The Penguin, Matlock, and the Marathon Wait For More Episodes

The good news is — fall is here, and TV is finally back!

But the bad news is that a terrible brain parasite seems to have infected the network execs in charge of scheduling this year’s new shows.

Okay, that might be a little harsh, but something weird is going on here, and we intend to get to the bottom of it!

The trouble started last week when the pilot episode of The Penguin completely knocked our socks off.

(Sorry for the poor choice of words. The less said about the scene where Colin Farrel removes his socks, the better.)

Now, as a TV site that seeks to promote discussion — and as fans who love to see a show flourish via word of mouth — we’re generally opposed to the Netflix/Hulu habit of releasing entire seasons all at once.

That said, we were more than a little dismayed to see that we would have to wait a full ten days for the second episode of The Penguin.

And the situation is even worse with Kathy Bates’ Matlock reboot/reimagining/re-whatever.

CBS released the show’s premiere episode last night, to considerable critical acclaim.

But if you’re one of the millions who can’t wait to see what further adventures await Ms. Bates’ plucky attorney — well, we’re afraid we have some bad news …

The second episode of Matlock won’t air until October 17.

That’s more than three weeks from today.

Here’s a fun little experiment for our readers in the Northern Hemisphere. Look at the nearest tree. Now take a vivid mental picture of it. Nice and lush and green, yeah?

By the time Matty Matlock once again graces your screen, those leaves will be brown and on the ground.

And don’t pull any funny business by looking at a palm tree or a pine. This isn’t a botany class!

We’re just making the point that 25 days is way too long a wait between a show’s first and second episodes.

We might be sounding like Abraham Simpson, shaking our fists at the sky and bellowing for more Matlock. But seriously, what the hell is happening here?

The technical answer to that question is this:

Last night’s episode was a “sneak preview” and an “encore presentation” of the Matlock pilot will air the week before the second episode.

But all that PR-lingo justification doesn’t make this decision any less baffling.

So people who watched and enjoyed the Matlock “sneak preview” will now be expected to either remember the events of that episode for a whole month or to rewatch the pilot ahead of episode two?!

Needless to say, that’s a little bonkers.

And while the wait for more Penguin isn’t nearly as long, it might prove just as problematic.

This is a show that will likely take the 10-hour movie approach to televisual storytelling.

That’s fine, of course. But most shows that go the hyper-serialized route (like FX and Hulu’s The Bear) drop all of their episodes at once.

And they certainly don’t take week-and-a-half breaks to enable the audience to forget all those important plot details.

In case you missed the fantastic pilot, The Penguin is not your usual superhero franchise piece.

It’s twisty, noirish mob drama, with nary a mention of the Caped Crusader in its opening hour.

As for Matlock, its pilot episode featured a third-act twist that likely left most viewers stunned.

It was the kind of ending that was perfect for building anticipation for the next episode — which you’ll be able to watch sometime next quarter.

Hey, maybe the marketing gurus know something we don’t. Maybe giving these shows extra time to build word of mouth is a stroke of programming genius.

But frankly, we hope that’s not the case. Because we’d hate to see this sort of scheduling become an industry-wide trend.

What do you think, TV fanatics? Is it cruel and unusual punishment to make us wait so long between episodes?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.