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.

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?

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobo

To your mom's house maybe?

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janus Prospero

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?

09-03-2007, 04:00 AM	#1
gobo Wacky Action Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: on Earth Posts: 12,784	The Meaning Behind a TV 'season' 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. 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. ^_^ __________________ Live and let live... or go to hell.

09-03-2007, 04:39 AM	#3
gobo Wacky Action Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: on Earth Posts: 12,784	To your mom's house maybe? 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. __________________ Live and let live... or go to hell.

09-03-2007, 01:46 PM	#4
Janus Prospero Hench Mutant Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 477	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. __________________ Last edited by Janus Prospero; 09-03-2007 at 01:53 PM.

09-03-2007, 04:14 AM	#2
Peanut Second Gear Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The New World Posts: 15,422	Great...so where does this thread go from here?