Season 1 of the animated series is 20 episodes. If every episode has a 20-minute runtime, that's 400 minutes of content. The Netflix season is 8 episodes which allows for 160 minutes of content. So, here's how I would convert the 20-episode animated series into the 8-episode Netflix series.
The first two episodes at the south pole for a strong beginning, possibly condensed into one episode, the final two episodes for the siege at the north pole for a strong ending. Priority in this order: the episode with Suki, the episode with the Blue Spirit and commander Zhao, and the episode with Jet and his freedom fighters because their characters need to be established for Season 2 and Season 3. There's seven of your eight episodes right there. Maybe they can be condensed or consolidated?
What else do we need? The scene where Aang discovers Monk Gyatzo's body at the Southern Air Temple is pretty powerful, also this is where the group finds Momo. We also need to have Avatar Roku teach Aang about the comet to set up the stakes. I would combine these to take place at the southern air temple! Maybe, maybe Roku appears to Aang in a two-minute dream to teach him about the comet and maybe Momo is just added off-screen.
What else is really, really important for Season 1? There's a lot. I think the episode with Katara and Master Paku at the North Pole is also very, very important and it includes the sub-plot for Princess Yue and Saka, also important. Anything else to establish the meaning of Katara's necklace is important. Anything to foreshadow the White Lotus is a yes. King Boomie and Omashu should be established somehow although I didn't really like this episode. Earthbenders Haru and his father are recruited for the day of black sun, so let's establish them if we can. Their episode established how the fire nation mistreats their colonists and prisoners. How Zuko got scarred in the Agni Kai is essential for his character, as well as Iroh's. If we can also work in episode 12 "The Storm" because this fleshes out Aang and Zuko and it shows their parallels. I think we need to introduce the engineer at the northern air temple because that guy's participation later is important, although that episode is frankly not one of my favorites. Some of this is getting left out, some of it is getting abridged, some of it is getting cut up and stuck together awkwardly. Lots of re-writes!
I don't think the episode with Jeong Jeong is that important, even though I really like his introduction and the scenes where Aang burns Katara and Katara discovering waterbending healing. Healing can be established at the north pole. Aang's learned hesitation for firebending is not that important except for his field trip with Zuko in Book 3, so I'm really hesitant to cut this completely.
I might take some pointers from abridged series of anime on the internet. Scenes from several Avatar animated series episodes might be mushed together in a slightly coherent way for the Avatar Netflix episodes. Each 20-minute Netflix episode might be structured like two 10-minute episodes or three 7-minute episodes. Key scenes are going to run together with a lot of suggestions that time passed in between shots or scenes.
Does anything need to be added or invented? No! We're going to have a lot of trouble making 400 minutes fit into 160 minutes.
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