ABC’s ‘Revenge’ season 3 spoilers: A different method to the madness
If you put yourself back in a February / March frame of mind, you will probably remember there being one thing when it came to both “Once Upon a Time” and “Revenge“: A mountain of complaints. People were ready to turn into Emily Thorne on the network for their bizarre plan to air new episodes almost every other week, which confused casual viewers and lowered viewing figures considerably. This marked, at the end of the day, the second straight year that ABC has bungled this.
Perhaps fans should thank the Winter Olympics this time around for getting executives to change their minds. At the upfront presentation today, network programming head Paul Lee confirmed that both of these shows along with “Scandal,” which also has a heavily serialized format, will air their seasons in batches of 12 episodes, rather than just throughout the air. The hiatus time at mid-season will be where a limited series will run, hopefully to decent ratings while fans sit around and wait.
In theory, this seems like a pretty super-smart idea in order for fans to know when exactly their favorite shows come back. At the same time, it’s a super-risky one. What if, say, a “Revenge” fan gets hooked on “The Good Wife” during the hiatus and doesn’t come back? There is also the other issue of working these writers, producers, and actors to the bone. 24 episodes is a huge commitment for an hour-long show, especially one that is not procedural in any way. For “Once Upon a Time,” it may be easier given that there are so many different characters that can be focused on.
“Revenge” fans should overall love this move just as much as they were heartbroken by the finale. There will be no hiatuses from week to week, or times when it and “Once Upon a Time” are not all-new at the same time.
If you did miss out for whatever reason on the full schedule that ABC is putting out for the new year, check it out here. There’s really quite a bit to be excited about.
Photo: ABC