Written by: Kevin Berge
At one point in human existence, you could not just Netflix and chill with friends. You had to put in the extra effort of putting in a DVD in a player. Once it was even a VHS tape! (Image Courtesy of: extremetech.com)
As the fall season for television rapidly approaches, TV shows new and old are close to returning with just about the lowest levels of hype I can ever remember. Do you know what the top new shows of 2017 are? Before I looked up a list (Rotten Tomatoes has a comprehensive list), I certainly didn't.
Take out HBO's The Deuce, a 70s period piece on the porn industry featuring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, which is likely to be worth a binge watch, and the list is fairly barren. Granted I'm not much of a comedy aficionado, so Fox's Ghosted and Star Trek parody The Orville were never going to appeal much to me (but also look terrible).
Still, there have always been interesting new shows to watch. Besides Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, almost all I watch on TV as it airs these days are The CW superhero shows alongside Agents of SHIELD. I like to stumble onto good shows every now and then to add to the watchlist.
Take out HBO's The Deuce, a 70s period piece on the porn industry featuring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, which is likely to be worth a binge watch, and the list is fairly barren. Granted I'm not much of a comedy aficionado, so Fox's Ghosted and Star Trek parody The Orville were never going to appeal much to me (but also look terrible).
Still, there have always been interesting new shows to watch. Besides Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, almost all I watch on TV as it airs these days are The CW superhero shows alongside Agents of SHIELD. I like to stumble onto good shows every now and then to add to the watchlist.
Last year brought with it Westworld and Atlanta which are among the top shows I am looking out for going forward not to mention many series I enjoyed if not quite latching onto including Preacher, The Good Place, and This Is Us. Each had its own charm and clearly attracted an audience.
Unfortunately, the main shows that I might have been pulled to just sound terrible. It has been clear for a while that Inhumans would tank on debut. Star Trek Discovery has potential, but you can color me skeptical. All I've got left is The Gifted which looks more like a Heroes reboot than an X-Men series.
So far, most shows that have debuted this year have been underwhelming. American Gods has potential but felt too much like a slog in its first season. The Sinner had an intriguing premise but failed to grab me in the way the similarly dark Mr. Robot from the USA Network had me from episode one.
This isn't a complaint though about the decline of TV show quality in general though but just how it is distributed. In fact, the very name "TV show" is beginning to feel outdated as the best shows coming out right now are no longer being distributed weekly starting in the fall.
Unfortunately, the main shows that I might have been pulled to just sound terrible. It has been clear for a while that Inhumans would tank on debut. Star Trek Discovery has potential, but you can color me skeptical. All I've got left is The Gifted which looks more like a Heroes reboot than an X-Men series.
So far, most shows that have debuted this year have been underwhelming. American Gods has potential but felt too much like a slog in its first season. The Sinner had an intriguing premise but failed to grab me in the way the similarly dark Mr. Robot from the USA Network had me from episode one.
This isn't a complaint though about the decline of TV show quality in general though but just how it is distributed. In fact, the very name "TV show" is beginning to feel outdated as the best shows coming out right now are no longer being distributed weekly starting in the fall.
Jessica Jones is Netflix's masterpiece. No need to argue or @ me. You know it's the truth. (Image Courtesy of: syfy.com)
As I have noted a few times, HBO is the exception here, but streaming services have clearly changed what a series can be. Netflix is certainly the big name in this conversation, but this also applies to Amazon Prime and Hulu who both have accredited series that are beginning to outshine the major networks.
While I enjoy the superhero genre on The CW, Netflix has dominated the genre with its growing universe including Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The network also released The Crown and Stranger Things which have been joined this year by GLOW and Castlevania, not to mention shows like Ozark, Dear White People, and 13 Reasons Why which I have yet to see.
It was not that long ago that it seemed we were in the golden age of television with the greatest series outshining the best movies and proving longer form storytelling might just be the better medium for entertaining. Many of the shows that defined that era including Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire are all gone.
The only real holdover at this point is Game of Thrones which has arguably fallen from its pedestal. The industry has moves into a new era that is only beginning to form, a streaming era that is steadily changing how we view television. It may not be long before the fall release schedule has completely disappeared.
In its place, we will have the streaming model where these services spread out their old and new shows throughout the year and dump them all at once for the viewing public. There will still be good and bad series (Netflix has many terrible shows and even more mediocre), but the change should move away from a fundamental issue with TV shows today.
Too often the most popular shows on mainstream networks are defined by a singular focus: establishing and maintaining the status quo. Those who tune in must be able to immediately latch onto the series and stay entertained without feeling confused or lost.
