How Limited Series Took over TV

The limited series, or once called the miniseries, used to be a format that sat on the sidelines of pop culture but in recent years, it has become central to popular television. Consisting of a predetermined run length and end date, the limited series manages to capture the beginning, middle and end of a story in one eight to ten-episode swoop. Their popularity has continued to grow over the last few years, with some of the biggest shows on television now only having a single season run. They most often appear as higher-budget, more prestigious projects, drawing in more established actors, writers, and directors. The number of stories being formatted into television instead of what would have once been a 2-hour feature length film is still on the rise, giving television another chance to shine.

The number of limited series has skyrocketed in order to meet the demand and has therefore produced some of the most watched television in years. That’s not to say the format is in any terms new to screens, with the first mini-series seen all the way back in the 1950’s on the BBC. In 1974, The Emmy’s introduced a category, ‘Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series’, to celebrate the rising success of the format. The category has since been renamed and redefined to accommodate the changing style of the limited series, with its current incarnation called simply, ‘Outstanding Limited Series’, with the requirements being limited series that are 2 or more episodes with total running time of at least 150 minutes.

The pandemic also helped boost the limited series into popularity due to the rise in binge-watching habits. With little to do over lockdowns, many viewers changed watching habits becoming more likely to binge a season in its entirety. This fit the 8-10 episode format to a tee. Finishing in total run time longer than a film but not requiring any near as much commitment as a 7-season show and limited series meant people could consume a whole story over the course of a single weekend. This combined with the accessibility of streaming platforms such as Netflix or Disney+ equalled nothing short of the perfect format. It made watching a whole show achievable, it created buzz, and people want to be a part of something.

From an industry perspective, limited series became more desirable due to the effects of the pandemic on the box office. Making it harder to produce a successful blockbuster due to budget restriction or accessibility, a limited series fit the gap left in the market perfectly. The expanded screen time was a draw to actors; the same roles but with more space to explore character and really sink their teeth into.

The new outlook on limited series therefore changed in recent years. The increased popularity meant both television networks and streaming services began producing higher budget, bigger named and better promoted shows, the battle for best recent limited series began and doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. In previous years, most miniseries’ plotlines were based on books due to the ease of adaptation and then the trend of historical events fictionalised began to emerge. In the past couple of years, however, there is now a limited series in every genre imaginable; from historical, documentary, superhero to the classic novel adaptation, there’s one for every style of viewer. The continual popularity means we are seeing new limited series everywhere, with streaming services now selfproducing some of the most popular to hit the small screen.

Some of the most popular that were seen in 2022 alone include true crime thriller Under the Banner of Heaven with Andrew Garfield in the lead role, showing a grittier, darker side of his range. A new season in an anthology series, fitting cleverly into the limited series category, was the ever-popular White Lotus which set the entire internet talking. Playing with the idea of how we consume true stories in an oversensationalised format, there was The Dropout and Pam and Tommy, showing how the limited series is a format not restricted by genre. Disney also contributed to the year’s wide variety, with Moon Knight and Obi-wan Kenobi being some of the year’s top watched shows.

Undoubtedly, the limited series is not slowing down in popularity anytime soon with some of this year’s most anticipated shows joining the race for most-watched show. Allowing viewers to be completely engaged in a story while fitting around busy lifestyles, limited series will undeniably be dominating screens for a long time to come.

Words: Mihaela Denkovska