Once upon a time, long ago, before the dawn of streaming forever altering television consumption, there was something called the ad break. During commercial breaks, whatever show you’re watching–American Idol or Dancing with the stars, maybe – will suddenly pause and you will be subject to a few minutes of commercials. To make time for these ads, no show is longer than 40 to 45 minutes. We don’t know how good we had it back then.
It’s a scientific fact that the perfect length for an episode of a TV show is around 45 minutes, which is why reality TV is the dominant genre.
I famously stopped see Game of Thrones, a series that is acclaimed and loved around the world, around the third season because I see episodes that can be interrupted. While I usually enjoyed the beginning of the adjustment, I was rarely in the mood to watch a full hour of Lily Allen’s brother being tortured.
