Today's Question of the Day comes from JosephMcLaddle who asks
"This is a very simple question, so I hope for answers that look beyond the obvious.
Why is it that most comedies are 21 minutes long (minus commercials), and dramas are 42 minutes long? Why are some comedies 42 minutes long? Can you think of any 21 minute dramas?
Do you think mix-ups could work, like a 21-minute episode of LOST (or any other drama) or a 42-minute episode of a comedy that excludes a double-episode?
I want to hear specific examples, and ideas that are out of the box! For example, it's easy to think of a Fringe episode that has only one storyline and resolves easily, or a Parks and Recreation episode where they have a festival that lasts a long time.
But what about a Supernatural episode that only lasts half the time? Or an episode of Community that can sustain that quirky humor on a specific subject for a whole hour?
Sound off, you lovable hooligans!"
Ha, interesting question.
How about an Episode of Supernatural where they are transported to a world where time is sped up 2*times :) Everything is double-quick including their speech, making them sound like chimpmunks ;)
What about you? Can you think of any funny scenarious.
You can see previous Questions of the Day here.
I think comedies need to deliver the jokes quickly for maximum hilarity. It can be tough on the writers to come up with enough material to even last a whole 20 minutes without sacrificing wit. Dramatic shows have much more "silent" moment where characters can just emote and respond to a particular situation. Even in Supernatural, and other high-octane drama shows, you can easily excise 10 minutes of screentime without cutting much of the dialogue and action.
ReplyDeleteAlthough now that I think about it, a double-sized Community episode seems really awesome.
The closest thing I can think of to a "Sitdram" is Californication and it's cable ilk (Hung, Nurse Betty, etc). Those are 28 minute shows for the most part, though.
ReplyDeleteReally, though, most 42 minute comedies are actually hybrid shows that have both drama and comedy. A dramedy, if you will. I don't think a pure drama would work in a half-hour block.
I think it would be very difficult for a show to be a comedy more than 21 minutes... I don't know really why, but it's a feeling I have...and drama in less than 42 minutes... well, I don't know if that'll work... maybe it could be.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming "commerical" breaks is stating the obvious? LOL
ReplyDeleteindependentmind pretty much said what i was going to, however i also think that its also contractual and viewer related. some actors dont like doing shows with longer hours like a 42min ep, also the i reckon the networks are also targeting viewers whom either are not persistant viewers and or have shorter attentions spans - however this is merely my assumption.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they want a chance to let the jokes flow at a decent pace instead of putting all their cards on the table and running the risk of getting cold. Need to keep the juices running. :)
ReplyDeleteI hate 21min series (Weeds,Entourage,Unated states of tara, Big C) >:@ They are over before they even begin :/
ReplyDeleteHBO and Showtime series are hybrids, more difficult to put in a box. For instance, Shameless is filled with comedy bits and Californication does have more dramatic moments than the average sitcom. I like that, they don't feel the need to always evolve in the same tone (even if some sitcoms from networks have had dramatic moments, but it's rare though).
ReplyDeleteNot all sitcoms could pull it off. I don't see 30 Rock in a 42 episode format for instance. However, I'm sure Community could pull it off, but this episode would have to be really special : for example, I'd love to see a 43 minute episode paying a tribute to Michael Mann's movie Heat, with Troy & Abed as De Niro and Pacino, respectively. They would have to do it thoroughly (like they did with The Godfather episode (episode 1.20 or 1.21 if I remember correctly)), aka remaking Heat 'Community' style for an hour, not just references to the movie (like they did with Aliens in the Halloween episode of season 2). There would be enough material for a full hour. That could be so much fun.
On the other hand, regarding dramas in 21 minutes, I don't think I haven't watched Detroit 187 yet (but I will) and I noticed that some episode titles feature two themes ("Murder in Greektown/High School Confidential" is the title for episode 5, for instance). My guess is there are two investigations of 21 minutes each, it's kind of unusual for copshows.
But I don't really see other dramas I would want to see in a shorter format, except Glee, this show should go to the 21 minutes format, episodes would be (or at least would feel) less annoying and empty.
Mostly I think it's that sitcoms deal with light issues or non-complex plots that do not need much background and story as a basis for the jokes to work, but dramas need set up and time to develop the actual drama in the episode or they fall flat.
ReplyDeletePlus, most sitcoms deal with one plot per episode whereas many drams have multiple plots, subplots or b-plots going on each episode.
I think its the viewer that they are trying to appeal to as well. Casual viewers are more likely to watch comedies for quick easy viewing and a 21min comedy will provide this where as 42min requires more time.
ReplyDeleteTake Chuck and Reaper for example, two comedies/dramadies that are 42mins, both struggled with viewer ratings. When I'm watching TV with my parents they are more likely to watch shows such as Cougar Town, Modern Family, TAHM as they are much easier to sit down and watch as they only take up half hour. If they have an hour to spare then they can just two of them.
Psych is a comedy and is 42 mins long...its also a proceduaral detective show, so i guess making it shorter wouldn't be a good idea
ReplyDeleteDramas are 42 minutes long, so comedies should be 23. That would make more sense to me ;)
ReplyDeleteOn a somewhat related note.... what I'd like to know is why do US networks think it's okay to use about 32% of the shows air time for commercials leaving an average hour series at 42 minutes. What genius decided on that ratio? It seems like a lot when you compare to UK series which run more like 50-57 minutes an episode and Canada tends to run 45-50 minutes per episode. I know it's about the money, but why not charge more for advertising and have less ads per episode?
ReplyDeleteGood question!! I have always wondered this myself.
ReplyDeleteThe only 42 minute comedy I know of is psych and those are some awesomely funny 42 minutes!!
For a way to have a drama be 21 minutes, (dont know if this has been said)
But, for a crime show like NCIS, they could easily just catch the bad guy without finding about 3 red herrings and dead ends first
Because that's what makes the episodes go for so long
I like the sped up supernatural, that would be funny. But if it's funny it turns into a comedy lol
Yeah imagine the paintball episode lasting 42 minutes!!
ReplyDeleteThey so could have done that with more movie references and paintballing!!
Would have been epic!!
I guess the closest thing we can mention about a comedy on 42 minutes is Psych.
ReplyDeleteThey are a comedy show, but they have misteries to solve every episode. That kind of show can work comedy on a 42 minute base on every episode.
Fox actually tried that exact thing about two years ago with Fringe and I think another show. They emphasized before each break "Fringe will return in 60 seconds" or 90 seconds or whatever. So the whole first season of Fringe had like 52 minute episodes and it was awesome, but it didn't work out on the networks accounting tables I guess, since they abandoned it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you understood the question.
ReplyDeleteA 21-minute episode of Lost? Nah, that would never have worked. Any show with serialization needs time to unfold. My favorite episodes were the two-parters, which were, maybe, 90 minutes or so.I like Lost best when I marathon it.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting presentation style is the comedy-combo, as in The Daily Show/Colbert Report. These two back-to-back, half-hour, "fake news" shows have a common theme, showing the farcical side of news reporting, yet they are distinctive.
This.
ReplyDelete