Why did sitcoms in the 50's and 60's have more episodes per season?

[Will and Grace Fanatic]

It seems to me starting in the 70's the season order went down to 20 something episodes a season. Compared to 30 something episodes a season in the 50's and 60's.

[Coffeecup]

I would say tv was relatively new and viewers were home more and could follow the show. Today people I tend to think don't want to sit for 39 weeks to follow a show. Our concentration is more limited with so many many tv stations that we jump around a lot to see different stations.

[robyrob]

direct inverse relationship to the number of channels available

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by Will and Grace Fanatic

It seems to me starting in the 70's the season order went down to 20 something episodes a season. Compared to 30 something episodes a season in the 50's and 60's.

During the 50's and first half of the 60's, the majority of TV shows were produced in black and white, which was less expensive. Starting with the 1966-67 season, all TV shows had to be produced in color, which raised the cost of producing TV shows. Also, salaries for the actors hired were gradually increasing. Those are a couple reasons for the gradual reduction of episodes ordered per season. And it's not only the number of episodes that has been reduced. During the course of time, the actual lengths of the TV shows themselves has also been reduced, over the years more commercial time has been added. For example, in the old days, half hour TV shows had 25 to 26 minutes of actual program content, and hour long shows had 50 to 52 minutes of actual program content. Nowadays, the amount of commercial time has basically doubled, so now half hour shows have about 20 minutes of actual program content, and hour long shows have about 40 minutes of actual program content. TV shows just keep getting increasingly expensive to produce, so the networks reduce the number of episodes per season, reduce the episode lengths and increase the amount of commercial time in order to make a profit.

[liane49]

It seems like a show can't even be on 2 or 3 times and if it doesn't have good ratings it gets canceled. Before I don't think any show got canceled before 13 shows. They at least gave it a chance. Because some hit shows like Cheers and Seinfeld didn't start off good.

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

For example, in the old days, half hour TV shows had 25 to 26 minutes of actual program content, and hour long shows had 50 to 52 minutes of actual program content. Nowadays, the amount of commercial time has basically doubled, so now half hour shows have about 20 minutes of actual program content, and hour long shows have about 40 minutes of actual program content. TV shows just keep getting increasingly expensive to produce, so the networks reduce the number of episodes per season, reduce the episode lengths and increase the amount of commercial time in order to make a profit.

A good way to put it is to compare something like Perry Mason then to your average NCIS or L&O now; Perry Mason had much more time to tell its stories then, whereas you can't even get into the stories on those latter two without the commercials pulling you out of the mood (not that I was ever a fan of NCIS or L&O, but just making a comparison).

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by liane49

Before I don't think any show got canceled before 13 shows.

No, there have been a lot of really old shows that didn't reach 13 episodes.

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by DJM77

No, there have been a lot of really old shows that didn't reach 13 episodes.

Blue Thunder was one; it didn't last but 11 shows on ABC in early 1984 before it got bumped off.

[Coffeecup]

Retro fan, you made some good points. I never thought of the Black and White factor vs Color. It would be interesting to know what color broadcast shows of the 1960 and 1970's had for number of episodes. What shows of that era had a lot of episodes?

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by Coffeecup

Retro fan, you made some good points. I never thought of the Black and White factor vs Color. It would be interesting to know what color broadcast shows of the 1960 and 1970's had for number of episodes. What shows of that era had a lot of episodes?

Original-recipe Five-O had 24 episodes per season for quite a few of its seasons.

Also, original-recipe NBC Star Trek had 29 episodes in the first season (1966-67), 26 in the second (1967-68), and 24 in the third (1968-69).

[Regulus]

Science Fiction Theatre had 39 episodes in both of its seasons, and in that rarity of rarities season one was in color while season two was black and white. Another show, Ripcord made by the same producers (ZIV) had 39 episodes for season one (which was shot in B&W) but had 37 episodes in season two (which was shot in color). A third ZIV Show The Cisco Kid was shot entirely in color. I shudder to think how much Color TV Sets cost in 1950, when the first episode of CK aired but something tells me they weren't exactly cheap! mg:

The most episodes I've seen for a show was season four of Lassie, which had 40 episodes (If anyone ties or beats that I'd like to know)!

I remember when if a show was a flop it lasted 13 episodes, today a lot of "full seasons" are but 13 episodes.

[James28]

I think more episodes per season would mean more filler. And less episodes per season would mean less filler. Also producing more episodes per season would mean the show's cast and crew would get burned out more easily. The writers would run out of ideas fast, and I think the cast's bodies would break down over time.