Specials and episodes ordered

dpratt wrote 6 years ago: 1

Say a press release publishes that a show has ordered 10 episodes. But some of those episodes are promoted as specials. (They're regular episodes in every way, but maybe they celebrate Halloween or they're longer than a normal episode and so they're called specials. But production-wise they're just like the rest of the season.)

1) Should I subtract these specials from the episodes ordered? If I don't subtract them then it will think the season has not finished running when indeed it has.

2) Should I just list them as regular episodes? As I said they're regular episodes in all ways but the fact that they celebrate a holiday or they're longer than usual.

3) Just keep 10 as the episodes ordered for the season even though some of those episodes are listed as specials and having 10 there means that the season is still listed as running, when it should say returning.

Another reason the press's episode ordered number might not match is because an episode that is longer than usual will often count as multiple episodes.

tnt wrote 6 years ago: 1

IMO: the "true" special episodes are never included it the season order. In most of the cases special episodes are made of regular+BTS footage from the current season. In cases like Doctor Who or Downtown Abbey special episodes are excluded from season order, and new seasons promoted like 10x60' + 1x90'. So if the press release says 10 episodes – it means the season consist of 10 episodes, so it's option 2 in your post.

However, I don't think that all networks are treating episoded in the same way, and there never will be some universal solution. So the best strategy would be to review it case by case :)

Aidan wrote 6 years ago: 1

I'd go with option 3, list the number of episodes ordered, regardless if they're regular or special episodes.

dpratt wrote 6 years ago: 1

tnt wrote:
However, I don't think that all networks are treating episoded in the same way, and there never will be some universal solution. So the best strategy would be to review it case by case :)

I ran into a situation like this over a year ago with Good Witch. Every season they order 12 episodes and that's the number published in press releases, but two of the episodes are aired as a single "Halloween special" that airs in October instead of the spring with the rest of the season. Despite my protests everyone insisted that the Halloween special should be listed as a special even though it was a regular episode in every way (except for the length and the fact that it aired in October.) Another thing Hallmark Channel did was promote the Halloween Special as the "Season premiere of Season 2" which I thought was proof that it shouldn't be listed as a special but I still got overruled. They went with option 1 and put 10 episodes as the number ordered even though the press releases said 12.

But that isn't why I made this topic. I just wanted to agree with you that I see what you mean when you say it has to be reviewed case by case. But even then, I don't think the right answer is always obvious.

My solution would be to never list anything as a special that when in doubt isn't a special. But there is a lot of resistance on that front.

Aidan wrote 6 years ago: 1

I'm having a icky one myself with The Grand Tour, where Amazon ordered 12 episodes, but because the presenters kept getting injured the final episode got postponed 4-5 months (still no hard date set), and to really make it interesting it's a special, that'll most likely get split into 2 parts

tnt wrote 6 years ago: 1

dpratt wrote:
But that isn't why I made this topic. I just wanted to agree with you that I see what you mean when you say it has to be reviewed case by case. But even then, I don't think the right answer is always obvious.

I'm afraid that in some cases there's no "right answer." Just something that we agree on :)