As a television critic, or even as someone who consumes a lot of television content during the Peak TV era, there is one thing that many of us absolutely loathe. When I opened by my HBO streaming account last week to turn on their new series Gentleman Jack, for instance, the first thing I looked at was the runtime: 59 minutes and 58 seconds. I started the first episode on a Tuesday. Days later, and I still hadn’t finished. Moreover, last weekend, as I was trying to decide which new streaming series to watch first — the second season of YouTube’s Cobra Kai or the first season of Netflix’s Chambers — and I made the decision not based on which series I was most excited to see, but which series had the shortest runtime. It wasn’t even close. I started at 11 p.m., and was through the first five episodes of Cobra Kai in a little more than five hours.
Series with short episodes are the best. As a viewer, we get all the satisfaction of finishing an entire season of television in a fraction of the time. It was why I was so bummed that Netflix cancelled both One Day at a Time (13 half-hour episodes) and Santa Clarita Diet (ten half hour episodes) — they were seasons I could finish in a night or two. Meanwhile, Orange is the New Black (12 one-hour episodes) will run for seven seasons interminable seasons.
It’s part of what is so refreshing about Netflix’s Black Summer, especially relative to nine seasons of The Walking Dead (9 seasons, 16 one-hour episodes each season): It’s fast-paced, intense and short. There are only 8 half-hour episodes, meaning the entire first season of Black Summer clocks in at under four hours. That’s an entire season of television that only takes an hour longer to watch than Avengers: Endgame. It’s brisk, not to mention bloody, action-packed, and bleak.
While critics usually won’t tout it in their reviews, viewers definitely are singling out the brief runtime as an additional reason to watch Netflix’s Black Summer.
Just breezed through #blacksummer on @NetflixUK – highly recommend zombie show, easily digestible in 8 short 30/40 min episodes- low on dialogue and backstory, high on scares and realistic human actions within this world 🧟♂️
— xedx (@xedx_xander) April 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/Goddesss__/status/1117578620644544512
Finished watching #BlackSummer on @NetflixUK and found it pretty entertaining. Not a big fan of the 'Z Nation' universe, but this short and sweet series felt just right for me. Worth a look!👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/2lHp5DOQdp
— Woo Long Talks (@WooLongTalks) April 19, 2019
Crushed #BlackSummer on #Netflix. I liked it. A zombie flick that isn't too gruesome and plays with society post… Society..
I recommend if you like zombies. Short episodes.
— Lawrence Kao (@Mr_Ektion) April 13, 2019
Last thoughts on #BlackSummer:
-easy watch—short episodes that get better as the season progresses
-In S2, I’d like to see the apocalypse from different characters’ POV (through flashbacks) while still being centered on S1 characters & their next steps
-It’s good! Watch it!— Fletch (@FletchSaidThat) April 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/Whisky_Jean/status/1119328835416145920
https://twitter.com/SimonPkcjones/status/1119679402839818240
https://twitter.com/floridensis/status/1118330270459936768
LOVED this all too short, super intense series. I wish Walking Dead was more like this. #BlackSummer https://t.co/9x3GlMMzJd
— KYᄂΣ ΉΣBΣЯƬ (@kylehebert) April 22, 2019
The short runtime is certainly not the reason, but it’s definitely one of the reasons to check out Black Summer. And the nice thing about it is, it’s so short that by the time viewers get fully invested, the season is already half over.
