In the US, series refers to the whole run of the show, whether its long or short, or whether it was planned as a miniseries or if it's like The Simpsons or Grey's Anatomy and goes on forever.
"Program" could mean either the whole series or just one episode of it, but I usually only heard it used for news or documentary type stuff and only used that way by people born before 1950.
Season refers to each year of the show. Traditionally, shows would put on new episodes (with a few breaks here and there with reruns or preemptions for specials) from the fall through the spring, and then just show reruns during the summer. Historically, this is because people in the US didn't watch as much TV during the summer. It was too hot to be inside, they're more likely to be on vacation, and its light out well into the evening. Also, the people making the shows need a break.
The networks started most new seasons in the fall because their major advertisers were car companies that wanted a big push for their new models going into the next calendar year. I don't know why car companies always do new models each calendar year, but they always have. Plus, I suppose, new shows in the fall helped consumer goods companies build momentum for Christmas. Fall is also when American football happens and when the playoffs and world series happen in baseball. The networks usually lose money on those, but they use them to promote the hell out of their regular shows, especially the new ones.
There are also "mid-season replacements." Some shows don't make it a whole season and so they start new ones in the middle of the year. And, of course, the network showing the night football games and baseball games need something in those slots for the rest of the year. But generally, they always wanted to start the new seasons in September.
In the UK, each season of episodes tends to be much shorter and be released more erratically - not necessarily every year or, perhaps, starting at the same time. So, as I understand it, you call each of those sets of episodes "series."
That traditional structure is falling apart now somewhat. Networks have new content for the summer - usually reality and gameshow crap, but still, that used to just be all reruns all summer. And streaming platforms want to launch new shows every month to hook more new customers. Increasingly, streaming is what TV is, rather than an add on to traditional cable or broadcast TV. The "seasons" on streaming tend to be shorter (often a lot shorter) than the old 22-25 episodes per year on broadcast TV and they arent' released in regular intervals, so the concept of "seasons" is disappearing.
"Program" could mean either the whole series or just one episode of it, but I usually only heard it used for news or documentary type stuff and only used that way by people born before 1950.
Season refers to each year of the show. Traditionally, shows would put on new episodes (with a few breaks here and there with reruns or preemptions for specials) from the fall through the spring, and then just show reruns during the summer. Historically, this is because people in the US didn't watch as much TV during the summer. It was too hot to be inside, they're more likely to be on vacation, and its light out well into the evening. Also, the people making the shows need a break.
The networks started most new seasons in the fall because their major advertisers were car companies that wanted a big push for their new models going into the next calendar year. I don't know why car companies always do new models each calendar year, but they always have. Plus, I suppose, new shows in the fall helped consumer goods companies build momentum for Christmas. Fall is also when American football happens and when the playoffs and world series happen in baseball. The networks usually lose money on those, but they use them to promote the hell out of their regular shows, especially the new ones.
There are also "mid-season replacements." Some shows don't make it a whole season and so they start new ones in the middle of the year. And, of course, the network showing the night football games and baseball games need something in those slots for the rest of the year. But generally, they always wanted to start the new seasons in September.
In the UK, each season of episodes tends to be much shorter and be released more erratically - not necessarily every year or, perhaps, starting at the same time. So, as I understand it, you call each of those sets of episodes "series."
That traditional structure is falling apart now somewhat. Networks have new content for the summer - usually reality and gameshow crap, but still, that used to just be all reruns all summer. And streaming platforms want to launch new shows every month to hook more new customers. Increasingly, streaming is what TV is, rather than an add on to traditional cable or broadcast TV. The "seasons" on streaming tend to be shorter (often a lot shorter) than the old 22-25 episodes per year on broadcast TV and they arent' released in regular intervals, so the concept of "seasons" is disappearing.
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