TTMB was one of the best shows on TV, ever. But why was it so short-lived (only 21 episodes across 3 series)? Given the great cast of characters, excellent acting, outstanding scripts, and the rich potential for much more plot development, why did it end so soon? Were there labor issues that brought it to an end, or other problems? Was this show's sudden end discussed contemporaneously?
shareFor exactly the same reason as "Fawlty Towers". Quality over Quantity.
Let Zygons Be Zygons.
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Absolute rubbish. The first reason is because most British series fail to sell very well. If you do your research, you'll notice that for years (50s, 60s) most British series ran between 26 to 39 episodes. Later, when the series began to sell poorly, the amount of episodes diminished.
The second reason is because, for some strange reason, British comedies are nearly always written by one writer. Brits are notoriously slow in doing most things, and writers have limits.
As to Fawlty Towers, the reason the series only has 12 episodes is because Cleese and Booth broke up. John made that very clear.
As to Fawlty Towers, the reason the series only has 12 episodes is because Cleese and Booth broke up. John made that very clear.Sorry but you are wrong. They had already split before they wrote the second series. Cleese many times has said that he refused to write any more because he wanted to end it before it became stale.
The irony is that Fawlty Towers had the potential to run for years and years. With a hotel as a setting you could bring in all kinds of characters and storylines. I'm happy they didn't go on and make a disappointing third series, but I'm pretty sure they could have made many more decent ones if they had wanted.
shareThe makers of many British shows were wise in limiting the number of episodes they made per series. US sitcoms usually have between 20-24 episodes per series, which I think is more to do with syndication than anything else. The quality was far more important than quantity to the makers of many British shows. They wanted to end shows on top instead of when the ratings dropped and storylines were recycled. This is why critics revere a lot of British sitcoms from the 1960s and the 1970s. They never dipped in quality. Steptoe and Son ran for eight series, but there are only 57 episodes in total. A few sitcoms did go on a bit too long - Are You Being Served? and On the Buses being two examples.
ROCK STARS HAVE KIDNAPPED MY SON
many successful British Tv series only have short runs. there were on,y 3 series of Porridge for example, and only 2 of Fawlty Towers. it depends on the writers.
shareA lot of British sitcoms are quite short lived. Three or four series is quite usual, there were only three series of Porridge for example, only four of The Good Life, four of Open all Hours, etc.
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