This is obviously a clear part of any running sitcom, but Arrow and The Flash are clear examples of this as well with an overarching plot but also a villain of the week focus. There is a reason The Defenders got away with having one overarching conflict over its run while Agents of SHIELD had to switch between three different stories to keep interest (even if they were great and well connected).
While I enjoy the superhero genre on The CW, Netflix has dominated the genre with its growing universe including Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The network also released The Crown and Stranger Things which have been joined this year by GLOW and Castlevania, not to mention shows like Ozark, Dear White People, and 13 Reasons Why which I have yet to see.
It was not that long ago that it seemed we were in the golden age of television with the greatest series outshining the best movies and proving longer form storytelling might just be the better medium for entertaining. Many of the shows that defined that era including Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire are all gone.
The only real holdover at this point is Game of Thrones which has arguably fallen from its pedestal. The industry has moves into a new era that is only beginning to form, a streaming era that is steadily changing how we view television. It may not be long before the fall release schedule has completely disappeared.
In its place, we will have the streaming model where these services spread out their old and new shows throughout the year and dump them all at once for the viewing public. There will still be good and bad series (Netflix has many terrible shows and even more mediocre), but the change should move away from a fundamental issue with TV shows today.
Too often the most popular shows on mainstream networks are defined by a singular focus: establishing and maintaining the status quo. Those who tune in must be able to immediately latch onto the series and stay entertained without feeling confused or lost.
This is obviously a clear part of any running sitcom, but Arrow and The Flash are clear examples of this as well with an overarching plot but also a villain of the week focus. There is a reason The Defenders got away with having one overarching conflict over its run while Agents of SHIELD had to switch between three different stories to keep interest (even if they were great and well connected).
Okay, maybe we'll never have another Breaking Bad, but Netflix will always have Breaking Bad to stream at any time (or at least it better). (Image Courtesy of: acsta.net)
The Golden Age TV shows showed just how much can be done with this medium while largely avoiding the hang ups of network airing, but most cannot. Netflix's original series may all have their own limitations, but there is a greater freedom to these shows that is often lacking on mainstream TV.
I enjoy binging series because I set my own pace. If I did not choose to live tweet Raw and SmackDown (even then I miss episodes), there is not a single show I would intentionally watch live as it airs because that commitment weekly is too stringent.
Series creators are also not tied to structure. Netflix shows often are not nearly as long as other TV shows because there is no need for excess. The episodes are all a part of one story to tell over the course of one season.
The next era in TV could be the best yet if the right creators are at the helm, and it could be another opportunity for TV to eclipse film in quality (with it possible they already are in popularity). The next Breaking Bad could be right around the corner, the next show that rewrites the rules of TV, and Netflix or Amazon Prime will likely be its home.
On one hand, I am happy this is the way series are heading because it allows an extra freedom never before seen. However, I do also feel a tinge of regret. I still remember waking up each Saturday morning to watch cartoons as a kid, desperately trying to make sure I recorded every episode.
There was an anticipation behind that excitement that future generations may never quite feel. Plus binging often leads to huge time sinks followed by empty time where there's nothing worth investing time in. Even knowing there's always more to discover does nothing to take away that sense that something is lost without the waiting.
Still, this is the way entertaining in going whether we like it or not. Before long, we may drop the name TV shows all together and just begin calling them film series if Netflix doesn't take over the world and turn everything into a Netflix original.
I enjoy binging series because I set my own pace. If I did not choose to live tweet Raw and SmackDown (even then I miss episodes), there is not a single show I would intentionally watch live as it airs because that commitment weekly is too stringent.
Series creators are also not tied to structure. Netflix shows often are not nearly as long as other TV shows because there is no need for excess. The episodes are all a part of one story to tell over the course of one season.
The next era in TV could be the best yet if the right creators are at the helm, and it could be another opportunity for TV to eclipse film in quality (with it possible they already are in popularity). The next Breaking Bad could be right around the corner, the next show that rewrites the rules of TV, and Netflix or Amazon Prime will likely be its home.
On one hand, I am happy this is the way series are heading because it allows an extra freedom never before seen. However, I do also feel a tinge of regret. I still remember waking up each Saturday morning to watch cartoons as a kid, desperately trying to make sure I recorded every episode.
There was an anticipation behind that excitement that future generations may never quite feel. Plus binging often leads to huge time sinks followed by empty time where there's nothing worth investing time in. Even knowing there's always more to discover does nothing to take away that sense that something is lost without the waiting.
Still, this is the way entertaining in going whether we like it or not. Before long, we may drop the name TV shows all together and just begin calling them film series if Netflix doesn't take over the world and turn everything into a Netflix original.