As always, all of this information comes from the outstanding editors for aio wiki (I'm just transferring their info here).
See also: https://www.aiowiki.com/wiki/Adventures_in_Odyssey#The_.22Split.22_era for more information.
Radio Episode Format (General Overview)[]
AIO is atypical in that it does not fall cleanly into either comedy or melodrama category, and episode plots range from the farcical (e.g., #440: “I Slap Floor”) to the extremely serious (e.g., #490 – #491: “The Black Veil”). In all, approximately one-third of all episodes fall in the purely comic category, a third in the purely dramatic category, and the remaining third are hybrid. However, all episodes are written to convey some moral, and a Bible reference verse, and are written to be both entertaining and acceptable to all age groups.
Most radio episodes are written to fit in a half-hour broadcast window, though it is not uncommon for a single episode to span multiple half-hour segments, divided into numbered parts (each carrying their own production number). To date, there have been 86 two-part episodes, 20 three-parters, 2 four-parters, a twelve-parter, and a fourteen-parter, with the last of those (#751 – #764: “The Ties That Bind”) being the longest. (Even “The Ties That Bind” does not end with Album 58; it continues into Album #59: Taking the Plunge.) Official multi-part episodes have "Part 1," "Part 2," etc. in their titles, although others do not (such as #546: “No Way Out” / #547: “No Way In”). Other unofficial multi-part arcs have similar words or phrases in their episode titles (such as #274: “First-Hand Experience”, #275: “Second Thoughts”, #276: “Third Degree”, #277: “It Happened at Four Corners”, and #278 – #279: “The Fifth House on the Left”). Major storylines, as with other melodramas, span numerous episodes. The Novacom saga, for example, spans 28 episodes, originally aired over a 20-month time frame.
Adventures In Odyssey Episode Structure[]
Initially, each AIO episode began and ended with a short story segment or skit, usually around two minutes total, involving the program's host, Chris. (Chris seemed to exist in both the real world and in the fictional AIO universe.) These "wraparounds" introduced and highlighted the subject of the episode; at the end, Chris would give the Bible verses supporting the theme of the particular episode, as well as production credits and, usually, contact information for Focus on the Family. Eventually, it was decided that these wraparounds had become so elaborate that they detracted from the main story and Odyssey plot-line, and starting in 1991, Chris's role was reduced to a brief introduction ("Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to Adventures in Odyssey!"), followed by John Campbell's AIO music theme. However, Chris retained the role of concluding each episode with a recapitulation and biblical reference. In multi-part episodes, Chris introduces the later segments by introducing select informative sound bites ("Last time, on Adventures in Odyssey...).
Another change to the introduction came shortly thereafter: Chris's welcome statement was overlaid onto the musical theme, followed by a welcome from main character John Avery Whittaker, after which a selection of sound bites from the episode were juxtaposed to create a (usually) comedic preview of the episode.
This format has remained, albeit with a few minor changes. First, beginning with the 1994 episode #275: “Second Thoughts”, various characters followed Chris in welcoming listeners to the program (a change originating when the character of Whit was absent from the show from 1994 to 1996). For example, in #275: “Second Thoughts”, Bernard does the intro, saying:
| “ | Hi, this is Bernard Walton. You know, I can't think of anything I'd rather do than hang around with you for a time of wonder and excitement. Then again, getting my squeegee caught in my suspenders is exciting to me. Anyway, welcome to Adventures in Odyssey! | ” |
Second, beginning with episode #144: “Someone to Watch Over Me”, the AIO theme and welcome sequence was moved to follow the opening scene in select episodes, similar to most modern-day television melodramas and sitcoms. Third, voice acting credits were added to engineering credits read by Chris at the show's conclusion.
Experimentation:[]
The only other experiment regarding the AIO format began with episodes #428a, "The Eternal Birthday" and #428b, "Imaginary Friend", two quarter-hour episodes designed to air within the same half-hour time slot. Each "half-episode" was independent of the other, and generally tended to the comical because of the limited development possible in a shorter time frame. After ten such "splits", the idea was abandoned (AIO fans claimed splits catered to a declining attention span among youth.)
Current Format:[]
The current format, for most episodes, is thus:
- musical theme
- Chris's introductory welcome
- Introduction from a character (or Chris herself, in which case Chris usually does not give an additional welcome)
- Episode, with two commercial breaks
- Chris's conclusion, with episode summary, moral take-away, Bible reference, and voice, engineering, writing, and production credits
The time span in the context of the AIO plot also varies greatly. The shortest episode is #223: “Real Time”; the episode covers events that take place in approximately, 22 minutes and 51 seconds. However, other episodes contain events in Odyssey that may occur over more than a month, for example, #182: “The Scales of Justice” and #202: “Timmy's Cabin”.