What is a limited series?

Over the past decade or so, limited series have become one of the most prestigious and highly regarded forms of entertainment. Shows like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Chernobyl” and “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” helped establish this limited series as a dominant force in Hollywood, and its accompanying category at the Primetime Emmy Awards was one of them . One of the most competitive over the past few years. Popular series like “I May Destroy You,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Unorthodox” and “Ripley” — all of which would have likely been winners in previous years — have recently lost out on well-deserved nominations.

But what exactly? He is Limited series? Current official rules of Academy of Television Arts and Sciences It states that for a show to be eligible for any awards in the limited series categories, it must contain “two (2) or more episodes with a total running time of at least 150 program minutes that tell a complete, non-repetitive story.” Additionally, “the story must be completely resolved during its season, with no continuing story and/or main characters in subsequent seasons.”

these days, Emmy Awards Limited series categories also include anthology series, which are defined as any show containing two or more episodes that “tells a complete, non-repetitive story in each episode, and does not have a continuing story and/or major characters in subsequent episodes,” although “ The program may be thematically linked across all episodes.” However, since the category was expanded to include anthology series in 2021, none were nominated. So, how did limited series become so popular, and how do they differ from miniseries?

Honestly, a limited series is just a new name for a miniseries. However, given how television has changed over time, there are some key technical differences between the two, and the corresponding categories at the Emmy Awards have changed several times to accommodate today’s trends.

Given the term’s recent buzz, you may be surprised to learn that the Emmy category was called “Outstanding Limited Series” decades ago — an evolution from its previous title, “Outstanding Drama or Comedy with Limited Episodes.” The award did not receive the “miniseries” title until 1986, although it was changed again to “limited series” in 2015.

Why all this back and forth? Mainly because studio executives decided that “miniseries” lost its luster somewhere in the 2000s. The popularity of the format declined significantly towards the end of the decade, as there were only two Emmy nominees each year in 2009 and 2010. There was also the issue of classification. Typically classified as miniseries at the time, this category was mostly associated with British dramas or high-concept cinematic events such as “Band of Brothers”.

Outside of those genres, the form has been associated for some time with trope-laden melodramas. Talk to Hollywood Reporter In 2014, then-CW president Mark Pedowitz said he believed the word “miniseries” was tainted by these types of shows, hence the shift to “limited series.” That same year, there was an extravagant, star-studded parody series, The Spoils of Babylon, which was specifically designed to mock What became the miniseries In the eyes of the public.

While “limited series” and “event series” are marketing terms like anything else, the rating from the Television Academy specifies that they must contain stand-alone stories that don’t leak into future installments. But that doesn’t mean that all limited series end after just one season. “American Horror Story,” which is credited with reviving the genre during its dark days in 2011, has been going for more than a decade. In every season of “American Horror Story.” Brings a new set of characters, settings and story. Shows like “Fargo” follow the same model and have had similar success.

While the norm is still that most limited series end after one season, it is becoming more and more common to extend them in various ways if they find success. For example, Netflix’s “Beef,” which was considered a limited series by the Emmys, will get another season with a new cast. Ultimately, shows that find audiences and do well will always have the potential to be renewed, regardless of what was initially conceived. One of the other reasons the “limited series” moniker has become more popular than “miniseries” is that it leaves things a little more open to that possibility if the show continues.

As explained above, the main difference between a limited series and a traditional television series is that the former must wrap up all of its events at the end of one season. This can lead to some other common differences in production style that are not always common across the board, but are more likely in the case of limited series.

For example, in the case of “Ripley” on Netflix, Each episode is written and directed by the same person – acclaimed director Steven Zaillian. The same goes for “The Queen’s Gambit,” which was entirely written and directed by Scott Frank. Typically, you wouldn’t see this kind of singular creative focus on a traditional series, which might involve a larger writers’ room and a team of creatives to split up the work.

However, although Emmy’s rules are fairly strict, the limited series has held her back. While “American Horror Story” doesn’t have any big lingering stories between seasons, some characters from the prequels return to the fold from time to time, connecting the disparate seasons. These kinds of creative decisions make the whole split a bit of a gray area, but that hasn’t stopped the limited series from becoming a prestigious franchise over the past several years.