Sophomore Contraction: Why So Many Popular Streaming Series Produced Fewer Episodes In Season 2

deadline.com:

When Netflix’s The Diplomat returned for a second season in October, a year and a half after the release of its breakout first season, fans’ excitement was mixed with some disappointment as Season 2 consisted of just 6 episodes, down from 8 in Season 1 and a season length typically associated with British series and rarely seen in American ones.

The Diplomat is not alone. A number of popular series which released their second season over the past few months — or are set to do so in January — are coming back with fewer episodes.

Like The Diplomat, fellow Netflix drama The Recruit‘s upcoming second season includes just 6 episodes, down from 8 in season 1.

The upcoming second season of Netflix’s comedy XO, Kitty has 8 episodes, down from 10 in Season 1. The trend is not limited to Netflix.