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1->'''The Red Guy:''' So get ready for part three of ''THE UGLIEST WEENIE!''\
2'''Director:''' Hey, what happened to part two? Was [[WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel that weasel thing]] part two?
3->'''The Red Guy:''' Yes, it ''WAS'' part two of our show! Now, this is part three of the show, WHICH IS PART TWO OF ''THE UGLIEST WEENIE!''
4-->-- ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'', "The Ugliest Weenie (Epilogue)"
5
6A once popular format in which to present a cartoon show. The half hour, 22 minutes of program time, is used to show three six-minute short cartoons. The remaining time is used for short framing segments or one-minute gags.
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8Many shows follow an A-B-A form for this format, meaning one series has a short in the first slot and in the last. This "A" series is generally the one that gives the whole show its name. The middle slot is filled by a second "B" series, that may or may not get billing in the TitleSequence. The "B" series is often in the same universe as the "A" series, and the two can often CrossOver, with the virtue that everyone who has seen the one will almost inevitably see the other. Creator/HannaBarbera liked this format for its Creator/CartoonNetwork original shows, and many of its older productions.
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10This form has some advantages. Objectively, the short episodes are easier to produce in parallel, since writing and animation tasks can be farmed out to a bigger staff, resulting in higher productivity. Subjectively, in some ways it's easier to write a short story. It can be tricky to write enough comedy to fill 22-minutes of airtime when you're beholden to a fast-paced television schedule. If you only have to come up with a simple six-minute story though, you can probably think of enough material to fill that time.
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12This is different from an AnimatedAnthology, in that a specific two or three series are used, and both are made new for this format. Animated Anthologies have widely variable structures within a given episode, while ThreeShorts shows are usually locked into the exact form.
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14The ''Three Shorts'' format became eclipsed by the ''Two Shorts'' format [[UsefulNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation around the turn of the century]], this being a pair of eleven-minute episodes. Originally very rare, it's now the standard for comedy animation, as it allows for more complex stories to be told while still not having the aforementioned hurdles that come with writing a half-hour story. In addition, some half-hour animated shows will have [[VignetteEpisode a few Two Shorts episodes]], any half of which can be used as emergency schedule filler around odd-length specials or movies.
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16Sometimes, in between the shorts are super-short one-joke bits. ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' called these "Quickies", and they were often adapted from a single Sunday strip.
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18Compare QuarterHourShort, where an eleven-minute short isn't paired with a companion short. Creator/CartoonNetwork became especially fond of airing new episodes of their shows in this format in TheNewTens, later showcasing them in their Two Shorts form during re-runs.
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20Somewhat similar to DoubleFeature, which is like this but for movie theaters.
21
22----
23!!Example subpages:
24
25[[index]]
26* ThreeShorts/AnimeAndManga
27* ThreeShorts/WesternAnimation
28[[/index]]
29
30!!Other examples:
31[[foldercontrol]]
32
33[[folder:Asian Animation]]
34* Season 2 of ''Animation/DobyAndDisy'' has its episodes formatted like this, with each half-hour episode having two segments.
35* Each episode of ''Animation/MotuPatlu'' consists of two 11-minute shorts.
36* ''Animation/{{Oddbods}}'', when aired on TV, pairs up three of the seven-minute episodes into a half-hour block, labeling it ''The Oddbods Show''.
37[[/folder]]
38
39[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
40* ''Animation/KikoRiki'' (aka ''[=GoGoRiki=]'') was brought to the United States by Creator/FourKidsEntertainment in this format; Three six and half minute shorts with two super-short segments in between (one is a brief description of one of the characters/"Quotable Quotes", the other is a 20-seconds long intro from the original version, since 4Kids had an AlternativeForeignThemeSong) and a song at the very end, making total of 22 minutes per episode.
41* ''Animation/MashaAndTheBear'' uses a three shorts format on Netflix.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Film]]
45* ''[[Film/TheThreeStoogesTheMovie The Three Stooges: The Movie]]'' follows this format, with three half-hour shorts in the spirit of the original series.
46* ''WesternAnimation/LittlePrincessSchool'' consists of three shorts.
