The Next Golden Age of Television
The past 15 years of television have been undeniably remarkable. In this time we have seen the redundantly loveable sitcom style of the 80s and 90s be tossed aside. Premium and standard cable channels everywhere are now airing long, intricate series based on complex characters that deal with deep-cutting societal issues. However, it is not hard to see that we are reaching an end of an era. With the legendary Sopranos long gone, and the end of AMC's Breaking Bad; it is not hard to tell that a change is coming. What exactly will this change encompass? Due to the immense popularity of HBO's Game of Thrones, I highly doubt that there will be a departure from the long, sprawling storylines that have come to be commonplace on cable. The way the shows are viewed will change. Since the demise of Oz, The Sopranos, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, more and more Americans have forsaken cable in lieu of a more convenient method: the internet. Netflix, Hulu, and various other streaming sites have become increasingly popular. This can be seen again by examining Games of Thrones; which has arguably the strongest underground following of any show ever. Among other accolades, it was estimated to be the most pirated show of 2012. Despite HBO's knowledge of this illicit activity it does little to shut it down because of the hype it creates around the show. Such easy access is key to determining television's new direction, because many of these shows are not even being viewed on televisions anymore. Without ratings and standards to adhere to, the internet allows for even greater creativity as shown by Netflix's recent original series' House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. While House of Cards makes use of the typical male anti-hero seen in The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, Orange is the New Black projects clearly where I believe TV is headed. The show's crudeness is on par with HBO and Showtime, however it's lead character, a woman criminal; is very new. Not to mention the scenarios that take place around her at an all female penitentiary. While still controversial, the internet allows Netflix and other production companies to put out whatever they choose for viewing without interference form cable companies. If Game of Thrones and Orange in the New Black are any indicators, then long, controversial plots viewed online are the next chapter in TV's history.
You raise an interesting issue that is implicit in, but not fully explored in, the article we read: what is the precise connection between the changing media landscape and the rise of these newer, more complex shows. I wonder if there is a connection between the passivity of the medium and the quality of the shows. That is to say, do forms that require less technological sophistication to access, such as traditional broadcast or basic cable, produce less complex forms than digital and streaming sources, which may require more work on the part of the viewer? If so, it may be the case that the rise of this higher tier of programming is actually just an extension of the digital divide.
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