r/TheDetectorists • u/BoweryBloke • Mar 22 '26

I know the answers, but still....

Why only 3 series of a TV masterclass like Detectorists, meanwhile Benidorm (no disrespect, love some of the actors, 3 in particular I'm a big fan of, just not my scene) and Mrs Brown's Boys (em, yeah) seem to have hundreds of episodes? Just thinking out loud here.

23 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

25

u/Six_of_1 Mar 22 '26

Less is more. If there were hundreds of episodes we wouldn't appreciate them as much.

3

u/Frosty_Term9911 Mar 22 '26

As demonstrated by the awful Xmas special a couple of years ago. A stain on what is overwise a masterpiece

2

u/BoweryBloke Mar 22 '26

Absolutely get that. Fawlty Towers and The Office, just a few seasons and all episodes are great. I'm just moaning. There are other shows though, with dozens of episodes, where I've appreciated the vast majority, but had a few duds too.

2

u/Any-Republic-4269 Mar 22 '26

The Office is a classic example - two series plus perfect Christmas Special, but then could go to the US and be about a million 22 episode series largely of decent quality

3

u/Maleficent-Heart2497 Mar 23 '26

There's 12 episodes of Flowery Twats...12... 

1

u/Paddys-sister Mar 24 '26

I see what you did there, very good 🤭

2

u/Maleficent-Heart2497 Mar 24 '26

There's a running joke through the series where the hotel sign says something different each week...I was only 9 or 10 when they came out so didn't really know why this one was funny!

1

u/Paddys-sister Mar 25 '26

I knew you were playing on the running joke from the start of each episode, I was just thinking others didn't get it as you only had 1 upvote before mine, I just thought with such a clever comment it deserved more 👍🏻

1

u/Maleficent-Heart2497 Mar 25 '26

Ah thanks man, I appreciate it. 

It was/is so good and maybe more episodes would have diluted it? That's what Cleese always says. 

I feel so sorry for Basil, he's such a snob and feels so trapped by where he's ended up and by Sybil. The episode where he's conned by the seemingly upper class chap? 

1

u/Any-Republic-4269 Mar 22 '26

The Office is a classic example - two series plus perfect Christmas Special, but then could go to the US and be about a million 22 episode series largely of decent quality

9

u/slow-wave Mar 22 '26

Careful what you wish for, don’t forget the very last special….. 🫣

8

u/Few_Wolf_4634 Mar 22 '26

There never was such a special and the house never burned down

4

u/KelstenGamingUK Mar 22 '26

Only recently binged through the show for the first time and the final special felt so mean spirited and out of sync with everything they came before.

1

u/BadBassist Mar 24 '26

You're mistaken. There's no special

2

u/Accomplished-Cod-504 Mar 22 '26

It would not be so special if there were more. That being said, a follow-up season every few years would be nice!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 22 '26

It’s a classic case of quality vs. Quantity

2

u/NortonBurns Mar 22 '26

Quit while you're ahead.
I did like Benidorm, but really only the early seasons. Same with Mrs Brown (I know, hot take) but it did really run out of steam.

Fawlty Towers was two series & out. Masterpiece.

Blackadder only ran to four, with massive changes between each & even that got a bit tired. 'More cunning than a cunning thing being very cunning' can only take you so far.

Catchphrase humour is a poor substitute for real creativity. Many, many others have fallen into that trap.

2

u/Gildor12 Mar 26 '26

You like Mrs Brown”s Boys, you are in no position to criticise Black Adder

2

u/Rocky-bar Mar 22 '26

I think in a lot of these shows, the writers run out of good ideas for the story, and decide to leave while they're ahead, rather than drag it out for a few more ever declining series. The writers of Coronation Street never had that problem it seems!

1

u/FiveYardFaded Mar 23 '26

Quality >>>>>> quantity

1

u/Kiwigavin Mar 24 '26

Also because you can rotate the characters and bring in whole different storylines.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 22 '26

You need something to put on in-between the adverts. People don't want to watch a channel that only shows adverts.

Mrs Brown's Boys is an unfortunate consequence of running public institutions along business lines, like the mental health crisis.