I'm keen on British sitcoms.
Could you tell me why they have 6 episodes in one season?
In Japan, dramas have 10-12 episodes in one season (3 months).
Thank you.
6 episodes
There are many reasons, but I think Griff's got the main ones already. The smaller the writing team, the easier it is to maintain consistency and quality. There are also a number of historical and cultural issues to take into account, and the nature of British television's evolution and change in programming.
So yeah, for the most part, what Griff said, I think!
(I'm not at home so can't check, but I think I'm right in saying that anyway.)
Yeah, its mainly down to writing team sizes. Traditionally in the UK you only have one or two writers writing the whole thing. In the US you usually have up to 20 writers in a team, so they can churn out more and quicker.
Good question Eclipse I had always wondered that myself.
Yup, it's pretty much just because of the number of writers. You'll notice the Britcoms with bigger writing teams (My Family, After You've Gone, Two Pints, Moving Wallpaper etc) do have more episodes per season.
There are other reasons for selecting smaller series:
- Budget
- Reduced Risk (Unlike elsewhere, if something tanks it doesn't have to hang around in the schedules forever)
- Allows in-demand stars to fit filming into their schedule
- Tradition
- Scheduling Patterns (as everything else is six episodes also it allows the schedulers to block programmes together neatly)
- High quality (no stretching of ideas needed)
Why it is exactly six and not, say, five or seven though I don't know?!?
I do find it quite annoying when a great comedy comes along and then disappears just five episodes later, but I think I would take that over a show becoming very formulaic as the writers try and churn out triple the number of scripts.
Ok, some other thoughts!
6 weeks is roughly half a quarter (of a calendar). That means the channels can get through roughly 4 times as many shows in the same time as the Americans, for example, get through one. Thus maximising potential viewer numbers because there'll be something completely new on in that particular timeslot in a few weeks.
Summer holidays are generally about 6 weeks. As are each school half-term.
Many shows (and genres) have their roots in nightly entertainment, save the sabbath. So that's six days a week. Thus writers being used to preparing six lots of material at a time. Maybe?
A viewer is more likely to stop watching a 20-odd episode series earlier if they don't like it much, for fear of being sucked in and having to watch the whole run. Six episodes on the other hand, is fairly easy to get through.
More recently of course 7's have cropped up - Spaced - and if the show is successful they try 8 - Not Going Out, or did I dream that? And The IT Crowd series two was going to be 8 but Linehan cut it back to 6.
Interesting - or not - is you get a lot of 3 part dramas, an hour long, so it still equates to the same amount of telly. Interesting, or really boring?
Interesting, but in a boring way? Hm. Well it's a good observation anyway. 
Thank you very much -Griff,Aaron,ContainsNuts,Mark,Seefacts!!!
You mean,
>'6 episodes' is fairly easy to get through...
-I'm happy now!!
As a fun, I wish I'd watch what happen to characters more.
I love "The Office", "The IT Crowd","The Vicar of Dibley",
and "Ab Fab"...
I usually want more episodes. As soon as you get into the series, it finishes!
But you know, quality before quantity and all that. I suppose.
That's true, quality first.
Quote: Seefacts @ March 12, 2008, 8:38 PMMore recently of course 7's have cropped up - Spaced - and if the show is successful they try 8 - Not Going Out, or did I dream that? And The IT Crowd series two was going to be 8 but Linehan cut it back to 6.
Sometimes with these seven-parters that do seem to be on the increase, the first episode was originally the pilot. For example, episode 1 of Saxondale, which was directed by a different to person to the rest of the series (Actually, Ben Miller directed the pilot if memory serves right?).
I guess, having paid to film the pilot, it makes sense to squeeze six rather than five episodes out of the budget given for the series.
As well as all the other good points comparing British sitcoms with American ones, in America they also have the financially lucrative syndication rights. So once you produce a hit and have produced a specified number of episodes, it becomes much more financially lucrative, as small TV stations around the country will be paying to run the old shows for years to come.
Quote: Tim Walker @ March 13, 2008, 4:19 PMI guess, having paid to film the pilot, it makes sense to squeeze six rather than five episodes out of the budget given for the series.
-I see...
I feel in UK the pilot is shot with a sufficient budget,
on the other hand, in the US the pilot is shot with a tight budget...
Thank you again, Tim and all!!
There are of course exceptions to the six episodes limit. Look at the only series of 'Doctor at Large' Most Sunday nights in 1971- Doctor at Large was on. It ran for 29 episodes. But the writing in Large was quite an American format. Loads of different writers writing each episode so there was enough to do a long series.
Personally, I'm a fan of the six episode series, although I've nothing against the increase in seven parters. I think most British shows, that focus on a handful of characters only need six or seven episodes to do a series long story justice. I think, if the writings strong and the performances are solid, it's all thats needed. Look at something like Spaced; only two series of seven, but to me the show as a whole feels very full. Of course I'd have loved to have seen more, but they did enough with those two series, and probably covered a lot more than the forty plus episodes two seasons of an American version might manage.