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[DanteFox]

It feels like in this new world of multiple streaming services (Netflix, hulu, amazon, apple tv, D+), plus all the networks putting out tv shows that basically look like movies, there are too many shows to keep up with. And there's always someone evangelizing to you about this AMAZING show that is the best show EVER, that's winning golden globes, emmy's is a complete revelation.

It used to be that it was the Wire, the Sopranos, and Breaking Bad. But now there's a new show every week (what the eff is FleaBag?). There's Barry, there's the Witcher, Messiah, blah blah blah..... and for every show, there's someone who swears it's the new shiz.

As for me, I basically ignore all that and will only watch or even try a show if it genuinely catches my interest. I watch Shark Tank, the Mandalorian, Better Call Saul, AGT and some CNN documentary stuff. That's about it.

Do you feel the need to "keep up" with the popular shows nowadays?

 

[triplestation]

Better call Saul is the only new show I'm following

I wish David Chase would get back in the game

 

[Master Of Illusion]

Entertainment is splintered. The cultural zeitgeist no longer exists.

Just choose whatever the fuck you like and that's it. At least it's easier to get a show greenlit these days (only reason why I'm throwing away $10k of my own money on shooting a pilot).

 

[haxan7]

I was thinking this myself. I was wondering if it’s cheaper and easier than ever now to make shows that look great on the surface and in trailers. I’m probably right. But then the whole artform is probably elevated beyond what it used to be, so the outliers will still be a lot better than the rest.

 

[TaySan]

I couldn't tell you since I don't have cable anymore.
I'm all about that YouTube life now.

 

[Teletraan1]

Unless I am really interested in something I usually wait for the show to come to an end or announce a final season. I am not interested in spending 10s of hours watching something that gets cancelled with no conclusion or wrapping up character arcs. So no, I don't really have much to watch atm.

 

[Punished Miku]

I only watch a handful of shows a year. Very little.

I mostly just leave youtube on in the background.

 

[Dark Star]

I only watch Netflix and Hulu. Every year I check out at least a dozen new shows, but I only stick with a few of them (AKA only watching season 1-2 and dropping it). Time and time again I go back to Breaking Bad or Lost or Dexter or another really great show. I do think having an "over-abundance" of shows/series is a good thing, though. Lots of variety and content is nice. But it does make finding a "good show" hard when you have to really dig deep for it on streaming platforms.

Some new shows I've been really enjoying :

YOU (netflix)
Mr. Inbetween (hulu)
After Life (netflix)
The Witcher (netflix)
Living with Yourself (netflix)

 

[Cutty Flam]

I watch certain anime so I really only leave room for Breaking Bad (watched it twice, favorite show of all time) and Better Call Saul which is so amazing I never would have thought it could be even close to Breaking Bad but it definitely holds its own

All these other shows just make me sick to my stomach even thinking about. I don't even have the slightest inclination to watch Game of Thrones. And all these other mediocre shit shows like Orange is the New Black, they make me sick. To know that there actually morons getting paid to put out such horrendous content and it floods the mainstream makes me want to be even more selective of what I see. But literally, these are the only tv shows that arent cartoons that I've seen a lot of or finished:

-The Brady Bunch (finished and watched all episodes)
-The Cosby Show [lmao] (watched every episode im sure)
-Breaking Bad (masterpiece)
-Better Call Saul (Excellent)
-The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (Very solid show, seen a handful of episodes, it was never incredible to me, but it was entertaining)
-Cheers (seen basically every episode, classic but idk how i managed to watch them all, maybe the cast was just that cohesive because the show itself was very straightforward)
-I Love Lucy (seen a handful of episodes mainly because Nick @ NIte)
-Twilight Zone (maybe ive seen 1/8th of all the episodes; timeless classics)

Those shows are what I've invested time in, every one of them except BB and BCS were watched as a small kid late 90s to early 2000s at latest

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I'm only waiting on The Boys S2 & Mando S2 right now but I have Watchmen to watch and I need to get around to finishing off Six Feet Under and finally starting The Sopranos.

But there is a lot of steaming services who want your money and your time for investment in these shows so they can carry on. There's so much media now that you'd need like ten life times to consume ALL of it. I know with the constant releases and how quick social media has made things start and stop within a week and Netflix's binge watching releases have no staying power just makes it hard for shows to really matter in the long run or stick with you.

There are things I can criticise Breaking Bad for and Game of Thrones but they were the last shows coming out late 2000s/early 2010s and getting a lot of attention that people invested in. Nothing will fill their place now because of how fast things move... Sure people are jumping on The Witcher as a GoT replacement but give it a few more weeks for something else to come out and it'll be forgotten.

 

[Bullet Club]

A lot of shows are being made at the moment.

US hits 532 scripted titles | TV Tonight

Not even the pros can keep up with all this content...

tvtonight.com.au

The annual tally is compiled by FX, but CEO John Landgraf -who coined the term Peak TV some years ago- has previously warned that more is not necessarily better.

