Why is the TV landscape so boring?

[Gaz0680]

I would absolutely agree with ghe OP if he was referring purely to the main free to air commercial networks - they do indeed mostly show boring repetitive stuff (reality tv, procedural cop shows, soaps, mostly horrendous sitcoms). Good tv can rarely be found there anymore.

 

however, there is now more choice than ever on tv to watch a quality show you are interested in through cable channels, streaming tv like netflix or Stan, itunes, apple tvs, etc.

Modern television has moved forward to allow the viewer to choose what they want to watch when they want to watch it, instead of having a very limited choice from 4 or so free to air channels where you have to watch the show at a prescribed time or miss out like in the past.

Additionally, new tv series are generally no longer episodic, but have become even more addictive. Where previously people would have to wait for the next new episode of their favourite show each week, now there is an increased tendency to binge watch a tv series and watch a whole season in a couple of days. 

Tv has changed significantly, but overall is less boring and prescribed than ever before.

 

 

[Martini Sigil]

I'm not sure if this is a troll post, or if its just worded awkwardly ...

I think most of us would assert that for every Mr. Robot, or the Expanse... there are a multitude of formulaic garbage littering the cable line-up... Many of us like a show for a few seasons, and then --because of its success.... it inevitably starts to slide downhill.... If you read this forum, many of us have become disappointed with the Walking Dead, GoT, Vikings, etc.... and justifiably so...

So while the showrunners and network execs for Black Sails, Breaking Bad and Banshee all wisely decided to end these franchises on a high note --thus preserving the integrity of these brands (which in my opinion, is a more financially responsible decision as well).... there are Dexter, True Blood, and Sons of Anarchy which all went way too long out of greed ....

So to get back to the OP.... yeah.... there's a lot of things that suck --that should be, could be much better--because of a combination of network greed, lack of originality, and good old fashioned bad writing...

[Nictarion]

^Banshee most certainly did not end on a high note. The last season was pretty awful imho. 

Wrt to the OP (which does feel like a troll), there's plenty of great tv out there. It's just a matter of finding it. That's no different than any other form of entertainment though. 

[RedEyedGhost]

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 1:09 PM, MisterOJ said:

That's where I knew that screen name from! I think you're right.

Dude's got a bone for Space Opera, a raging, rock hard 3.5" boner.

Here's the thread that started it all on the board (I only know that for a fact b/c Relic mentions that it was his first post on the board - I didn't search the entire Entertainment section) - What Happened to Space Opera?

He followed that up immediately with What Happened to Action Cartoons?  In which he does drop how he loved Clone Wars and would like another action packed sci-fi cartoon to take its place.

Then a post about Channel Drift, but he's happy that SyFy seems to be turning it around, and then a derivative post about The Expanse.

Then he gets more specific talking about the director of The 5th Element.  But can't help but hope for a space opera revival.

Here he's talking about fantasy!  Oh but wait, he once again talks about "Will Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy do for space opera what LOTR and Harry Potter did for fantasy?"

Space Opera Revival?  I didn't realize it had died.  So sad

His last thread got a little creative, by asking what HBO's next big show will be.  What does everybody think Nick thought it would be?  You get two guesses and the first doesn't count!

Space opera

It is commendable that he didn't use the words space opera in this thread though, but he definitely flirted with it "space battles," "daring military action," cgi budget... 

[Martini Sigil]

9 hours ago, Nictarion said:

^Banshee most certainly did not end on a high note. The last season was pretty awful imho. 

Wrt to the OP (which does feel like a troll), there's plenty of great tv out there. It's just a matter of finding it. That's no different than any other form of entertainment though. 

I agree that the last season was not great, especially compared to the prior seasons.... but the greater point was, that they knew to end it, and with a shortened season at that...  and didn't continue on with several more seasons of shark jumping...

[Nugget1229]

On 8/19/2016 at 1:25 PM, briantw said:

Game of Thrones is a genre show and it's currently one of the most popular shows on TV and rakes in awards by the cartload every year.  

Fair enough but let's be honest, they don't see the genre, they see the drama on HBO.  Where are the submissions/nominations/awards for the Marvel and DCU shows, Supernatural, iZombie or the SyFy shows?

