Experts weigh in on why hit shows likeStranger ThingsandHouse of the Dragonhave such big gaps between seasons.Stranger Thingspremiered on Netflix in 2016, and released its season 4 in 2022.Stranger Thingsseason 5, which is confirmed to be the show’s last, is now confirmed to arrive in 2025, a three-year gap.House of the Dragon, HBO’s acclaimedGame of Thronesspinoff, premiered in 2022 and didn’t return until earlier this year. Season 3 of that show is now confirmed, with no release date set.
A new report fromThe Timesnow dives into why modern shows likeStranger ThingsandHouse of the Dragonaren’t returning with new seasons every year, as used to be the case. Fred Black, the principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, and Diederick Santer, an experienced British TV producer, both weigh in on the new TV production timeline, particularly in the world of streaming.
The fact that shows likeStranger Things,House of the Dragon, andThe Last of Us, among others, take so long between seasons is partly due to their scale.They’re all wildly expensive endeavorsthat feature large casts, big sets, and lots of special effects. Interestingly, however, one point that both experts bring up is the delay that takes place before renewals happen, asplaces like Netflix and HBO now require more viewership data over a longer period of time before making decisions. Check out the comments from Black and Santer below:
Black: “The streamers increasingly want to make sure that they are getting a good return on their investment, particularly on their big-budget shows. Previously they might have gambled on a recommisssion based on the quality of the show alone but now they are waiting up to six months before making a decision.”
Santer: “Every part of the production process has become slower because shows have got bigger and more complicated. We see fewer detective dramas set in the same place with the same cast who are retained on 12-month contracts. Now it is all about building huge worlds for shows that take longer to write and shoot and have more ambitious special effects.
“In years gone by they would look at the overnight ratings data and would know what the reaction had been to a show the morning after it launched. Now people are looking at how well it has done over a 28-day period at the very minimum.”
What The Changed TV Landscape Means For Consumers
There Are Pros & Cons To TV Shows Being Bigger Than Ever Before
Though there was a two-year gap betweenGame of Thronesseason 8and the previous season, the show had, up until that point, released a new season every year. The fantasy series built up a massive audience and had clear momentum year over year, becoming one of the most viewed and acclaimed HBO shows of all time. With longer gaps between seasons,it’s arguably harder for this same kind of momentum to build, and more has to be done to remind viewers of what happened in previous seasons.
Shows with these large budgets need to be massively successful to justify their own existence, and this could be why so many streaming shows seem to get cancelled.
TV shows now also feature bigger budgets than ever before. The per-episode budget ofStranger Thingsseason 4is reported to be a staggering $30 million. A $30 million per-episode budget does mean thatStranger Thingsfeatures movie-level visual effects and a blockbuster storytelling scale, but it raises some big questions about the economics of this model.
House of the Dragonseason 2’s budget is reported to be $20 million per episode, more than the $15 million per episode ofGame of Thronesseason 8.
House Of The Dragon’s Budget Repeats A Perfect Game Of Thrones Trick
House of the Dragon season 1’s budget-per-episode has been revealed, and the amount HBO is spending mirrors the approach to Game of Thrones.
Our Take On Today’s New TV Landscape
Is This New TV Model Sustainable In The Long Term?
With bars for success being higher than when TV shows cost less and released new seasons more regularly,there has seemingly been a rise in consumer frustration regarding cancelled shows. The hit shows that do exist look great and are basically like blockbuster movies, but it certainly seems like this model is not sustainable in the long-term. It’s not clear what the budgets will be forStranger Thingsseason 5 orHouse of the Dragonseason 3, but both shows are evidently returning in a TV landscape that is likely to experience more shakeups in the years ahead.
