Has Streaming Improved TV or Just Changed It

[RomoneyWalters]

The streaming era has produced some of the most ambitious television ever made, shows with film-level budgets, genuine creative freedom, and no network interference. It has also produced an overwhelming volume of content, the death of the weekly episode experience, and a cancellation culture that makes viewers reluctant to invest in new shows.

The Bear, House of the Dragon, Severance, Shogun, and others represent genuine creative achievement. But the discovery problem, working out what to watch from an endless catalogue, is real. And the disappearing shows problem, series cancelled after one season before they reach a conclusion, has made many viewers more cautious.

Is TV better now than it was in the cable era, or just different?

[Tia88]

Better in peaks, worse in average quality, radically different in how you experience it. The best shows are better than anything the cable era produced. The sheer volume of mediocre content is also unprecedented