I'll be honest, I don't follow the Emmys or Golden Globes or even the Sags so I'm not 100% what's being nominated but if one the above shoes got one we'd hear/read about it because it doesn't happen that often.

[briantw]

2 hours ago, Nugget1229 said:

Fair enough but let's be honest, they don't see the genre, they see the drama on HBO.  Where are the submissions/nominations/awards for the Marvel and DCU shows, Supernatural, iZombie or the SyFy shows?

I'll be honest, I don't follow the Emmys or Golden Globes or even the Sags so I'm not 100% what's being nominated but if one the above shoes got one we'd hear/read about it because it doesn't happen that often.

Do those shows deserve nominations?  I like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, but I'm not sure I'd rate either in the top five shows currently on television.  Supernatural was never good enough to deserve any major nominations, which is also the case with all of DC's shows.  I haven't seen iZombie or anything from SyFy of late (The Expanse is on my list, but I want to finish re-reading the first book before I jump in), but the last sci-fi show that I remember being worthy of being mentioned in the top five on TV was the Battlestar Galactica remake, and that was years ago.  What the sci-fi genre lacks, at least from what I've seen, is a flagship series to legitimize it.  Game of Thrones did that with televised fantasy shows.  There has yet to be a sci-fi series that has the mass appeal of Game of Thrones.

[NickGOT456]

http://www.therobinsonagency.com/pages.asp?pageid=44335

This is Phil Chalmers. He goes to schools to talk about teen killers. He says violent video games and movies are creating a generation of killers. His favorite TV shows are reality TV, Sports and Sitcoms. He appears on Fox News. He enjoys stock car racing, MMA, the UFC, NFL Football, and fast cars.
He is a Republican and a NRA and police supporter.

Should people like him broaden their horizons and get interested in a work of sci fi or fantasy?

Or is it a generation issue? His generation and culture mocked sci fi and fantasy. The new generations are moreaccepting. I find a lot of athletic military members who enjoy things like Mass Effect and Honor Harrington. Or are Military people more intelligent or a better combination of athleticism and intelligence?

Or do some people lack intelligence and creativity to enjoy those genres?

 

[red snow]

On 21/08/2016 at 0:20 AM, Martini Sigil said:

I agree that the last season was not great, especially compared to the prior seasons.... but the greater point was, that they knew to end it, and with a shortened season at that...  and didn't continue on with several more seasons of shark jumping...

Ending it on season 3 may have been ending it on a high note. They at least didn't make us watch 3 more seasons if that's what the show's quality was going to be for the remainder of its run. Something Showtime never has the decency to do.

14 hours ago, Nugget1229 said:

Fair enough but let's be honest, they don't see the genre, they see the drama on HBO.  Where are the submissions/nominations/awards for the Marvel and DCU shows, Supernatural, iZombie or the SyFy shows?

I'll be honest, I don't follow the Emmys or Golden Globes or even the Sags so I'm not 100% what's being nominated but if one the above shoes got one we'd hear/read about it because it doesn't happen that often.

I think they mainly see popularity. Many of these shows are pats on the back for being successful. They don't care about the genre trappings if they are a hit. "lost" is another example. I don't think shows should get awards based on the genre though and think it makes sense to judge soley on the merit of the drama as that's the key thing. Again, i suspect the awards are heavily weighted by wanting to confirm the public's attitude and promote shows rather than just being good. Not to say that being popular and good is mutually exclusive

12 hours ago, briantw said:

Do those shows deserve nominations?  I like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, but I'm not sure I'd rate either in the top five shows currently on television.  Supernatural was never good enough to deserve any major nominations, which is also the case with all of DC's shows.  I haven't seen iZombie or anything from SyFy of late (The Expanse is on my list, but I want to finish re-reading the first book before I jump in), but the last sci-fi show that I remember being worthy of being mentioned in the top five on TV was the Battlestar Galactica remake, and that was years ago.  What the sci-fi genre lacks, at least from what I've seen, is a flagship series to legitimize it.  Game of Thrones did that with televised fantasy shows.  There has yet to be a sci-fi series that has the mass appeal of Game of Thrones.

