# How long are prime time episodes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 24, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268 "2005-09-24T22:57:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268/1 "2005-09-24T22:57:55Z")

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How many minutes are there in a current one-hour prime-time episode (excluding ads of course)? Do the commerical breaks come at the same time and last for the same length for each show? It certainly seems like it.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268/2 "2005-09-24T23:01:32Z")

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Half-hour show usually run about 22 minutes, while hour long ones run about 44-45 minutes.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268/3 "2005-09-24T23:17:46Z")

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Before the BBC lost the Simpsons contract, they’d sometimes show two episodes back-to-back with almost no break between programmes, and with no adverts, and it took a 40-minute slot. Other timings, that I’ve noticed, fit in with **Mr Blue Sky** ’s figures.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268/4 "2005-09-24T23:33:53Z")

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> [@GorillaMan](#):
>
> Before the BBC lost the Simpsons contract, they’d sometimes show two episodes back-to-back with almost no break between programmes, and with no adverts, and it took a 40-minute slot. Other timings, that I’ve noticed, fit in with **Mr Blue Sky** ’s figures.

Syndicated half-hour shows generally have an extra minute or two cut out for extra advertising time. But the first-run shows are always just about 22 minutes.

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-are-prime-time-episodes/323268/5 "2005-09-25T00:29:04Z")

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It depends on the network. The Golf Channel, for instance, airs only 12 minutes of commercials an hour (not counting promos.) Other networks air anywhere from 18-24 minutes an hour.