I saw this happen with Hyakushou Kizoku / Noble Farmer, it was officially 3 seasons made separately, but it numbered the episodes consecutively and even included episodes not broadcast on TV within its numbering. So thetvdb labels the first episode of the second season is S02E01, while tmdb thinks that it is S01E13, but it is episode number 15 according to its in-show title.
In the end, what is called a season is just quite arbitrary and up to the rights holders.
My feeling is a budget / production commitee / crew is put together for each season, and even if cours were split they were planned and announced together, but this is not always true either. Two or more seasons can be planned and announced at the same time, in some cases seasons aligns with major story arcs and there can be a production time gap in the middle of an arc.
I imagine people designing database for these stuff pulling their hairs out trying to get it right, only to have some wacky show break their assumption…… again.
I saw this happen with Hyakushou Kizoku / Noble Farmer, it was officially 3 seasons made separately, but it numbered the episodes consecutively and even included episodes not broadcast on TV within its numbering. So thetvdb labels the first episode of the second season is S02E01, while tmdb thinks that it is S01E13, but it is episode number 15 according to its in-show title.
In the end, what is called a season is just quite arbitrary and up to the rights holders.
My feeling is a budget / production commitee / crew is put together for each season, and even if cours were split they were planned and announced together, but this is not always true either. Two or more seasons can be planned and announced at the same time, in some cases seasons aligns with major story arcs and there can be a production time gap in the middle of an arc.
I imagine people designing database for these stuff pulling their hairs out trying to get it right, only to have some wacky show break their assumption…… again.