If I'm honest I agree with you on this. I enjoy all the shows mentioned but I don't expect them to be winning awards as there's better material out there. I don't have a problem with these shows not getting awards though. I'd also be cool with them getting one if they were eg Deadwood good. Fingers crossed something like "westworld" will be deserving of one.

[The Unborn]

Am I the only one more interested in tv shows than in movies nowadays ? That would never have been the case 10-12 years ago(at least, not for me). The TV landscape changed dramatically, with Showtime, HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and whatever else is out there. 

[Nugget1229]

16 hours ago, briantw said:

Do those shows deserve nominations?  I like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, but I'm not sure I'd rate either in the top five shows currently on television.  Supernatural was never good enough to deserve any major nominations, which is also the case with all of DC's shows.  I haven't seen iZombie or anything from SyFy of late (The Expanse is on my list, but I want to finish re-reading the first book before I jump in), but the last sci-fi show that I remember being worthy of being mentioned in the top five on TV was the Battlestar Galactica remake, and that was years ago.  What the sci-fi genre lacks, at least from what I've seen, is a flagship series to legitimize it.  Game of Thrones did that with televised fantasy shows.  There has yet to be a sci-fi series that has the mass appeal of Game of Thrones.

Honestly have no idea.  I just threw those shows out because they'd been mentioned early in the thread (and I watch Supernatural).  I don't know what the criteria is for an award; my point, which I probably lost somewhere in my babbling, is that until shows that aren't formulatic dramas and reality bs start getting nominated and winning the major networks won't even dip their toe into them. 

A large amount of the viewing public knows where to look to try find something they like and since we have some many choices now we don't need the Big 3 telling us what to like.

Troll post or not, that's my answer to the OP.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

1 hour ago, The Unborn said:

Am I the only one more interested in tv shows than in movies nowadays ? That would never have been the case 10-12 years ago(at least, not for me). The TV landscape changed dramatically, with Showtime, HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and whatever else is out there. 

The high quality of tv these days has exposed the state of mainstream movies and the difficultly in telling a story within a 2-3 hour frame. I think most movies don't succeed in that at all, many have become too long, too stretched out, too badly edited and its very rare to watch a movie that is tightly plotted any more. Even in the past many movies had the same issue. 

Longer form story telling has allowed stories to be told with deeper more fleshed out characters whilst still keeping an exciting pace to proceedings. 

It used to be I was eagerly anticipating movies every year, that almost never happens now. I can barely raise an eyebrow to the next big movie, as I know it won't be up to scratch and will just be a poor attempt to start a franchise. But I cannot wait for the next GoT, Fargo, Leftovers etc.

[Nugget1229]

3 hours ago, red snow said:

<snip>

I don't think shows should get awards based on the genre though and think it makes sense to judge soley on the merit of the drama as that's the key thing.

<snip>

I agree on both points.

I'm sometimes murky when I post on the internet.  I didn't mean to say (or sound like it) that genre shows should be nominated just because.

[red snow]

2 hours ago, The Unborn said:

Am I the only one more interested in tv shows than in movies nowadays ? That would never have been the case 10-12 years ago(at least, not for me). The TV landscape changed dramatically, with Showtime, HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and whatever else is out there. 

There are still good movies out there it's just they get very little exposure at mainstream cinemas. Given everything is a franchise now it feels like the art of a well made 2 hour film has been lost. Given this, it's no wonder that we're turning to TV. More accurately film-makers and screenwriters are turning to TV too (because they get more creative freedom and reward outside of film).

It's great we're getting better tv as a consequence but I do miss the art of a well-crafted film. With the correct blend of writing/direction and acting you can still get characters as complex as a Walter White or Tony Soprano in less than 3 hours. Not to say there's anything wrong with watching 24+ hours of those two characters.

I think it may swing back at some point - especially with Netflix making its own movies.

42 minutes ago, Nugget1229 said:

I agree on both points.

I'm sometimes murky when I post on the internet.  I didn't mean to say (or sound like it) that genre shows should be nominated just because.

No worries.

[dbunting]

3 hours ago, The Unborn said:

Am I the only one more interested in tv shows than in movies nowadays ? That would never have been the case 10-12 years ago(at least, not for me). The TV landscape changed dramatically, with Showtime, HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and whatever else is out there. 