“There is too much story. There is too much story,” Landgraf said in 2018. That leads to the “inability to surprise the public, to offer something that seems really new, really new.”

“Given that the streaming wars are now at hand, that total will increase substantially this year, which to me is just bananas,” he said.

He added it was “a crazy race to keep such a huge conveyor of content running.”

 

[Mista]

I don't feel the need to keep up, not really no. Lots of TV shows yes but lots of mediocre at best shows

We don't have lots of quality shows out there so keeping up isn't an issue at all. To me at least

 

[Armorian]

In last few months I watched:

- Mandalorian, good 7/10
- Mr. Robot, amazing as a whole, 9/10
- The Boys, amazing 9/10
- Expanse s4, good but left me in no desire for s5 8/10
- The Witcher, good 7.5/10

Right now I'm watching Mani n the High Castle s4 and it's great.

There maybe gazilion of diiferent tv shows but I only watch the best ones, don't have time for medicore shit.

 

[GreyHorace]

There have been always too many tv shows. But I think with the rise of streaming services there is a lot more quality tv now. TV is no longer the disposable entertainment like it was when I was growing up. People have the resources to make TV shows equal to movies in terms of production (The Mandalorian being the biggest example).

Mind you, I do think there is a lot of crap out there still. But I'll not deny the wealth of choice we have now for our viewing pleasure.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Theres a content bubble right now - itll burst soon enough dont worry

 

[The Cockatrice]

In last few months I watched:

- Mandalorian, good 7/10
- Mr. Robot, amazing as a whole, 9/10
- The Boys, amazing 9/10
- Expanse s4, good but left me in no desire for s5 8/10
- The Witcher, good 7.5/10

Right now I'm watching Mani n the High Castle s4 and it's great.

There maybe gazilion of diiferent tv shows but I only watch the best ones, don't have time for medicore shit.

Agreed on the scores except maybe I'd rate The Mandalorian higher but Mr Robot without a doubt was fucking incredible. I think there are a ton of decent/good shows but rarely do we get something as amazing as Mr Robot.

 

[Hypereides]

Yeah, I think its gotten oversaturated by now. Every major corporation wants your attention through their service. They're spitting out one TV series after another in hopes they'll become the next big hit.

Entertainment is splintered. The cultural zeitgeist no longer exists.

Just choose whatever the fuck you like and that's it. At least it's easier to get a show greenlit these days (only reason why I'm throwing away $10k of my own money on shooting a pilot).

This. There's an over abundance of content across all entertainment industries atm.

 

[Hinedorf]

All the best stuff is premium content, paying for cable is basically paying for housewife shows and live sports.

Best shows of the year to me:
Succession - HBO
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Prime
Mandalorian - Disney
Witcher -Netflix

 

[jufonuk]

too many shows and well not enough quality shows,

yeah the wire, sopranos, breaking bad, friends, fraiser, early x-files and next gen are some of the best TV ever, haven't seen the shield.

there is a lot more i want to see UK tv based also

 

[Grinchy]

I'm loving it. I've started to really prefer shows over movies because of all the time a good writer has to breathe.

You just have to pick and choose and not watch everything. Some people will tell you a show like The Walking Dead is mandatory viewing, but that show sucks. It's hard to know who to trust, but find your tastes and you'll have a mountain of content out there that's like it.

 

[Fbh]

Nah, more choices and variety is great. Some people just have this thing where they feel they need to watch everything which is definitely overwhelming, but for me it just means I generally have something to watch while before there would be stretches of months I wouldn't really watch anything.

Also accessing most of this stuff is easier than ever. Want to watch the Witcher? just subscribe to Netflix for a month and all chapters are there for you to watch whenever you want. No need for contracts, no need to record it or wait for re runs or having to make the time on specific dates at specific hours.

 

[Elektro Demon]

Having more choices is great. I don-t think there's too much shows. But I think there's too much streaming/subscriptions companies.

 

[Javthusiast]

There is too much of everything. Games. movies, tv shows, anime/manga, porn, porn, porn...*cough* I mean just too much to consume. But nobody is forced to and there is something for everybody to pick and choose.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Yes, there is too much media in general, too much for any one person to reasonably consume. We entered an IP crunch once the zoomers reached the age of consumers (which is why the youths are still into 25+ year old franchises like Pokemon) and it will only get worse. On the plus side, consumers will be more interested in seeking out niche franchises which will result in dusty old games/movies/shows magically getting popular out of the blue.

 

[DKehoe]

It can be a bit paralysing trying to decide what to watch. And it’s a pity that there are so few shows that everyone is sharing the experience of together. I guess the big exception in recent times has been Game of Thrones.

We’re all just constantly having shows recommended to each other and saying “oh yeh, I need to get round to that” but we never will.

