According to and article over at TV Guide.com, fans of NBC’s Heroes can expect to see their favorite characters a little less frequently next season. In the article, which cites a report from AD Age, TV Guide says NBC is cutting the number of episodes it is ordering for the show’s fourth season from 25, which it had during the current season, down to 18 or 20.
The reasons given for the reduction in the number of episodes range from budget considerations to the show’s somewhat lackluster ratings of late. Also a factor is NBC having fewer hours of primetime programming space available due to Jay Leno’s new show, which will air weeknights at 10pm next season.
This reduction also seems to be part of a trend which is affecting other networks as well. For example, ABC’s Lost has seen its number of episodes reduced to 16 or 17 in recent seasons while CBS’s Harper’s Island has only 13 episodes. Or, it could just be an excuse the networks are using to and cut costs during tough economic times?
No matter the reasons, fans of Heroes, Lost and other expensive, ensamble shows can probably expect this trend to continue. Who knows, maybe one day soon the era of the large ensamble drama will be over for good and we’ll be stuck watching ridiculous reality shows and hours of American Idol every night? Those would be dark times indeed.
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