends about this and share your knowledge with them as well! Hopefully, this also cleared your confusion about why it’s called a series in the UK.
