Why are reality shows allowed to have two seasons per year?

[TeeVeeCloset]

Am I the only one that is irked that reality shows like Survivor, Dancing With The Stars and a few others are allowed to call each of the two editions they do each calendar year a "season". "Survivor" calls the upcoming season I believe "21"...well in my TV world....a season used to be September till March, now yes we program all year round with originals....but a season should represent how many years a series has been on the air, not editions.

If a reality show does produce staggered editions per year, that is exactly what they should be called....Season 10, Edition 1 & 2......

Ok has anyone even thought about this or do I have way too much time thinking TV?

[DSfan]

Originally Posted by TeeVeeCloset

Am I the only one that is irked that reality shows like Survivor, Dancing With The Stars and a few others are allowed to call each of the two editions they do each calendar year a "season". "Survivor" calls the upcoming season I believe "21"...well in my TV world....a season used to be September till March, now yes we program all year round with originals....but a season should represent how many years a series has been on the air, not editions.

If a reality show does produce staggered editions per year, that is exactly what they should be called....Season 10, Edition 1 & 2......

Ok has anyone even thought about this or do I have way too much time thinking TV?

I would agree. Saying that it has 21 seasons to me means that the show would have started in 1990 - which is obviously not the case. Yeah, so if they said season 1 edition 1 or something like that it would make more sense for sure. I was thinking about that too, the other day.

[TeeVeeCloset]

Originally Posted by DSfan

I would agree. Saying that it has 21 seasons to me means that the show would have started in 1990 - which is obviously not the case. Yeah, so if they said season 1 edition 1 or something like that it would make more sense for sure. I was thinking about that too, the other day.

Thanks, Glad I'm not the only one with that thought!....my best regards!

[Mysty Eyes]

Originally Posted by TeeVeeCloset

...well in my TV world....a season used to be September till March,

That's six months; usually 22 to 26 episodes.

A show like Dancing With The Stars goes on for 10-11 weeks. That's half the time, on the calendar. Of course, there are usually two episodes a week (one for competition, one for results), but it is still only those few weeks. Multiply that by two, and you get 20-21 weeks, which is just about the same amount as September to March. Or one year.

While I understand the argument of Season X, Edition 1 or 2, that wouldn't really follow, since the shows are different. Different cast, different "story." The two seasons are not related to each other; they are separate competitions.

It's not like shows that are shown in split season where the story is a continuation.

They could, however, list the reality shows as Year 2011, Edition 1 or 2, but why bother?