Keri Russell’s titular ambassador Kate Wyler will be getting less screen time when The Diplomat returns on Oct. 31. And that’s because the Netflix drama itself has been cut down in size: Season 2 consists of just six episodes.

In an interview with TVLine, series creator Debora Cahn reveals that the call to reduce the episode count from eight (which was Season 1’s total) to six came from inside the house.

“It was my decision,” the EP shares, before noting, “[Netflix] was not happy. They wanted the full eight.”

Cahn attributes the episode shortfall to limited bandwidth. “I was really tired,” she says with a chuckle. “It was a time thing. It felt like there wasn’t enough time to turn around eight of them. It was a lot to do in what appeared to be a short period of time.”

As Cahn explains, the gap between Seasons 1 and 2 was originally slated to be less than the 18 months it turned out to be. “Had we known it was going to be a year and a half before we got back on the air,” she says, “it would’ve been different.”

The good news is that Cahn and Co. pack a lot into Season 2’s six-hour running time. And the even better news is that the already-commissioned third season will mark a return to form for The Diplomat. Confirms Cahn: “Season 3 will be eight episodes.”