Submitted by monkeyskin t3_zv8gje in television
Latter_Feeling2656 t1_j1nvme3 wrote
About the only "filler" for me would be seasons churned out after the show's quality has declined, but while a portion of the audience has remained due to loyalty. The show has nothing left to say, but can still earn for someone.
An episode can be analogous to a chapter in a novel, or it can be analogous to a short story complete in itself. So a season can be analogous to a full novel, or a collection of short stories. Either sort of book can be padded with material that's only tangentially related to the designated subject.
monkeyskin OP t1_j1nwdyp wrote
It’s wild that HBO practically came straight out of the gate with a pair of shows that epitomise the best of those approaches (The Wire taking the chapter approach and The Sopranos treating their seasons as a collection of short stories building to a greater whole). As many shows that I’ve enjoyed over the two decades since (Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), most are either trying to replicate their success or just making long movies.
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