Inventing Anna's episodes run anywhere from an hour to 82 minutes, while The Book of Boba Fett featured episodes that ranged from 39 to 61 minutes. "Freed from the need to fill a half-hour (actually, 21 minutes with commercials) or an hourlong (e.g., 44 minutes plus ads) time slot in linear TV, producers are allowing their shows to breathe — and let the story dictate how long or short an episode can be," says Michael Schneider. Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs says having longer episodes -- as opposed to the 21 minutes he was bound to on Comedy Central's Broad City -- “allows us to have room for stories that might have otherwise been really short. We actually get to explore certain things that we otherwise might not.” But Julie Plec, who's produced shows for networks (The Vampire Diaries and The Endgame) and streaming (Vampire Academy), says "I don’t necessarily think that streaming needs to be an open invitation to just tell the story as long as you want to. I don’t resent people who choose to then spend an hour and 20 minutes on an episode, as long as the episode itself feels like it’s strong in its intentions and it’s moving.”
TOPICS: Inventing Anna, Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, Peak TV, Prestige TV