I’m not one of those Survivor fans who constantly complains about the so-called New Era, but to be honest, I’ve done my share of complaining. Sometimes it’s been in the form of snarky comments to my wife while we’re watching episodes. Sometimes it’s been in the form of articles I’ve published here at CinemaBlend about changes I don’t like. I still love the show, but I haven’t seen every adaptation as progress. That being said, I need to raise my hand and officially thank Jeff Probst and company for one major New Era change that was clearly a fantastic idea: longer episodes.
The change in question happened during Season 45. CBS talked things over with Survivor and decided to extend both it and The Amazing Race from sixty minute episodes to ninety minute episodes. I was initially very excited for the change on account of loving Survivor and wanting more of it, but several seasons later, it’s now obvious the extra thirty minutes, which stuck around, is transformative and lets viewers get to know the contestants and the actual gameplay in a way that had been disappearing.
I think it’s mostly about the format. Survivor has a very well-defined schedule. Each week, we see the contestants return from Tribal Council and talk out what happened. Then we see them compete in a challenge to try and get immunity. Then we see them scheme about who to vote for. Then we see them go to Tribal Council and vote. Just providing a brief overview of what happens in each one of those stages is almost sixty minutes of television by itself, which leaves no time for extras.
During the early seasons of Survivor, you could get to know the contestants a lot more in the sixty minutes because, to be honest, there wasn’t nearly as much scheming. We got to see contestants go fishing or just hang out for extended periods of time because most episodes didn’t need fifteen minutes of recapping the conversations over who might vote for who. The show was literally more about surviving and voting was just a thing that sorta happened.
At some point down the line, however, contestants started getting a lot more serious about gameplay, and brief conversations about who the obvious weak link to vote for turned into arguing the merits of multiple plans and blindsides that required follow-up conversations. It’s important the show keeps viewers in the loop on what’s going on in these conversations since they’re how castaways actually get voted out, but the obvious victim of all these evolving plots was the ability to let the show breathe.
Yes, many of the best moments in Survivor are about gameplay, but some of them are not. Some of the best moments are about just watching the castaways hang out and get to know each other, about watching them get up to wacky shenanigans. The ninety minute Survivor episodes allow us to see so much more of that. This season in particular, we’ve been able to see Eva open up about her autism. We’ve been able to see an entire tribe bond over the struggles their parents went through. We’ve been able to see extended idol hunts and two cast members bonding over bizarrely each drinking a gallon of whole milk every single day. It’s been great.
Sometimes the conversation amongst Survivor fans on social media can be very negative, whether it be about who the show didn’t cast for Season 50 or all of the changes that have been made during the New Era. I get it. I also want the show to return to 39 days instead of 26, and I also think the producers meddle too much, give out way too many advantages and don’t always think every twist through. I’m not telling people to stop complaining. I certainly will keep voicing my concerns, but I think we should also stop and loudly acknowledge how great these 90 minute episodes have been. They’ve been a gigantic win for all Survivor fans, and I’d be the first one to complain if they ever went away.