PDA

View Full Version : The Meaning Behind a TV 'season'


gobo
09-03-2007, 04:00 AM
Ever wondered why there's only one television 'season' per year? There are four seasons in a year, so why would they use that word instead of 'year'? I figured it out not too long ago. It's one of those things you just don't realize until the clues are right in front of you. There are 365 days in a year. Divide into weeks, and you get 52. Since there are 4 seasons per year, we'll divide again. 52 divided by 4 is 13.

Has anyone else recognized this (and its multiples) as a common amount for television seasons? Apparently, they call it a 'season' because it's enough for a new episode each week for a quarter of a year. ^_^ So, 13 is the ep-count for a traditional season of a Saturday morning cartoon. Shows like Thundercats and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show were traditional as well. They were weekday shows, so their seasons were 13 sets of 5; in other words, 65. :D

Now, I know there are beyond enough examples of television seasons not following this traditional rule of 13 to make the idea seem a bit iffy. But, you can't deny that this makes more sense than some moronic TV exec who, once upon a time, confused seasons with years. ^_^

Peanut
09-03-2007, 04:14 AM
Great...so where does this thread go from here?

gobo
09-03-2007, 04:39 AM
To your mom's house maybe? :P j/k, cranky. Just thought I'd share my revelation with anyone who might have ever been driven mad by the supposed senselessness of the term. The rest of the thread can be 'ya mama' jokes for all I care.

Janus Prospero
09-03-2007, 01:46 PM
Well in the UK and Australia they sometimes call seasons "series" which is what we use to denote the entire show's run over here.

Swany
09-03-2007, 02:25 PM
To your mom's house maybe? :P j/k, cranky. Just thought I'd share my revelation with anyone who might have ever been driven mad by the supposed senselessness of the term. The rest of the thread can be 'ya mama' jokes for all I care.

Yo mama so fat that even Jabba the Hutt said "DAMNNNNNNNNNN!"

Seriosuly through, I just either called it season or series, I just thought that was the years worth.

Drtooth
09-03-2007, 05:48 PM
Well in the UK and Australia they sometimes call seasons "series" which is what we use to denote the entire show's run over here.

Which is equally confusing, since Series finale is ambiguously defined. Is it the end of the show, or just the end of the year's run?