Somewhere along the way, streaming decided that every show needs to fit into an 8 episode structure. It was sold as cleaner, tighter storytelling, but that only works if the story actually fits.
It’s perfect when it’s a mini-series or a thriller, but it breaks with most shows. Especially ones with complex mythology, multiple story arcs, and huge ensembles.
The problem is that the 8 episode model is a business decision, not a creative one. It looks good in a spreadsheet. Shorter seasons equals higher completion rates. Yet none of that changes the fact that complex stories need more room than this format allows.
Stranger Things 5 Shows How Bad This Has Gotten
Stranger Things 5 is the perfect example because it’s one of the biggest shows in the world. They’ve spent nearly a decade building this world. Dozens of characters. Multiple dimensions. A mythology that grows every season.
Now they have eight episodes to wrap all of that up.
It’s been announced that the series finale will be 2 hours and 5 minutes. It’ll be the second longest episode in the series following the season 4 finale,which was around 2 hours and 16 minutes.
If one episode needs to be the length of a movie, that’s a sign the format isn’t working. They have a lot of plot lines to wrap up. Trying to fit a decade’s worth of world building, character and story arcs into 8 episodes feels like a stretch. And unrealistic.
It would have been better to split the series finale into two or three episodes and have a longer season. If everything rounds up to 2+ hours anyway, does it really matter if you’re binge watching a long ass episode or three shorter ones?
When Stories Don’t Get Enough Time, The Audience Can Feel It
You don’t need to be a critic to notice this structure doesn’t work for every show. People online keep saying the exact same things across different shows.
Plot lines are either rushed or abandoned because there’s not enough time to explore them. Character development feels off. Conclusions don’t feel satisfying because the buildup wasn’t there.
Most viewers don’t think in terms of episode counts. They just know when something is missing. Eight episodes isn’t enough for most shows trying to build big worlds and deep characters.
10 to 12 Episodes Used To Be the Middle Ground
I’m not expecting a return to 22 episode network seasons. No one wants filler episodes or story arcs that drag on for too long.
Shows that had between 10 to 16 episodes seemed like a good middle ground. It gave writers the ability to build their world, pace their characters, and explore the story without suffocating it.
Those shows understood that not every episode needed to be an event. Some could focus on character. Some could slow down and build tension. The 8 episode format doesn’t allow that kind of variety. Every episode has to be a big, heavy plot mover.
Why This Model Is Already Cracking
Financial strain is forcing streaming services to rethink how they release and structure shows. Weekly releases are making a comeback. Viewers are getting vocal about rushed finales and uneven pacing. Creators are starting to push back on short seasons that don’t fit the story they’re trying to tell.
Fantasy and sci-fi get hit the hardest because their worlds are too complex to fit into something this compact. We watched this happen with Game of Thrones when its final season was only 6 episodes. There wasn’t enough time to give the show a proper send-off. Instead Game of Thrones became infamous for having one of the most hated, most polarizing finales in television history.
Eight episode seasons is a trend that has worn out its welcome. The format isn’t sustainable for shows that actually require time for world building and to flesh out its story.
There is no one-size-fits-all standard you can slap onto every show in existence. Forcing every show to conform into the same structure gives us rushed plots, weak character arcs, and finales that could have been better. Eventually, the industry will have to give stories the space they need. If the biggest shows are straining under the 8 episode model, then the model isn’t working.
