BSG news from Suzvoy

[icepixie]

BSG gets a fourth season.

Best of all: it's a thirteen-episode season. I am totally prophetic!

(Spoilers for unaired eps in the first link [easy to skip, I did], spoilers for last night's ep in the second.)

Comments

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I think I'm starting to be sold on the 13 episode season. At first I *hated* it with Doctor Who because the bitches needed to give me MORE. But I think overall I'd rather be left wanting more as well as seeing creative efforts, as well as a story arc, compressed. Sometimes BSG seems to have a lot of padding.

[icepixie]

I've been developing a theory that there are basically three types of series currently in existence on American/Canadian/British TV: ones that require 6 episodes a season, ones which do well with 13, and ones which can withstand 20-24 (all numbers approximate).

The six-episoders are the ones with incredibly tightly-structured plots that generally take place over a few days/weeks/months rather than a year, and focus on a smallish main cast. (See my new favorite show, Slings & Arrows.)

Shows like BSG, with a small core cast and a large second-tier cast, as well as incredibly intricate plotlines and arcs, do nicely with thirteen episodes. Enough room to give all the characters some time and to give enough detail to the multiple plot arcs, but no filler necessary to pad out the season.

Shows which tend to avoid continuing plot arcs (i.e., practically every cop, lawyer, or doctor show ever made) can stand to have as many episodes as can be made while still giving everyone a summer vacation. Shows that don't have plot arcs, but do have character arcs (I'm thinking Northern Exposure here, although I'm sure there's a more recent example I'm just not thinking of...Buffy, maybe?) and a reasonably large cast can also do this. I think DW would fall into this category but for the fact that there are only two (sometimes three) main characters at any given time, so that probably makes scheduling dicey.

I'm definitely finding that the shows with fewer episodes per season are much more tightly-plotted, have less filler, etc., and I prefer them over more episodes of lower quality, for sure. First season BSG was by far the best. It seems like we still get about ten or twelve good episodes in a season now, it's just that they're broken up by boring ones and everyone gets frustrated from continually asking "Is this the one that'll advance one of the five plots going on???"

And wow, I didn't mean for this to be an essay.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Nice analysis. And I think I'd agree with you.

I've yet to see a six-episode show. Kinda reminds me of the old, pretty much long gone mini series.

Slings & Arrows, eh? *looks up* Oh, is this some kind of behind-the-scenes theater show? That sounds really interesting! And here I thought when I saw your "Slings & Arrows" posts it was something to do with Robin Hood. :D

[icepixie]

Nice analysis. And I think I'd agree with you.

Thanks. :)

I've yet to see a six-episode show. Kinda reminds me of the old, pretty much long gone mini series.

It is, kind of, except it's about the same characters every year for however many seasons... *g* But yeah, definitely marathonable in an afternoon and part of an evening, and feels like the halfway point between a movie and a television series.

Slings & Arrows, eh? *looks up* Oh, is this some kind of behind-the-scenes theater show? That sounds really interesting!

OMG, it is FANTASTIC. I'd heard it was good; I was not prepared for how amazingly, incredibly good it was. If you're interested in seeing it, e-mail me (icepixie@livejournal) and I'll be more than happy to give you links, etc.

And here I thought when I saw your "Slings & Arrows" posts it was something to do with Robin Hood. :D

Heh. When I first saw the title (I think when I was browsing Yuletide one year), I thought the same thing.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

OMG, it is FANTASTIC. I'd heard it was good; I was not prepared for how amazingly, incredibly good it was. If you're interested in seeing it, e-mail me (icepixie@livejournal) and I'll be more than happy to give you links, etc.

OOOOH! It's on Netflix! *queues* You've talked me into it. :D

[icepixie]

Eeee. You will love it, I know. *bounces*

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

I've moved it to the top of my queue. :D

[icepixie]

Eeee. Oh, please do post about it when you see it. :) (One thing: the first episode is a lot of set-up, and the show really gets going in the second episode. If you're "meh" on 1x1, definitely watch the second one before forming a complete opinion.)