When you scroll through Netflix or Hulu you see a multitude of mini series that are incomplete, nine episode stories, most of the time with actors who have never acted before.
Think back to a simple time, when tv shows were filled with 26 episode seasons, where we laughed, and related to a character’s mundane activities. We see an episode where they talk about their crazy parents and then we never see or hear from them again. The arc to the show is slow and the audience becomes invested in the characters as if they were their friends.
Some great examples on streaming platforms are early 2000s shows like “Gilmore Girls,” “Gossip Girl,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Friends,” “One Tree Hill,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “New Girl,” that all have this common theme that attracts many viewers.
The streaming platform’s original content is mainly short because they are not looking for recurring views like a cable show. On cable tv they want you to come back week after week. Whereas for Netflix it is more efficient to put out small series. Additionally, because of the long period between seasons, people lose interest in the characters as they forget the plot of the show by the time the next season comes out two years later.
There are two types of streaming shows mainly; really deep, meaningful shows like “Euphoria,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Stranger Things,” or shows that have subpar acting, and are focused on romance between high schoolers “RiverDale,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “Meet The Walter Boys,” “Never Have I Ever,” and “Ginny and Georgia.” These both have their own issues in my opinion.
When I watch tv for the most part I watch to unwind, relax, and watch some light hearted shows. These deep, depressing shows are hard to watch as they build up so quickly, and have no light hearted funny moments as they are compressed together. These often have better actors as it is appealing and more fulfilling for actors to make more serious work. So that is one positive of this genre, but it is just simply too serious and too depressing for the average viewing experience.
The rom com tv shows on streaming platforms lend themselves to bad acting, with little build up, and ridiculous situations. This may be controversial but “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is the epitome of this genre. The actors, if you look them up, have literally never acted before in their lives. The plot is usually ridiculous as Belly is so wishy-washy and pitting two brothers against each other. For some reason they are absolutely head over heels in love with her, and somehow willing to ruin their lives and relationships at a chance to be with her.
These shows are also always written by older people trying to recreate the spirit of Gen Z. This lends itself to phrases that were used two years ago, snapchatting that makes no sense in the context of the story, and outfits that should only be worn in a corporate setting not in a high school classroom. Many shows like this are easy gimmies for the studio as they always get a lot of viewership. They are easy to binge watch and are light hearted, but the plot line and the acting are a huge turn off for the shows.
We are in a transition period for television. It is difficult balancing the economic incentives, and fast paced production rates, with good television. However, if streaming platforms want long term success with their own television series, some changes must be made.