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Literature]]
50* The ''Literature/NellyTheMonsterSitter'' book series has three stories per book that follow monster species that Nelly meets.
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
54* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' has two 11-minute shorts per episode, with the second sometimes continuing where the first left off. Unless Nickelodeon only shows one to even out the time slots after running interstitials.
55* Season 14 of ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' has two stories per episode. But really, it's two longer episodes from Seasons 10 and 11 shortened and strung together. A few episodes from a few years back followed this format, too.
56* Series/NightGallery. How many segments per episode varied, but was usually two or three. In series two, the segments were often followed by brief comedic skits. The formula was dropped for series three, where the series took on a more conventional format of each episode consisting of one half-hour story.
57* ''Series/DrunkHistory'' tells 3 historical stories an episode, with the exception of the Hamilton and "Are You Afraid of the Drunk" episodes, which are single 22-minute segments.
58* ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub''
59** The first season followed an ABCD format; A would be a newsreel, a ''[[Series/TheSootyShow Sooty]]'' episode or a Jiminy Cricket short, B would be Mouseketeer skits, C would be a serial, and D would be a cartoon.
60** For the second season, the Jiminy Cricket short was replaced by a Mouseketeer hosting a look at world cultures; Jiminy would replace the cartoon once a week.
61** When the show was reduced to a half-hour for the third season, the show followed an AB format; A would be Mouseketeer skits, a cartoon or a newsreel, while B would be a serial.
62* ''Series/OddSquad'' follows an AB format, both for the first season and the second. In between, there is usually a Training Video from Oscar and Oona (the latter for the second season), or a Welcome to Headquarters video, sometimes followed by one of Ms. O's recruitment commercials. As of Season 2, the We Are Odd Squad shorts become more prevalent as the only short after each episode. In fact, most episodes have the We Are Odd Squad shorts directly after, and are the only shorts featured. The Training Videos, the We Are Odd Squad shorts, and the Welcome to Headquarters shorts also vary in turn, most prevalent in Season 1.
63* ''Undercover High'' follows an AB format, despite being a show about pranks. Each half of an episode has Lisa work with the faculty of a different school, to help set up an elaborate prank on an entire class or a club.
64* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': The season 9 Valentine's Day episode, "Blood Actually," tells the stories of three victims in sequence, complete with title cards (although the team's personal situations are interspersed throughout).
65* ''Series/{{Freaky}}'' follows this format, as does fellow New Zealand-based horror series ''Series/TheKillianCurse''.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
69* ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' used the Two Shorts format beginning with Season 5, with each segment being themed around a different story.
70* ''Series/ThePajanimals'' was designed as 11-minute stories. However, even when the show is presented in a half-hour block, the ending theme with "La La Lullaby" is still presented at the end of the first short, then the opening credits are used leading into the second short.
71* The American version of ''Series/TotsTV'' used this because it aired on Creator/PBSKids, a block that doesn't have ads. The segments either involved a storyteller named Noah or an animal expert named Jane playing in between each story.
72* Jim Henson's last television project before his death, ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'', follows this format exactly. With Jim as host, the first half of the show is Muppetelevision, which is a more futuristic version of The Muppet Show, complete with sketches and guest stars and Kermit as the head frog in charge of a TV studio full of monitors and video feeds. The second half would be a bit more serious, either showing an episode of The Storyteller or would be a random special created by the Creature Shop. At times the format would change and the whole hour can be one special, such as with Dog City and Monster Maker.
73* ''Series/DonkeyHodie'' airs as a Two Shorts series in the United States and Australia. Oddly enough, unlike most PBS shows, there is no in-between stories segment.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:{{Radio}}]]
77* Early episodes of ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' ([[MissingEpisode none of which still exist]]) had three plots separated by musical interludes. Much later the show partly returned to the format with "The Million Pound Penny", in which the mystery set up in act one is solved during the musical break, with acts two and three forming the title story.
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Web Animation]]
81* ''Animation/{{Pucca}}'' uses the Three Shorts format for the TV series.
82* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' followed the Three Shorts structure when adapted for television.
83[[/folder]]
84

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