Strange New Worlds has been my favorite Trek since Next Generation, and if the quality continues, could easily be my favorite Trek ever. But with the e.p. wishing for more episodes per season, there’s a danger of diluting the show by adding weak episodes that would have never made it in a 10 episode season.
One of the things I’ve long admired with BBC shows is their normally low-episode seasons, which kept out a lot of filler that normally made it in to the broadcast shows from the states. But streaming (and before that, cable) changed things. Finally US based shows were able to create much lower episode seasons, allowing the creators to tell more of the story they wanted to tell, without stretching things out (too much), or being forced to add stories they weren’t thrilled with in order to fill the season. (Though, even with shorter runs, shows are still doing this. Picard season 2, for example, could have used some trimming. So, yeah, show runners are still being forced to fill seasons where X number of episodes were ordered before the story was fleshed out. Maybe it just seems more evident in serialized shows.)
I can’t help but think a longer season of SNW would be a “more is less” scenario. I’d much rather see Paramount create another Trek show that’s mainly episodic, that’s been shown the same attention to quality that SNW has received.
I’ve talked to some folk who work in TV about just this.
The upshot is that knowing the length of run with enough time creates better episodes whether the run is short or long.
The problem is something getting big and an emergency demand for more episodes after a season has already been planned out. (or that episodes need to be cut for a reduced run).
As for the BBC, we are still very much waiting for the clock to run out on Casualty, Holby City, EastEnders, silent witness…
I’d also argue that even despite a shorter episode length, Sherlock still managed to overstay its welcome.
Don’t even get me started with Sherlock. 😂 Greatest show of all time ever to jump the shark.
Let hbomberguy tell you how Sherlock is bad by talking about it for what feels like an entire season of Sherlock.
Moffat…Moffat…Moffat
Wow. I wasn’t aware of hbomberguy. Seems more of an “attack the person” and less of an “attack the idea” kind of person.
With the strikes there is no way to assume the next season has been fully planned out. Now is a great to expand the show. I’d rather more SNW than another spin-off or series.