Eight-episode seasons are ruining TV. Bring back the 22-episode binge

August 6, 2026 — 7:29pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

When I talk about my teenage self, there are two pieces of personal lore I always feel inclined to share. The first is that iconic television series The O.C. shaped everything from my lifelong music taste to my penchant for mildly neurotic but charming brunette men. The second is that my mum made me go to bed at 8.30pm until I was 16. Every single night.

As many Millennials will remember, in Australia The O.C. aired on Network Ten every Tuesday night at (you can see where this is going) 8.30pm.

My unrelenting fear of anyone finding out I was often forced to go to bed before the sun went down was only ever eclipsed by one concern: outing myself as the single person in my friend group who hadn’t watched the latest episode of everyone’s favourite Californian teen drama.

Every Wednesday morning at school, I would corner whichever friend crossed my path first and – through a series of subtle questions – extract the episode synopsis. For the rest of the day, I’d pretend I had seen the episode, vaguely gossiping along while secretly counting down the hours until I could go home and watch it. A day late, recorded on VHS.

Not only was this a masterful act of deception for a teenage girl (the ultimate masters of deception), it was also one I........

© The Sydney Morning Herald