The 69-minute-long premiere of Westworld's season 2 comes off a full 90-minute finale. 'Game of Thrones' is also known for it's long episodes, though HBO isn't the only network pushing the clock. FX has long been known for stretching episodes beyond an hour. In some cases it's a treat, but other times, especially for people who watch a lot of TV, it can start to feel like bloat. Part of the episode time limit expansion may be related to networks wanting to be "creator friendly," and giving showrunners as much time as they need to tell their stories. On the other hand, seasons themselves are so much shorter than in the past, most TV seasons are still putting forward many, many fewer minutes of content than in the past.
KCRW
