Best Apple TV TV Shows for episode length

episode length Decision Dashboard

Best for episode length

Slow Horses, Season 6

5.0 feature score

Highest scored product for this feature based on supporting review evidence.

Safest pick

Widow's Bay

4.6 feature score

Balances feature score, supporting reviews, and overall product strength.

Most evidence

Ted Lasso, Season 4

5 supporting reviews

Has the broadest review evidence for this feature.

Best overall product

Margo's Got Money Troubles

4.4 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this feature.

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#1 Slow Horses, Season 6
5.0

The roughly 45-minute episodes were praised for feeling lean and fast without seeming starved of story. The runtime helps the season keep pressure on the plot while avoiding obvious filler.

Pros: season finale quality, character development

Cons: accent authenticity, product placement

#2 Widow's Bay
4.6

Episode length works well for the format, with a reviewer praising the graceful 35-40 minute runtime.

Pros: episode structure, main cast performance

Cons: family friendliness, language level

#3 Last Seen
4.5

The sub-50-minute episodes help keep the story manageable; one critic says a longer runtime would have made the plotting flaws much harder to tolerate.

Pros: screenplay quality, cinematography

Cons: accountability handling, character consistency

#4 Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Season 1
4.5

Episode length is mostly praised because the half-hour-to-40-minute chapters keep the series moving. Shorter runtime helps offset the dense mystery and makes bingeing easier.

Pros: acting quality, main cast performance

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#5 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
4.3

Runs of roughly 35–45 minutes were generally considered ideal and easy to devour. One enthusiastic reviewer wanted longer episodes simply to spend more time with the characters.

Pros: episode structure, dialogue quality

Cons: plot twists, season finale quality

#6 Ted Lasso, Season 4
2.5

Long runtimes remain a recurring complaint. Several episodes still feel stretched beyond the tighter half-hour rhythm that once suited the show better.

Pros: cast chemistry, supporting cast performance

Cons: episode structure, realism

#7 Cape Fear, Season 1
2.5

Individual episode length is often treated as part of the larger bloat problem, with several reviewers doubting whether the story needed so much screen time.

Pros: directing quality, cinematography

Cons: realism, character consistency

#8 Star City, Season 1
2.5

Episode length is a recurring concern. Hour-plus installments give the sprawling cast room to breathe, but some critics say the runtime contributes to drag.

Pros: cliffhanger effectiveness, main cast performance

Cons: humor, family friendliness

#9 Dark Matter, Season 2
2.5

Longer runtimes sometimes make already busy storylines feel unwieldy rather than more substantial.

Pros: plot originality, main cast performance

Cons: release schedule, dialogue quality