Mikayla Leskey | Arts & Entertainment Editor
When I was a preteen, before Streaming Services took over the world, I remember how much I loved speculating and theorizing about my favourite TV shows at the time, anticipating for the next episode to come out. I’d kick my family out of the living room just so I could watch my show without any interruptions.With Streaming Services, I find myself binging the series before I have any time to seriously wonder or guess what’s next. Along the same lines though, with longer run times and less restrictions we’re seeing narratives and character development that we’ve never seen before.
With the uprise of Streaming Services we’re finding ourselves with a new binge culture, causing TV writers to make more fast-paced but still enjoyable shows that make it worth watching. Especially as Streaming Services release full seasons at one time, taking a certain novelty out of the one episode a week schedule that most TV Networks assign themselves too. Although you can still speculate and theorize with each episode, you lose a sense of community and suspense with not being able to create wild and maybe-true theories whilst waiting for the new episode to premiere. You can’t really mourn over a character dying or celebrate their wins anymore with the binge-culture, at least, not until the season is over.
As well, without the interruption of ads, most writers are switching to long-form storytelling content, which is quickly changing the narrative of media as we know it. No longer stuck with repetitive or filler episodes, creators are able to go more in depth of the lore and character arcs of each respective character or plotline. Along with that, they’re able to do a more intensive storyline as they’re not as restricted with streaming platforms than they are TV Networks.
Which sometimes can lead to a show's downfall. As mentioned previously, it’s rare to see a filler episode from a streaming platform nowadays. It can get tiring watching your favourite characters go through tragedy after tragedy with no break in between, constantly trying to catch the killer or solve the mystery. Admittedly, when I was younger I absolutely detested the idea of filler episodes, let alone watching one. As I’ve grown older I found an appreciation for the content those episodes bring. It not only allows the characters a break, but also yourself. Every so often, I find myself missing the chance of seeing my favourite characters having a beachday or gossiping at sleepovers. It gives more depth to the characters in a way, allowing the viewer to see both their fun, happy side and their depressive, angry side.
Not only that, but TV Networks are typically more restrictive than Streaming Services. TV Networks typically rely on rating and broad appeal to depict what happens in their show if they want to keep streaming it. They need to make sure it captures everyone’s attention. Which for a lot of networks, this leads to a monogamous culture of the same TV show, just in different fonts. Meanwhile, Streaming Services are able to produce more diverse shows, allowing for a storyline that may never happen on Network TV to happen. It gives us more characters to look up too, along with different storylines to follow and relationships to watch. Most of which you may never see on Network TV.
Although it can be annoying at times, I find myself enjoying it when Streaming Services such as Disney+ or Hulu release one episode at a time, it brings back an undeniable nostalgic quality to the experience of watching TV. If you’re into fandom culture you can go on to pretty much any online platform to theorize and rant about your favourite show with someone else. It also gives you something to look forward to each week, knowing that every Thursday night you have a new episode of your favourite show to watch, instead of bed-rotting all day to binge a singular show. Both Streaming Services and TV Networks have their pros and cons, and for now, I’m fine with interchanging the two.
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