Shorter TV Episodes Are Becoming a Smarter Trend

One of the chief criticisms of contemporary television is that it has pushed toward cinema, with episodes that often run feature-length. By contrast, 30-minute episodes have stood out lately: Wonder Man and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have earned some of the best reviews their networks have seen.

Both series are narrowly focused and center on two-sided relationships. Wonder Man follows Simon Williams as he is taken under the wing of Trevor Slattery, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tracks the budding friendship between Sir Duncan the Tall and a young Aegon Targaryen who has kept his identity secret.

The shorter runtime has allowed each show to be more experimental and tell a well-rounded story without chasing epic scope. Shorter episodes also let Wonder Man avoid rehashing the broader MCU and quickly establish its take on Hollywood—the homage to Midnight Cowboy and a movie theater scene show Trevor has moved on from his past.

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