The TV Column

Modern TV scheduling stumps some viewers

Better Call Saul, starring Jonathan Banks (left) and Bob Odenkirk, returns to AMC next year, probably in February.
Better Call Saul, starring Jonathan Banks (left) and Bob Odenkirk, returns to AMC next year, probably in February.

I fear a longtime reader from Little Rock is not alone in her concern and confusion. Here's her email.

"Thanks for the list of shows starting the new TV season, but I did not see mentioned Better Call Saul on AMC. Not in the coming months or in the future."

First of all, my fall preview that ran on Sept. 20 did not have room for even the midseason shows, let alone those that have no return date yet.

When I emailed back that AMC says Saul will return "sometime in 2016," she answered, "Thank you. I just don't see any smartness in having such a long time between seasons. It is the newest dumb thing."

Breaks between seasons is the source of her confusion.

Those of us old enough to remember the simple days of fall premieres and summer reruns sometimes forget that the TV industry's business model has changed over the past decade. Saul is a good example of a typical cable show.

As with many cable programs, Season 1 of Better Call Saul had only 10 episodes and ran from Feb. 8 to April 6. Season 2 will have 13 episodes and more than likely will debut in February. It is not uncommon for cable series to have that length of time between seasons.

Example: The 16 episodes of The Walking Dead Season 5 premiered on Oct. 12, 2014, and ran until March 29. Season 6 debuts Oct. 11, -- 28 weeks between new episodes.

AMC sought to assuage rabid fans with six episodes of the semi-prequel spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, that debuted Aug. 23 and will end Sunday. Season 2 will have 15 episodes.

With more episodes (typically 22), broadcast network shows can space themselves out a bit more, but there are still about four months between seasons. And that's not counting the six-week breaks they take to allow midseason tryouts a chance to impress us.

Reruns are increasingly rare in the DVR age of serialized drama because they do poorly in the ratings.

Another change because of fewer reruns is that a number of series are being aired straight through in the fall or the spring with no breaks at all. In those cases, it could approach six or seven months between new episodes.

My reader may not see the "smartness" of so much time between seasons, but it's all a matter of economics. With an increasingly fragmented TV audience, networks and cable outfits must save money where they can.

Still, it could be worse. How many of us recall the fan frustration due to the unprecedented delay (June 6, 2004-March 12, 2006) between The Sopranos' seasons 5 and 6?

All that said, here are a few forthcoming cable dates that will hopefully ease some worries.

Sunday: Homeland, 8 p.m. Showtime. Season 5 springs forward two years and Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is out of the CIA. More on this in Sunday's TV Column.

The Leftovers, 8 p.m. HBO. Season 2. The undeparted flock to east Texas.

The Affair, 9 p.m. Showtime. Season 2 adds the points of view of the cheated-upon ex-spouses.

Tuesday: Finding Carter, 9 p.m. MTV. Season 2 for the teen drama. Kathryn Prescott stars as the girl who discovers her mother abducted her at age 3.

Wednesday: American Horror Story: Hotel, 9 p.m. FX. Lady Gaga heads the next season of the anthology series. More in Tuesday's column.

Oct. 8: Haven, 9 p.m. Syfy. It's the second half (13 episodes) of the fifth season. After this, it's cancelled.

Oct. 10: The Last Kingdom, 9 p.m. BBC America. It's the ninth century and time to forge the country of England. Alexander Dreymon and Rutger Hauer head the cast.

Oct. 12: Fargo, 9 p.m. FX. It's back in time to 1979 for the crime anthology. On board are Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Jeffrey Donovan and Brad Garrett.

Oct. 13: Manhattan, 8 p.m. WGN. Things go boom in Season 2.

Oct. 16: The Knick, 9 p.m. Cinemax. Clive Owen is back for Season 2 of the gritty vintage hospital drama.

Oct. 31: Ash vs. Evil Dead, 8 p.m. Starz. Cult hero Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice) reprises his Evil Dead character in a half-hour series. Bonus: Lucy Lawless is in the cast.

Nov. 2: Major Crimes, 8 p.m. TNT. Part 2 of Season 4 finally arrives.

Nov. 12: Project Runway Junior, 8 p.m., Lifetime. Tim Gunn "makes it work" for designers ages 14-17.

Nov. 15: Into the Badlands, 9 p.m. AMC. A martial arts warrior (Daniel Wu) and a boy venture forth seeking enlightenment in an age of land barons in this fantasy that mixes several genres.

Returning shows. Back in the lineup today are Bones (7 p.m., Fox), The Blacklist (8 p.m., NBC) and Sleepy Hollow (9 p.m., Fox).

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 10/01/2015

Upcoming Events