When Supernatural Season 14 was announced with just 20 episodes, instead of the usual 23, fans were quickly worried that the beloved show was winding down. In recent years, the trend of shorter TV seasons has gained traction, with many shows opting for fewer episodes. While these decisions were made for different reasons, the result couldn’t have been more different.
For Supernatural, a shortened season seemed like a logical choice to give the show more focus and its stars a better work-life balance. But for Game of Thrones, trimming the episode count led to a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion that disappointed a huge fanbase.
Season 14 of Supernatural‘s shorter season wasn’t driven by the network but by the stars themselves
Supernatural season 14 series’ 20 episodes instead of the usual 22-23 were made at the request of the show’s stars, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Both actors, having spent over a decade on the series, wanted more time with their families, especially as their personal lives grew more demanding. In a 2018 interview with TV Line‘s San Diego Comic-Con, Ackles stated,
We both have families; it’s more about how we can make our work-life balance a little better. And shaving a couple of episodes off gives us almost an extra month out of our year, which, when you only get about a two-and-a-half-month hiatus, it goes by really quickly.
Showrunner Andrew Debb shared in the Digital Spy interview, noting that fewer episodes would lead to more concentrated and intense storytelling. The writing team also hoped the shorter season would allow for a more close-knit plot. With fewer episodes to stretch the story across, the team planned to avoid fillers and kept the lot focused.
Supernatural and Game of Thrones followed the same strategy, but Game of Thrones fell short of success
In a similar vein, Game of Thrones Season 8, which aired with just six episodes, left many fans disappointed by its rushed pacing and underdeveloped character arcs.
The decision to conclude the series with fewer episodes was largely driven by the show’s creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who wanted to move on to new projects. George R.R. Martin, the author behind the series, publicly expressed that he had enough material for several more seasons.
However, Benioff and Weiss were determined to wrap up the show in as few episodes as possible. Martin even admitted to a Variety interview that while he would have preferred a longer series, the decision ultimately rested with the creators.
“We could have gone to 11, 12, 13 seasons, but I guess they wanted a life,” he said, adding that the creators had been firm on their desire to end the series at eight seasons. Despite his initial reluctance, Martin didn’t have much influence on the final decision, as the showrunners were already moving forward with their vision.
Both Supernatural and Game of Thrones ultimately chose shorter seasons to allow for more creative control, personal time, and tighter narratives. But in both cases, the shorter formats were the act of balance between fan expectations and the well-being of the creative minds behind these iconic shows.
Supernatural is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
