3 ms·

My personal theory on this is prestige TV is in a recession. After Game of thrones season 8, people wonder why they should invest into a show when there’s a hi

My personal theory on this is prestige TV is in a recession. After Game of thrones season 8, people wonder why they should invest into a show when there’s a high chance it won’t pay off. Even for a good show it can feel like work. That plus the high cost for studios and over abundance of supply, meant studios pulled back. Instead we’re seeing a reemergence of low effort TV. And YouTube plays nicely into that. At some point this pendulum may swing back (remember in 2000s when everything was low effort reality TV).

ac29 1y ago
> After Game of thrones season 8, people wonder why they should invest into a show when there’s a high chance it won’t pay off. GoT was going downhill way before the final season. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by investing in a show. TV watching should be enjoyable, you dont have to watch things you dont like hoping for a payoff later on.
- softwaredoug 1y ago
  When I see a show has 2 seasons (like Andor) and it’s finished. And I see it’s well reviewed I’m definitely in. The creators thought out a compete arc. When a (non episodic) show is in 3 out of ?? seasons even if everything is good so far, I’m now skeptical. Not just GoT but shows like Westworld leave me wondering if I wasted my time.
- kelnos 1y ago
  Many people (myself included) enjoy TV shows that have an ongoing story. Ideally we want that story to come to a satisfying end, eventually. It's disappointing when, after watching it for tens or hundreds of hours, the team behind the show delivers a sub-par ending, or no real ending at all. Sure, there are lots of episodic shows out there where each episode can be enjoyed (or not) on its own, and if the show starts going downhill, you can just stop watching, and it's not that big a deal. > you dont have to watch things you dont like hoping for a payoff later on. No, but it's disappointing when I watch something I do like for years, and then the payoff never materializes. Sure, that doesn't erase the enjoyment of watching it over those years, but not getting that payoff feels like leaving us hanging off a ledge.
  - netsharc 1y ago
    I wonder how the GoT writers couldn't see that they were blowing it with season 8 (is it even the whole season, or just the last 2 episodes). Some commenters rationalize that Daenarys was always going to lose her shit, but the way it was handled in "that episode" was very unsatisfactory. I guess the writers wrote themselves into a corner because they had to work with what they've already broadcast, unlike a book author who can go back and rewrite plenty of stuff across the book when they find they need to establish something for the climax...
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- Izkata 1y ago
  Being "invested in a show" is using "invested" in a slightly different sense than monetary investments. It's not hoping for a payoff later, it means the show has already caught your attention and you actively want to see the next episode, that you're excited for it.
Gigachad 1y ago
YouTube has a ton of decent effort content. Like it’s not nearly as expensive as traditional TV episodes but it’s not total slop. I can watch hour long videos of people building impressive projects, engineering products, performing interesting tests, etc. The kind of content you never would have got on traditional TV.
- tguedes 1y ago
  Do you have recommendations? I've been struggling to find a good one since Outdoor Boys shut down.
mortsnort 1y ago
https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-tvs-golden-age https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-tvs-g... This is a pretty well known fact. Netflix is the best example. They created the prestige streaming market with House of Cards, and now they're primarily using algorithms to create low-cost reality shows and cheap disaster documentaries.

ac29 1y ago

> After Game of thrones season 8, people wonder why they should invest into a show when there’s a high chance it won’t pay off. GoT was going downhill way before the final season. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by investing in a show. TV watching should be enjoyable, you dont have to watch things you dont like hoping for a payoff later on.

softwaredoug 1y ago
When I see a show has 2 seasons (like Andor) and it’s finished. And I see it’s well reviewed I’m definitely in. The creators thought out a compete arc. When a (non episodic) show is in 3 out of ?? seasons even if everything is good so far, I’m now skeptical. Not just GoT but shows like Westworld leave me wondering if I wasted my time.
kelnos 1y ago
Many people (myself included) enjoy TV shows that have an ongoing story. Ideally we want that story to come to a satisfying end, eventually. It's disappointing when, after watching it for tens or hundreds of hours, the team behind the show delivers a sub-par ending, or no real ending at all. Sure, there are lots of episodic shows out there where each episode can be enjoyed (or not) on its own, and if the show starts going downhill, you can just stop watching, and it's not that big a deal. > you dont have to watch things you dont like hoping for a payoff later on. No, but it's disappointing when I watch something I do like for years, and then the payoff never materializes. Sure, that doesn't erase the enjoyment of watching it over those years, but not getting that payoff feels like leaving us hanging off a ledge.
- netsharc 1y ago
  I wonder how the GoT writers couldn't see that they were blowing it with season 8 (is it even the whole season, or just the last 2 episodes). Some commenters rationalize that Daenarys was always going to lose her shit, but the way it was handled in "that episode" was very unsatisfactory. I guess the writers wrote themselves into a corner because they had to work with what they've already broadcast, unlike a book author who can go back and rewrite plenty of stuff across the book when they find they need to establish something for the climax...
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
Izkata 1y ago
Being "invested in a show" is using "invested" in a slightly different sense than monetary investments. It's not hoping for a payoff later, it means the show has already caught your attention and you actively want to see the next episode, that you're excited for it.

Gigachad 1y ago

YouTube has a ton of decent effort content. Like it’s not nearly as expensive as traditional TV episodes but it’s not total slop. I can watch hour long videos of people building impressive projects, engineering products, performing interesting tests, etc. The kind of content you never would have got on traditional TV.

tguedes 1y ago
Do you have recommendations? I've been struggling to find a good one since Outdoor Boys shut down.

mortsnort 1y ago

https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-tvs-golden-age https://www.statsignificant.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-tvs-g... This is a pretty well known fact. Netflix is the best example. They created the prestige streaming market with House of Cards, and now they're primarily using algorithms to create low-cost reality shows and cheap disaster documentaries.