I'm okay with them sticking to 25. Orb and X would have been hurt by a longer count. Although, had X been 50 they probably could have actually developed the science trio...

True, but those shows, especially Orb, were built from the ground up to be the length that they were. Orb had a much tighter storyline then most Ultra shows that I've seen, which tend to simply focus on how people react to the constant giant monster attacks rather then a big bad. If Orb in its current state had been 48-50 episode show, it would have ended up like Zyuohger. 20 episodes of plot spread across 40+ episodes. Zeed, on the other hand, is different show then Orb. If it is intended to be 48-50 episodes, it would obviously hand things much differently then Orb does.

Edit: On a side note, I think X would have actually benefited from an extra 20 episodes or so. Especially if they pulled a Mebius and reveal X to the whole team at the mid way point rather then at the end. That show had some great characters and, while most of then got a chance to shine at least once, it would have been nice to some of their relationships with each other given a bit more focus.

Is Orb a good series? Been wanting to check it out.

Its amazing. I'm not sure if I would recommend it as somebody's first Ultraman series, its a really unorthodox Ultraman series in a number of ways and might not give you a good idea of the series as a whole, but it is diffidently a show you should watch.

Which Ultraman series would you recommend me to watch before Orb? Never watched any before only seen clips on YT.

Ultraman Mebius. It has a nice balance of lighthearted and serious. Not to mention that characters in that show are absolutely amazing. Its really cool seeing an Ultraman that is very much a rookie and his relationship with the Attack Team is really good.

Max, because the answer to the question "What Ultraman should I watch?" is always Max, even if you just finished watching it.

Most definitely. I haven't really watched Ultraman since Nexus was airing and I never finished that show (not because it was bad, but because a lot started happening when it was airing).

I ended up watching Orb in 3 days due to how amazing it was. Not only that, but it was my g/f's first Ultraman series and she absolutely loved it. She has a hard time sitting through Showa era Toku no matter the series and Orb is hands down the most story driven Ultraman show I have ever seen. In fact, I'd say it is my second favorite show currently.

I kind of like the shorter episode counts as well, since it means a little less filler that we have to deal wit(Or however it's spelled) arc there had been a couple of episodes that could be labeled as filler, even if they help give a couple of characters a little more depth.

As for an Ultraman for a new fan to start watching I want to saw Gaia, yeah it was in the 90s but it's easily available on crunchyroll, as is Max and Mebius as other have mentioned, But it is more stand alone and is less reliant on using previous known monsters like current Ultra series are doing.

Hype. Recent Ultraman has been fantastic so give me more.

Old stuff: The original show
Newer stuff: Max
Even newer stuff: X