What does "back nine" mean in terms of TV?

Question

I've heard it used, regarding Glee, and is it a term used normally or just in this case (when there are nine episodes left in the season.)

Answer 1

Studios produce tv shows and networks buy and air them. If a network isn't sure if they want to air a full season then they will only buy some episodes. This most often happens with a new tv show, where they have no real idea whether it will be a hit or not, but it can also happen with an established series whose ratings aren't great. In cases where they haven't committed to buy an entire season, they'll usually buy the show in batches of a couple episodes. For an established show like Glee, they will usually order 13 episodes up front. Broadcast networks usually air 22 episodes of a show per season, so the "back nine" will be the final nine episodes of a season. If they "picked up the back nine" then that means that they're going to air the entire season (or at least that they bought it. They're usually not under any obligation to air episodes they bought).

Answer 2

Means 9 additional episodes

Shows when they are ordered to Series are usually ordered for 13 episodes and if the ratings do well enough the network orders more

9 back equals 22 episodes for a full season(since shows now have 22 episodes for full seasons on the main networks)



But lately more shows are starting to go the shorter season route.Not all shows get the 9 back but get ordered for a few extra episodes instead

Answer 3

It's the term that describes the 2nd-half of something, it's from Golf, you play 9 holes AWAY from the clubhouse, then the back-9(which start furthest away) comes back to the clubhouse.