While adapted over the years, a typical limited series consists of around four to eight single-hour-long episodes with a complete beginning and end. Limited series have been around since the 2010s, but they have been on the rise within the last few years, becoming more of the norm, overtaking multi-season TV shows. Limited series can be innovative pieces of art, from content to style, but they can also diminish what people love about multi-season shows. This leaves the future of media with one big question: Will limited series kill classic television?
One of the earliest forms of limited series was “American Horror Stories.” “American Horror Stories” used the concept of mini-series, which was semi-common during the late 2000s and early 2010s, and put it on its head with each episode being its own story, ultimately connecting at the end of each season. Since then, it has evolved into the series we know today, such as “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Kaleidoscope,” the “Monsters” collection, and most recently, “Adolescence.” Now, there is no in-between: it can even be witnessed in “Stranger Things.” The first four seasons are the classic format with 34 episodes in total, and now the newest season has three mini-release dates, with each part of its collection being intended to be watched in one sitting. From this, it’s clear that limited series have not just changed in new shows, they are also changing pre-existing shows.
This short-form, immediate release of television series helps bring creativity back into film. Anyone can see that Hollywood lacks imagination with the amount of reboots and remakes, and with the influx of limited series, it introduces new stories and plots. The popularity of limited-series spiking during the pandemic forced directors to complete filming within a shorter period of time, decreasing the number of episodes. Due to the condensation of the plot, screenwriters had to find a balance between exposition overload and an incomplete conclusion, which is a large reason for what makes viewers so attracted to these pieces of media.
This in-between length of movies and the average TV show also gives producers creative liberty, allowing them to form interesting ways of storytelling that they do not have to dedicate themselves to for 100 episodes. One of the first being the aforementioned “Kaleidoscope,” a Netflix original limited series covering a group of people from different backgrounds coming together to attempt a heist of seven billion dollars worth of bonds. What is special about this is that the viewer can watch the show in any order due to the way it had been filmed, allowing viewers to rewatch the show 5,040 times if they truly wanted to – assuming they save the actual heist episode for last.
Another particularly interesting show is “Adolescence,” which is a four-episode story of a boy being accused of murdering his classmate, focusing on the psychology behind it, leaving viewers reflecting on the impact and merging of online presence into a child’s real life. In addition to the award-winning acting and plot, it is technically impressive as well. Each episode is shot in one take, which makes writers find ways to keep every scene crucial to the story, pushing creative limits.
But with good always comes bad, and despite the pros of limited series, they certainly come with cons. Think about iconic shows. Some of which come to mind are “Friends,” “Gossip Girl,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Supernatural,” just to name a few. All of those have something in common: an average of 20 episodes across several seasons. The reason why this is so important is that it brings a sense of community to the viewers: something that is lacking among limited series.
For a limited series, a few episodes are released at once, allowing viewers to watch the entire show in an afternoon. From this, many go straight to social media, posting their opinions and often spoilers on their platforms. This gives the other side, who do not have that sort of free time, FOMO, pressuring them to put their other activities to the side to keep up with everyone else. That is what works so well with long-form television.
A more modern example, seeing as most teens have experienced this, is “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” It is a novel-turned-adaptation about a girl having to choose between her two family friends, battling life problems, and finding herself along the way. With a release schedule of 11 episodes over the course of nine weeks – two being released together for its debut – conversation sparked every Wednesday throughout the summer, creating debates over the better love interest, who’s right and wrong, and much more. While the episode count is not as high as the iconic shows of the 2000s, the concept of weekly releases brings together a community significantly stronger and longer than a limited series ever could.
More generally, due to the longer span of episodes, the plot elements have time to simmer, allowing viewers to form and change opinions as the show progresses. This is especially true in “Gossip Girl,” about an unknown blogger posting gossip that ruins, but also brings together, lives. The viewer spends six seasons trying to figure out who is behind the pseudonym, which, during the time of the show’s release, engaged watchers, contributing to the show’s fame. This is something that cannot be done with limited series: sure, a general consensus of each character is given, but that is nothing compared to the attachment people get to a show’s plot and characters like long-form TV.
So, are limited series a net positive or negative? That is for you to decide. One’s opinion on this is directly related to who one is. A film buff? Probably pro-limited series. A teenage girl? Likely team long-form. In the end, there is no right or wrong. With the influx of limited series, as well as modern takes on long-form television, the media community only expands, giving those intimidated by 10-season long shows a foot in the door, allowing them to join in on conversations, and those who do not have the time to sit down to watch three movies worth of content a chance to have a weekly connection to posts and debates on social media. Ultimately, there are both negatives and positives to limited series, but seeing as they will not go away any time soon, those who are against them must make peace with the fact, and, well, those in support will thrive in our upcoming future.
