It doesn't take long to binge Prime Video's new Quebec-set series 'The Sticky.' With just six half-hour episodes, the buzzy dark comedy about a maple syrup heist is among the shorter TV seasons on offer. While the number of scripted episodes in a season has been dwindling for years, several show creators and screenwriters say that decline, along with shorter runtimes and seemingly more frequent cancellations, has them worried about the future of their industry.
'Everybody in this environment is looking for less and less risk. Money is tight and people don't want to throw out huge orders because it's really expensive,' says 'The Sticky' co-creator Brian Donovan. 'I think everybody is trying to play it as safe as they possibly can.' A report released Thursday by the Canadian Media Producers Association details 'a significant downturn,' noting Canadian television production fell 13 per cent while foreign-produced shows shot in Canada dropped 36 per cent between April 2023 and April 2024. The group says that's largely due to the Hollywood actors and writers strikes that temporarily shuttered sets on both sides of the border and a slowdown in orders for Canadian content that it expects will persist amid inflationary pressures and dwindling revenue. A recent report by the Writers Guild of Canada points to a decline in the number of Canadian TV episodes ordered by broadcasters and streamers since 2018, resulting in less work for writers: one-hour drama episodes declined by 45 per cent, while half-hour adult episodes fell 16 per cent. 'It’s tough times. I can’t sugarcoat it,' says WGC president Bruce Smith, who was showrunner of 2010s dramas like CTV's '19-2' and CBC's 'Street Legal.' 'People are leaving the industry, but you hope that the best survive. And it is surviving. I mean, there is work, there are shows being made. It's just way down, the number of episodes particularly. So writers are nervou