Procedural vs. serial: The great debate
Jun. 1st, 2006 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chrystallineProcedural: what online fans are used to calling episodic; everything gets wrapped up neatly at the end of the episode without any To Be Continueds
Serialized: two- or multi-part episodes, or a series that runs as a full sequence; missing an episode or two means missing important developments
In Favor Of: Procedural
With the Geek Audience, control is a HUGE issue. Geeks are used to making hardware bend to their will, and a noticeable percentage of the Geek Audience is comfortable with the idea of downloading, or DLing, the TV shows they like. Many of them already do it on a regular basis, for a variety of reasons, often justifying it because they 1) also watch it when it airs and 2) buy the DVD sets when they become available. The Geek Audience tends to be obsessive about their favorite shows - they don't just buy a season of the DVDs, they buy every season of the DVDs, often as soon as it becomes available.
If the show is worth it, viewers will find a way to get the missed episodes. For a few years now, Geek Audiences have been DLing shows they can't get any other way; online groups frequently discuss the frustration of being years behind in broadcasts and wonder why TPTB at their favorite shows don't release episodes simultaneously world-wide. With the era of global communication on the web, they do know what they're missing, and they don't like it at all.
On the idea that syndication is a big incentive to go procedural, I have to ask - why can't syndication networks also play episodes in order? They often don't, but why not? It just seems silly to pay to play a show and then mishmash the episodes like ingredients in a blender.
I don't agree with the conclusion that cellular is the future of television. While it is true that there are people, mostly teens, who like to use their cell phones to play music and shows, I think the majority prefer bigger screens. The future of television is the internet, not cell phones.
In Favor Of: Serial
Well, I don't know what a TV critic's opinion is worth, but the audience's opinion should carry some weight, and audiences in general prefer good, well-told stories. They want characters with whom they can identify, who make them laugh and cry and love and think, and they want conflict and resolution and villains they can hate. If the TV critics think those are good things, then I'd guess the critics' opinions are pretty useful.
This is very significant to the Geek Audience, many of whom are also voracious readers. There's no reason not to assess TV as an art form - it is one, though it is frequently undervalued as such, due to the prejudice in favor of The Silver Screen - and the Geek Audience will frequently discuss favorite shows with all the seriousness of literary critics. Perhaps some audiences are satisfied with thin, formulaic stories, but the fierce devotion the Geek Audience lavishes upon its favored series demands deeper, richer tales.
Serialized: two- or multi-part episodes, or a series that runs as a full sequence; missing an episode or two means missing important developments
In Favor Of: Procedural
Today, we live in an emerging era of multiplatform media and the customization of viewing habits. Fact is, we want more control about what we watch, when we watch and how we watch.
With the Geek Audience, control is a HUGE issue. Geeks are used to making hardware bend to their will, and a noticeable percentage of the Geek Audience is comfortable with the idea of downloading, or DLing, the TV shows they like. Many of them already do it on a regular basis, for a variety of reasons, often justifying it because they 1) also watch it when it airs and 2) buy the DVD sets when they become available. The Geek Audience tends to be obsessive about their favorite shows - they don't just buy a season of the DVDs, they buy every season of the DVDs, often as soon as it becomes available.
In short, the viewer is more demanding and fickle than ever before. Competition is fierce. In today's climate, if the viewer misses an episode or two of serialized programming and doesn't have TiVo or shop at iTunes, you may lose them forever.
If the show is worth it, viewers will find a way to get the missed episodes. For a few years now, Geek Audiences have been DLing shows they can't get any other way; online groups frequently discuss the frustration of being years behind in broadcasts and wonder why TPTB at their favorite shows don't release episodes simultaneously world-wide. With the era of global communication on the web, they do know what they're missing, and they don't like it at all.
On the idea that syndication is a big incentive to go procedural, I have to ask - why can't syndication networks also play episodes in order? They often don't, but why not? It just seems silly to pay to play a show and then mishmash the episodes like ingredients in a blender.
I don't agree with the conclusion that cellular is the future of television. While it is true that there are people, mostly teens, who like to use their cell phones to play music and shows, I think the majority prefer bigger screens. The future of television is the internet, not cell phones.
In Favor Of: Serial
Still, when it comes to telling big stories, and to creating buzz -- particularly among my TV critic colleagues, whatever we may be worth -- well-drawn, smartly executed serials are the gold standard.
Well, I don't know what a TV critic's opinion is worth, but the audience's opinion should carry some weight, and audiences in general prefer good, well-told stories. They want characters with whom they can identify, who make them laugh and cry and love and think, and they want conflict and resolution and villains they can hate. If the TV critics think those are good things, then I'd guess the critics' opinions are pretty useful.
And looking at TV as art form -- probably something we critics do more than we should -- serials let writers tell better stories. They offer the size and depth of a novel.
This is very significant to the Geek Audience, many of whom are also voracious readers. There's no reason not to assess TV as an art form - it is one, though it is frequently undervalued as such, due to the prejudice in favor of The Silver Screen - and the Geek Audience will frequently discuss favorite shows with all the seriousness of literary critics. Perhaps some audiences are satisfied with thin, formulaic stories, but the fierce devotion the Geek Audience lavishes upon its favored series demands deeper, richer tales.