 

[VGEsoterica]

It’s hard to keep up with everything new that is good at this point. That doesn’t stop me from trying lol

 

[Doom85]

It's enough for me keeping up with video games, movies, and anime/cartoons that I don't check out much live-action shows nowadays. It doesn't help that out of all mediums they seem to be the most likely to go off-the-rails, sure there's plenty of live-action shows that stay strong and stick their landing, but it feels there's even more that don't. Sure that can happen in other mediums too (look at Darling in the Franxxx as an anime that started strong for a lot of people and then the last 7 or so episodes was batshit insanity and not in a good way). So I'd really rather wait for a live-action show to finish and see what the general consensus was rather than investing a ton of time in something that might just be a waste in the end.

 

[Iukufumasi]

Probably, especially now with all the streaming services.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

More or less I feel like the number of tv shows is the same. It’s just that in the old days they would all be on your tv you just flip thru channels, now each channel is its own subscription based service, it’s way more work to even just browse shows

 

[dorkimoe]

yes because my interests cover such a wide range of shows. I have like 5 im watching at one time and a backlog of like 20 and new shit keeps coming out.

 

[zeorhymer]

There's always been too many channels. You had like 400 channels on cable tv now you have 10+ providers with 100 things to watch on them.

 

[DanteFox]

All the best stuff is premium content, paying for cable is basically paying for housewife shows and live sports.

Best shows of the year to me:
Succession - HBO
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Prime
Mandalorian - Netflix
Witcher -Netflix

Wrong. I guess we know who pirates their shows.

It can be a bit paralysing trying to decide what to watch. And it’s a pity that there are so few shows that everyone is sharing the experience of together. I guess the big exception in recent times has been Game of Thrones.

We’re all just constantly having shows recommended to each other and saying “oh yeh, I need to get round to that” but we never will.

Yes!!! You get it!!!

 

[mcz117chief]

Yes, there are, because there is a demand for them. At least that is what I think is the reason. The latest "show" I have watched is probably Spartacus Blood and Sand (it is amazing) but that ended 5 years ago. Now I just watch good anime shows (there are like 2 in a century) and old stuff like Deep Space 9 or Ghost in the Shell. None of the modern "drama" shows interest me. They don't have the savage, artistic or intellectual value of the aforementioned shows. They just feel like products to be consumed as they siphon your brain.

 

[Hinedorf]

Wrong. I guess we know who pirates their shows.


Yes!!! You get it!!!

I take offense to that. I pay for cable, netflix, prime, cbs, hulu, disney+. I pirate my porn thank you very much, streaming boobs is for the poors!

 

[Kenpachii]

Only mandalorian i care about atm. Nothing else is interesting.

 

[poppabk]

I do feel that a lot of good shows, or average shows just get lost in the shuffle now. Its just hard to keep up with the shows that don't reach the social zeitgeist. I just started watching the Detour which has 3 seasons already and I had never heard of it, just figured I would give it a try when it popped up on Hulu.

 

[jason10mm]

We'll see in 20-30 years when this era hits the "nostalgia phase" like the 80s and now the 90s. I think it will be lot harder to find stuff that even a large minority of folks care about just because of how distributed everything is.

Gonna be GOT remakes forever!!!!

 

[420bits]

Not really, it's all about skipping the least interesting ones, one day you find that you don't have anything to watch because you're all caught up and then it's nice to have a backlog.

I don't have time to follow all the new series everyone is talking about, nor do I want to because then I wouldn't have time to game or have an actual life.

 

[Gargus]

I am always flipping through Netflix or amazon and I'll see something that looks interesting and I'll look at it and say "series? No thank you" and keep on going. I pass up a lot of stuff just because it's a series.

The Boys I loved and a few other recent series but on the whole I fucking hate series. But I know "binging" is the new cool thing so it's what everyone is trying to get binge able content to attract customers.

I'd be more inclined to watch something if was advertised as a limited series. Like something where the entire story is told in like 8 episodes and it has a definitive end to it and is over. But everything just keeps going and going.

Pretty much I am just a movie guy now. And most of them I watch are from the 60s to 90s.

 

[Iukufumasi]

Peak TV Update: Scripted Originals Top 500 in 2019, FX Says

FX on Thursday used its time at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour to provide its annual update about the state of Peak TV, specifically the number of scripted originals.

FX CEO John Landgraf predicted in December 2018 that total scripted volume in 2019 would top 530 originals. According to data compiled by FX's research team, Landgraf's prediction was accurate. Total volume of U.S. scripted original dramas, comedies and limited series was 532, up 7 percent year-over-year.

 

[MaestroMike]

No I want as many TV shows as possible as long as they're quality I binge through seasons quick. I started rewatching breaking bad a month ago and I'm on the last season. Finished the Saul one quick and the last season of peaky blinders quickly I need more shows like these while I eat dinner.

 

[ipukespiders]

Between too many games to play, and too much music to listen to, I find little that interests me in contemporary tv shows or movies.

 

[Heebie Jeebies]

Only show you need in your life is Dark.