The counter to this is why not let the artists cook (hehe) unconstrained from somewhat arbitrary episode lengths. Those lengths were originally created to make a nice cookie cutter TV schedule. HBO used to actually brag about not being confined to set blocks of time and giving shows like the Sopranos the option of running long or short if they needed to.

So in the days of streaming, why does that matter?

Why add 10 minutes of filler to an episode that doesn’t need it? Or cut important plot points that might not work well in different context because you’re at 34 minutes already?

Why not give a show room to grow and evolve (Ted Lasso is a great example)? And The Bear certainly fits this mold.

As for Stranger Things, those are basically just three movies, not your traditional episodes.

Perhaps. Looks like both CNN and NBC News have “stories” on their front pages as well.

Gotta love some hard hitting coverage by Engadget, followed immediately by “Best Amazon Prime Day 2025 deals.”