Shorter seasons have reshaped the television landscape, controversially so. A trio of NBCUniversal development executives has mixed opinions.
Financially, a longer season is a better model, said Vivian Cannon, EVP, Drama Development, Universal Television. “If you’re doing eight episodes, that means that everything you’re putting into your budget per episode is divided by eight, like the big set you’re going to build. If you’re doing 22, you get to split up the cost of that set over 22 episodes. Financially, it just is a better model to do longer orders,” she said at SXSW.
“So, I’m kind of hoping that where we’re headed is fewer television shows … but hopefully longer orders. And hopefully those longer orders will require more writers in the writer’s room,” she added at the panel It’s In Development: Creating Great TV For Global Platforms alongside colleagues Margaret Schatzel, SVP, Global Scripted Series, Universal
...Keep reading this article on DEADLINE.
