Find longest run of identical consecutive shows
Company: Netflix
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Technical Screen
Given an array `shows` of integers, find the **maximum length of a contiguous run** where all values are equal.
### Function signature
- Input: `shows: List[int]`
- Output: `int`
### Examples
- `shows = [7, 7, 2, 2, 2, 7]` → `3` (the run `[2,2,2]`)
- `shows = []` → `0`
### Constraints
- Aim for an `O(n)` time solution with `O(1)` extra space.
Quick Answer: This question evaluates array-manipulation skills and the ability to identify contiguous runs of equal values, emphasizing algorithmic efficiency and edge-case handling within the Coding & Algorithms domain. It is commonly asked to assess practical application of linear-time, constant-space processing and attention to implementation details rather than purely theoretical concepts.