I think that the lack of quality movies and the increase in quality of televised material is why. It used to be that you had to go to a movie to get some of the edgier or more violent or adult themes and such. Not the case anymore.

[briantw]

4 hours ago, The Unborn said:

Am I the only one more interested in tv shows than in movies nowadays ? That would never have been the case 10-12 years ago(at least, not for me). The TV landscape changed dramatically, with Showtime, HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and whatever else is out there. 

It's been that way for me for about ten years now.  TV is just a much better storytelling medium.

[Werthead]

Movies are like short stories and TV shows are like novels. Sometimes you get a really outstanding movie/short story, but the limitations of the medium make that relatively rare. TV shows/novels are where the realy action is.

[red snow]

On 22/08/2016 at 7:06 PM, Werthead said:

Movies are like short stories and TV shows are like novels. Sometimes you get a really outstanding movie/short story, but the limitations of the medium make that relatively rare. TV shows/novels are where the realy action is.

Mostly in the case of SFF. Most novels can be turned into 2-3 hour films. If anything, there's a problem with some films at the moment being too long or being split into 2-3 films (most common with book series).

It's always a case of finding the best way to tell a story. If the story works best as a 4 year long tv show - go for that (and hope it gets that far) if it works best as a punchy film - go that route.

The danger with TV is that I'm not sure how many of them genuinely plan for a long form story. I guess ones that are relatively strong adaptations of a previous show, history or book can do this. But I suspect most of them have to wing it from season to season.

All that said, I'm often much happier these days to hear something announced as a cable TV show rather than a film. Take "altered Carbon", I think it could make a great film but I know it'll fare better on TV because on film it would be turned into a 2 hour PG13 action film with none of the nuances that made the book so fun. The TV show will probably focus on the nuances though.

[HexMachina]

Bigger budgets than previously for TV shows is also something I feel makes TV often better than film - they have both time and budget to really delve into the characters and story, whereas films quite often fall back on their massive budgets to make things big a flashy at the cost of the more substantial stuff

[C Rutherford]

I think one of the main reasons American television in regards to the major networks (with some bleed-over into cable) has seen such a decline in part is due to the rush to cancel.  There simply is no time to let a show develop anymore. 

And for me this has pretty much decimated the smart fun sitcom.  I'm not talking brilliant but just something that can make me laugh on a regular basis.  The last one to do that was probably the early seasons of The Big Bang Theory but it has become such a shadow of itself. Pared down to often less than 17 minutes of air without commercials while still forcing in a 'B' plot and yet often having no real story.  It doesn't help that the show persists in being about couples instead of the original idea of the four friends. 

Veep is a show that has some moments but it never quite delivers and I always feel like the show trips up over trying to be clever a lot of the times.  I want something to be almost jagged and dangerous when it comes to political humor. 

Overall though I think television actually has surpassed film as a narrative medium.  Especially those shows that can maintain just enough breakout success without falling under the weight of its own success and succumbing to marketing and expectations.  Something for me I find GOT has done.  So has Orphan Black, though I think the first two seasons of that were stellar.  Mr. Robot was phenomenal but I have not jumped into season two yet since I want to watch it this time in a focused binge.   But then again I loved London Spy which roused hatred in many.  But for some reason I find shows that can't wrap up in a season or three tend to have a sharp and sudden drop off in quality that can ruin the whole show for me in the end.

But again, a reason I find the original premise put forth by the initial poster flawed is that the new expansion of creative platforms in television also encourages shorter runs that are more self-contained.  Like Fargo.   Or American Horror Story (though I am not a fan but that is much more subjective without an issue of perceived quality).  Not only are shows able to condense their story telling but they also seem to find that conducive to telling single season story arcs that can let viewers treat the shows as one and done or if cancelled still serve up a fulfilling storyline.  Television as a whole is richer and broader. 

But I do miss good strong risk taking sitcoms that for me just aren't there.  But I think that might be more of a cultural need that hits moments and in five years or even less, the sitcom will see a revival. I think right now we are in an era of in your face almost brutal realness and that is just something people are responding to whether in fantasy, horror, procedural or even just shows hat border on being the slightly whimsical slice of life approaches.