In television programming, a limited-run series (or simply limited series) is a
program
Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program management, the process of managing several related projects
* Time management
* Program, a part of planning
Arts and entertainment Audio
* Progra ...
with an end date and limit to the number of episodes. For instance,
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
' definition specifies a "program with two or more episodes with a total running time of at least 150 program minutes that tells a complete, non-recurring story, and does not have an on-going storyline and/or main characters in subsequent seasons." Limited-run series are represented in the form of
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s in Latin America and
serials in the United Kingdom.
The shortest forms of limited-run series have two or three parts, usually described as "made-for-
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
" or
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
in the United States. Longer forms are often
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
or scripted dramas.
Parameters
Some limited series do not have main characters recurring between seasons or a storyline that spans seasons. Series with five episodes or fewer per season—such as the BBC/Masterpiece coproduction ''
Sherlock''—also are considered limited series due to their short run, even if main characters and story lines do migrate across seasons.
Series with a limited eight-to-twelve episode run are typically ordered to fill mid-season television network gaps.
Classification
Limited series have the potential to be renewed without a required number of episodes as a typical order per season. ''
Under the Dome'', ''
Killer Women
''Killer Women'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from January 7 to March 25, 2014. The series is based on the Argentine crime drama '' Mujeres Asesinas'', which was adapted into an American setting by writer Hannah ...
'', and ''
Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
* Luther (give ...
'' were originally marketed as limited series. Individual season-length stories of anthology series such as ''
American Horror Story
''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
'', ''
Fargo'', and ''
True Detective
''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...
'' are also described as "limited series", which the
Primetime Emmys
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
have changed to their
miniseries/limited series category to accommodate.
Actors may choose to take part in limited-run series because their set start and end dates make scheduling other projects easier.
History
In 2015, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences changed its guidelines on how Emmy nominees are classified, with shows with a limited run all referred to as "limited series" instead of "miniseries". This is a reversion back to 1974, when the category was named "outstanding limited series". It had been changed to "outstanding miniseries" in 1986 and then added to the "made for television films" category in 2011. Miniseries were brought back out in 2014, accommodating such limited series as HBO's ''
Olive Kitteridge
''Olive Kitteridge'' is a 2008 novel by American author Elizabeth Strout. The novel provides a portrait of the title character and a number of recurring characters in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine. It takes the form of 13 short stories that ...
'', History's ''
Texas Rising'', IFC's ''
The Honorable Woman'', and PBS' ''
Wolf Hall
''Wolf Hall'' is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, ''Wolf Hall'' is a symp ...
'', as well as TV movies such as HBO's ''
Bessie'' and National Geographic's ''
Killing Jesus''.
Development
United States
Short-term reality television like Bravo's ''
Eat, Drink, Love
''Eat, Drink, Love'' is an American reality television series on Bravo which premiered on August 11, 2013. The show did not return for a second season.
Premise
''Eat, Drink, Love'' chronicles the lives of five women in the same social circle, th ...
'', scripted dramas like Netflix's ''
Black Mirror
''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...
'', and individual seasons of
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
are examples of limited-run series that appear on American television networks.
Latin America
In the 1950s,
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s emerged as Latin limited series. These low-budget Spanish and Portuguese shows were modeled after American soap operas in style and form. The programs follow a story arc that ends at the end of a season, with the possibility of renewal for subsequent seasons.
United Kingdom
In
British television
Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...
, the term "serial" or simply "series" is used instead of "miniseries".
Like telenovelas, these programmes are stand-alone dramas, with a conclusion at the last episode of the series.
References
{{reflist
Television terminology