Summary

• Max's new medical show, The Pitt, will have 15 episodes, above the average for streaming series.
• Most streaming shows contain a maximum of 10 episodes per season, which has been a source of contention for many consumers who want longer seasons.
• The success of The Pitt could lead to more streaming platforms increasing their episode counts.

Max announced that a new medical show — The Pitt — is in the works, and one of its characteristics confirms that Max is finally listening to one of the most recurring concerns regarding streaming and is separating itself from other platforms. According to ER together — Wyle played John Carter, Wells was the first showrunner of the series, and Gemmill executive produced it.

The official logline for the the medical drama television show, but a release date is unknown as they still have to cast and film the series.

Max's New Medical TV Show Is Finally Addressing Streaming's Episode Count Complaints

The Pitt season 1 will contain 15 episodes

According to Max's released statement regarding The Pitt, the medical drama will contain 15 episodes, which, in today's world, is a lot of episodes for a streaming television show. On average, most series that debut on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, Max, Peacock, and so on get a maximum of 10 episodes per season. It is quite rare for any streaming show to receive an episode order of more than 10, which has been a source of frustration for many consumers, but The Pitt has a "network level" episode count.

It's much easier for streaming services to give procedural television shows, like The Pitt, higher episode counts because they cost much less to produce than other big-budget series, like Stranger Things, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon.

Before streaming became the dominant form in which to consume content (including shows and movies), network television reigned supreme. The majority of series on networks like CBS, NBC, ABC, The CW, and Fox had around 22-episode seasons, which is just the way many television lovers liked it. However, the switch to streaming has lessened shows' average episode count, disappointing many who were used to long seasons, bottle episodes, and prolonged and complex storylines. Now, series contain around eight to 10 episodes per season, which all drop at once, but The Pitt is turning the tide for streaming medical dramas.

The Pitt's Episode Count Is A Step In The Right Direction (But More Is Needed)

Procedural series typically have more episodes than other shows

The episode count for season 1 of The Pitt is undoubtedly an exciting development for those who have been wishing for longer seasons for streaming shows. However, while it is a step in the right direction, much more change still needs to happen for television to return to its former glory. It's much easier for streaming services to give procedural television shows, like The Pitt, higher episode counts because they cost much less to produce than other big-budget series, like Stranger Things, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon. Consequently, procedurals tend to have more episodes per season.

Procedural series also typically perform better than other shows airing on network television, which is why NBC has invested so much in the One Chicago franchise and CBS continues producing series like NCIS, FBI, Fire Country, etc. Additionally, various network television shows greatly succeed when added to different streaming services. For example, Suits dominated Netflix four years after it ended, resulting in NBC ordering a spinoff — Suits: L.A.

If The Pitt manages to succeed once it premieres on Max, its potential achievements might persuade Max and other streaming platforms to increase episode counts for their original series going forward.

It's more risky for platforms like Netflix to order 22-episode seasons of genre series, especially for their first seasons. However, that's a risk they must be willing to take because television isn't the same as it used to be, and that's not a compliment. Longer seasons are inherently better than seasons one can binge in a night, as they allow room for more character development, complex storytelling, and fun episodes that have nothing to do with the overall plot (e.g., bottle episodes).

Why Streaming Shows Have So Few Episodes Compared To Network Series

Streaming series are notorious for having minimal episode counts

Television show's seasons are much shorter than they used to be for many reasons. As mentioned above, it costs less to produce an eight-episode season versus a 22-episode season, especially for series like Stranger Things and Loki. At the end of the day, money is a significant factor for all streaming services, so it would be difficult to convince Netflix, Disney+, and co. to start ordering network-level episode counts for their shows, especially because syndication is no longer a factor.

Networks used to order 20-plus episode seasons for their television shows because, oftentimes, once a series got to 100 episodes, it would qualify for syndication. Syndication was a major source of income for production companies, so it made sense for seasons to contain around 22 episodes so that they would meet the 100-episode threshold faster. However, streaming services don't have to worry about syndication, meaning they aren't obliged to give their shows large episode counts.

ER averaged around 22 episodes per season during its 15-year run on NBC.

Streaming platforms also like to emphasize that their original television series are binge-able since their seasons mostly contain around eight to 10 episodes and are released all at once. It would be much more difficult for the average subscriber to binge shows if they had 22 episode counts (and harder to drop 20-plus episode seasons since they would take longer to film). As a result, streaming series tend to have significantly fewer episodes than network shows, which has been a source of contention for many. But perhaps The Pitt can turn things around regarding this new normal.

How The Pitt Could Change Streamers' Approach To Episode Counts In The Future

The Pitt could influence other streaming services to up episode counts

If The Pitt manages to succeed once it premieres on Max, its potential achievements might persuade Max and other streaming platforms to increase episode counts for their original series going forward. Before The Pitt, most production companies had been unwilling to experiment with greater episode counts. It was much safer to stick to a maximum of 10 episodes, just in case a show failed. However, if The Pitt is a triumph, perhaps more streamers will try out longer seasons for their original series (even though they would probably only do so with similar procedural projects).

Aside from ER, Noah Wyle is known for his roles in The Librarian franchise, Falling Skies, and Leverage: Redemption.

Source: Variety