Gizmo

What network really wants 13 episode Seasons? The whole point for syndication is to hit 88 episodes which is 4 full seasons. Go the 13 episode route it'll take 7 Seasons. Really can't blame ABC for this. Plus the long wait between Seasons will kill the momentum.

Even Shonda whatever gave in for a full season of Scandal when she wanted 13 episode Seasons.

JuryDuty

No network wants 13 episode seasons because of this, but I totally get what Kelley is saying. It's VERY difficult on a show like Revenge to plan for and plot a season of 22 episodes vs 13. Creatively it kills the show, as you have to come up with a bunch of filler just to keep up the momentum of twists and turns every week (that's part of the show's formula) and make it to the end.

We've seen that happen time and again on shows like 24, Battlestar Galactica (after season 1), etc. Compare that to some of the shows from England that don't have that requirement (such as The Office), which have a greater chance at being "perfect" because the creators write only what tells the story (in that case 6-episode seasons). It's much tighter.

I wish they would give Revenge a 13-episode order. It's gone crazy and that's partly because they have to fill it with something, but the "something" dilutes the strength of the show.

Gizmo

So he could do "two" Seasons in one Season. I've read that's what Rhonda did with Scandal. 13 episode "Season". The "back nine" is another Season with a new storyline.

It's possible. Mike just doesn't want to do it. With ratings in a downturn this show will probably only last two it's fourth Seasons anyway. Let it get to syndication numbers.

conscience

I think it's just lack of imagination. A show like Dallas back then put out up to 30 episodes a season and was very strong creatively for eight seasons (a few random seasons after that are very good as well).

The problem with this show and many others put out today is that the writers shoot themselves in the foot because they base their plot line around one major storyline and can't keep it up.

JuryDuty

This hit the nail on the head. Yes, they could treat one season as two, but the problem is they've got too narrow a scope for the main plot and thus write themselves into corners they can't escape. That's why I think a 13-episode season with plenty of breathing space between to do creative new direction is needed for a series like this. And they probably need to take strong new directions each season rather than revolving around 8 main characters.

To contrast, consider The Arrow, which is basically the same plot. The Arrow gets a list of names in episode 1 that he plans to take revenge on one-by-one. The difference is this: By the sixth episode, they introduce his partner who opens his eyes to seeing that he should also help other people who need revenge. So now the writers can base 1/4 of the season on the major storyline (The Arrow's revenge plot) and the other 3/4 on the minor storylines (one-off shows dedicated to him helping others).

Revenge would be better with this sort of device, at least in terms of longevity, if they are going to keep ordering so many episodes.

MikahC

Dallas would have had far more strong writers available to them as there weren't 200 different TV shows running concurrently diluting the pool, and relatively speaking, people were getting paid less there was more money coming in, as ratings were higher.