Showrunner of James Wan-produced horror series Teacup explains why it was so important to make each episode only 30 minutes – and weighs in on the likelihood of a season 2

Exclusive: Teacup showrunner Ian McCulloch explains to SFX why episodes are no longer than 30 minutes

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New horror show Teacup kind of lives up to its name – the eight-part series consists solely of 30-minute episodes, a relative rarity in a world of hour-long drama installments.

“I came up as a playwright long, long ago and the idea not only was always shorter, more economical episodes but to leave them wanting more,” showrunner Ian McCulloch says of the show’s pace in the new issue ofSFX magazine, which features Terrifier 3 on the cover and hits newsstands on October 2. “The idea of the show is to grow these disparate people in kind of a pot of warm water and then turn up the heat.”

Teacup is set on an isolated rural ranch and follows the multigenerational family who lives there, who are thrown together when confronted with a mysterious threat.

McCulloch adds that in making the series, he knows the premise is definitely built for more than one season. “I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know what happens in season 2,” he chuckles. “And I don’t know what happens in season 3. But I know that the stakes are high enough. The challenge will be, how do you keep it the same show? But I think you’ll see at the end of the season: ‘Oh, okay, I see where they’re going.’ If we were so lucky, then we’ll dive back in.”

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Teacup releases on Peacock on October 10, with new episodes dropping weekly. UK release details are still TBC. Read more inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Terrifier 3 on the cover and will be available from Wednesday, October 2. Check out the cover below.

The SFX 2024 Halloween Horror Special is here! We go on set with Art the Clown for #Terrifier3! 🪓Our new issue, on sale 2 October, comes with exclusive Terrifier items, while stocks last.Pre-order now at https://t.co/i5QAf4UYmE @damienleone @TerrifierFilm @SignatureEntUK pic.twitter.com/sjSLwZeY0WSeptember 26, 2024

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I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

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