Netflix has been absolutely horrible at managing renewals— and the same is true for quite a few other streamers. I have completely dropped out of multiple shows that I liked because I couldn’t remember them by the time they returned.
Yes, yes, COVID and the strikes. But the above article mentioned another factor I hadn’t considered— shorter seasons mean actors have to book more work which means more complex shooting schedules.
I was so happy to hear about how The Pitt was not going to fall into this trap. The Pitt’s show structure also meant that actors got paid, well, even those without major parts. Because the show took place in “real time”, with each hour of the show being an hour in the same day in the same location, even background extra-type actors were in many scenes over many episodes.