Short episodes of ‘Homecoming’ keep plot focused
The new Amazon drama “Homecoming” has a lot going for it: Julia Roberts in her first starring TV role; bravura directing from Sam Esmail (“Mr. Robot”); and a top-notch supporting cast, taut writing and a mind-bending militarycorporate thriller plot.
More exciting than all of this, though, is the episode length: 30 minutes each.
With today’s TV drama installments typically running an hour (or more), each episode of “Homecoming” feels like a gift certificate for 30 extra minutes of unencumbered life.
The episodes are no less captivating in their brevity, and perhaps even better.
Somewhere in its history, TV formalized the idea that drama is a marathon and comedy a sprint. Network schedules established sitcoms at 30 minutes, with commercials; dramas — with early exceptions such as most seasons of “The Twilight Zone” — settled in at 60.
A rigid scheduling grid is less important in cable; in streaming, not at all. This freedom has had, for drama, the effect of loosening one’s belt for Thanksgiving dinner. Cable dramas such as “Game of Thrones” often exceed 60 minutes without ads, and streaming series such as “The Romanoffs” ungirdle themselves to feature length.
So it has been a welcome counter-trend to see dramas doing more with less.
“The Girlfriend Experience,” “Vida,” “Mr. In-Between,” “Room 104”’ and others have clocked in at about 30 minutes. Other series, including “Maniac” and “The OA,” intersperse longer episodes with quickies.
Short dramas are practical. People with productive jobs have ever-more television to fit in their limited free time. Epic drama means greater investment: You have to put in six or eight hours to get to the point where, your friends swear to you, “Ozark” really gets good.
Short dramas, on the other hand, reward sampling. I found “Sweetbitter,” on Starz, to be too slight and bland, but I liked that I could gauge it quickly and move on.
Short dramas are economical. Longer series must serve a bigger roster of characters, spinning off subplots for each. “This Is Us” lasts an hour; the portion I want to follow weekly is maybe 20 minutes.
Cutting the running time in half focuses the gaze. Facebook Watch’s quiet gem “Sorry for Your Loss” — like “This Is Us” — is about the aftereffects of a premature death on a spouse and family. And it’s only about that. It does that one thing well, which makes for an intense focus on Elizabeth Olsen’s Leigh, her grief, rage and progress.
“Homecoming,” likewise, has two timelines but one story. There isn’t an A, B, C and D plot, nor should there be; it would distract from the thriller’s stagelike technique of building suspense through conversation.
The half-hour drama also reflects where the true creative energy can be found in television today. Some of the best work is happening in half-hour hybrids — “Transparent,” “Better Things,” “Atlanta” and “Barry” to name a few — that are “comedies” for awards purposes but half drama, or more, in substance.
At heart, the TV time crunch is a tribute to how the medium has become worth our time. All the more reason to appreciate shows recognizing that we don’t have all the time in the world.