Why Only 12 episodes?

[Angel's Avenger]

Hi

I'm not new to Buffy but currently watching all 7 seasons and always wondered why season 1 only had 12 episodes.

Does anyone know why?

[The Kinslayer]

It started airing in spring. Most shows get the confidence from the start and start airing in september (or such), Buffy didn´t. And since season 2 started at "normal" time the rest of the seasons are longer.

Ok, I´m feeling I´m crappy at explaining at the moment. Thousands of words seems to have escaped my mind. I guess someone else soon will come along and do a better job.

[Kemy]

Another show aired on the same network before Buffy and was either cancelled or only had a 12 episode run as well, I can't remember exactly.

So when Buffy was pitched, it filled the timeslot the previous show occupied but half the fiscal year was already over so Buffy was ordered as a mid-season replacement with a 12 episode run.

Season 2 was picked up at the beginning of the network season so it was ordered with a full 22 episode run.

I'm trying to remember this off the top of my head but if you search around some of the sites should have more info.

[Joyce Summers]

Yeah, I think it was picked up originally as a full year but then the network decided they didn't want to air it, deeming it too risky, and no other TV networks would take them on so they essentially got dropped. I don't think they believed they were gonna get picked up again- they were just...forgotten about. And then lo and behold, The WB, this brand new no-one-was-quite-sure-what-it-was-going-to-be-like station needed a mid-season replacement, meaning that there would only be room for a 12 episode run. Thankfully, they took the offer and here we are today. Still obsessive and still successful, haha.
This was also the reason why they were able to film every episode of the season before it even aired allowing them a full, extensive season one opening credits.

[SC7 Fan]

Season 1 only had 12 episodes because Buffy was a mid term replacement and it wasn't meant to do well and the cast didnt think they would come back and film another season. But Buffy proved such a hit with the fans they filmed another season, this time with more episodes in it.

[Randy Giles]

Actually, it's not really true that networks assume fall shows will do better. Networks often launch strong shows during midseason. It's not a bad thing at all to be a midseason show. It means that you'll have 13 episodes (on general) as opposed to 22, but usually that's a good thing because the 13th episode is an actual planned finale. If a fall series gets canceled but produces all 13 episodes that the network initially ordered, it's usually just a normal episode with no real sense of closure.

Anyway, Dollhouse is a midseason series as well, which means season one will have 13 episodes. If it's renewed for the fall, subsequent episodes should have around 22 episodes as well.

[Joyce Summers]

Yes, I agree with what Randy Giles said. But in Buffy's case it was a lot less assuring I think due to the way they'd been tossed around, dropped and picked up like some ragdoll-TV-toy thing. Very disconcerting, haha.

[Angel's Avenger]

Thanks for clearing it up for me. Buffy season 1 only took about a weekend to watch. LOL.