History Main / Front13Back9

Compare TwelveEpisodeAnime and BritishBrevity, the latter of which denotes a country with a short broadcast season. Contrast CutShort, where a series doesn't even make the full Front 13 or only makes 13 when it had been promised more.

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': The show was renewed for a third season with an original order of 13 episodes only for the network to order another 6 episodes just after the crew had finished the intended "finale". The writers were forced to scramble and come up with a short arc to fill out the season. The network then proceeded to do the exact same thing with the fourth season, this time ordering a further ''eleven'' episodes.

* Though its first half was as a MidseasonReplacement, ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'s'' ''second'' season qualifies. Creator/{{FOX}} made the 13-episode order primarily due to fan response; the execs , in turn, excluded the series from the November Sweeps, though at least they ran the complete half-order this time.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'', there is a very clear shift in tone and characterization after the first half of the first season that persisted for the rest of the show's run, making the first half come off as particularly rough.
* There's an urban legend that Creator/FoxKids purchased an alternate ending to the 13th episode of the ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' dub, just in case the show didn't do well on their air. That would explain a lot of its EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite handily, though it has never been proven to have actually happened.

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' had a crucial competition win, resolution for several story arcs, and even a traditional kiss in the final scene in its 13th episode, and could easily be considered a satisfying series finale. All of the front 13 were produced before airing and have fewer songs. They're also generally considered the show's best episodes by the majority of the fandom
* The ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' season 5 episode, "Leslie and Ben" was the 13th episode produced (but the 14th episode shown due to "Women in Garbage", one of the back 9, being aired OutOfOrder), and as such, was written as a [[SeriesFauxnale respectable]] finale for the show, which has always had low ratings and shaky renewals.

* Inverted in the case of ''Series/{{Vanished}}'': an initial 22 episode order was [[WrapItUp cut to 13]] after 6 episodes had aired.

* The 13th episode of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' draws a number of its initial plot arcs to a close, including the LoveTriangle between Michael, Marta, and Gob, as well as Tobias' anxiety over going nude.

* {{Anime}} example: David Production's adaptation of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' has an inverted case in its first season. The "Phantom Blood" story ends precisely and cleanly at the end of its 9th episode, leaving the rest of its first season to adapt the next part, "Battle Tendency."
* Season 1 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'' was originally 13 half hours before being expanded to 20, resulting in the redesigns planned for season 2 to be implemented within season 1.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'''s first season was originally 26 [[QuarterHourShort quarter-hour episodes]], but the show's success lead to them expanding it to 52.[[note]]Oddly enough, every other season of the show is 25 or 26 episodes, leaving season one to come across as unusually long. Fans tend to divide the first season into Seasons 1A and 1B as a result.[[/note]] The twenty-sixth episode ended on a series of reveals about Steven's guardians and had him successfully control his powers for the first time. WordOfGod says that Garnet and Pearl's conversation was originally going to be more conclusive as well, but the extension came soon enough that it was changed to be more of a hook hinting towards the invasion plotline that the second half of the season would tackle.
* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' was initially greenlight as a 10-episode MiniSeries before the order was expanded to a full season of 20 episodes. By that point, the writers had already finished writing Tulip's story arc and had no desire to stretch it out; their solution was to turn the show into a {{genre anthology}}, and make the additional episodes a new storyline about Tulip's MirrorSelf.
* The 13th episode of ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' resolved most of its plot arcs at the time, giving us the result of the bet and the fallout of Boyle's heroic feat.
* In ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' the 13th episode of the first season, "The Transformation", resolves the John Scott arc, and Creator/MarkValley never appears again. The next episode, "Ability", starts the examination of the Olivia's Cortexiphan-related talents.
* The second season of ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'' was greenlit with 13 episodes, then received an additional 9-episode order a month after the season started (though four of them ended up being moved to the third season). The 13th episode, "A Good Day to Die", has a very climactic season finale feel in it, representing a break between the first half of the season with the second. There is even a TimeSkip between the two.

->''"[[FridayNightDeathSlot Friday nights]]. That's when [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Fox advertises its 13-episode DVD sets]]."''

* {{Anime}} example: David Production's adaptation of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' has an inverted case in its first season. The "Phantom Blood" story and ends precisely and cleanly at the end of its 9th episode, leaving the rest of its first season to adapt the next part, "Battle Tendency."

* Creator/FoxKids purchased an alternate ending to the 13th episode of the ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' dub, just in case the show didn't do well on their air. It explains a lot of its EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite handily.

* Creator/FoxKids purchased an alternate ending to the 13th episode of the Anime/DigimonAdventure dub, just in case the show didn't do well on their air.

-->–-'''Creator/TimMinear'''

* {{Anime}} example: David Production's adaptation of ''Manga/JoJo'sBizarreAdventure'' has an inverted case in its first season. The first 9 episodes are dedicated to the "Phantom Blood" story and ends precisely and cleanly, leaving the rest of its first season to adapt the next part, "Battle Tendency."

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' had a crucial competition win, resolution for several story arcs, and even a traditional kiss in the final scene in its 13th episode. All of the front 13 were produced before airing and have fewer songs. They're also generally considered the show's best episodes by the majority of the fandom

-->–TimMinear

* A visitor to the Best Brains offices during the production of the last few episodes of ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' reported seeing a note that said something like "Wish List: Season 11. Season 10, back nine. A job." The first two entries were crossed out.

The most obvious signs of this Trope in a series ''that gets to/past (e.g.) the February {{Sweeps}}'' (apart from WordOfGod) are the additions or alterations of important elements or a change in show atmosphere midway through the first Season (as opposed to between the first and second seasons) or a SeriesFauxnale in the middle of ''any'' season.

* The ''ParksAndRecreation'' season 5 episode, "Leslie and Ben" was the 13th episode produced (but the 14th episode shown due to "Women in Garbage", one of the back 9, being aired OutOfOrder), and as such, was written as a [[SeriesFauxnale respectable]] finale for the show, which has always had low ratings and shaky renewals.

The most obvious signs of this Trope in a series ''that gets to/past (e.g.) the February Sweeps'' (apart from WordOfGod) are the additions or alterations of important elements or a change in show atmosphere midway through the first Season (as opposed to between the first and second seasons) or a SeriesFauxnale in the middle of ''any'' season.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'' has Bauer's wife and daughter rescued and the first assassin killed in the 13th episode, providing some resolution if the back 9 (back ''11'' in this case) was not ordered. The scene where the ''second'' assassin was dispatched could have been cut in that case.

# It has to air at or near the start of the Channel's standard broadcast season, which automatically disqualifies a MidseasonReplacement (at least in its premiere season).

* The 13th episode of ''ArrestedDevelopment'' draws a number of its initial plot arcs to a close, including the LoveTriangle between Michael, Marta, and Gob, as well as Tobias' anxiety over going nude.