The benefit of long-form storytelling (Off-Topic)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 13:00 (735 days ago) @ Cody Miller

Totally agree that much of what is on streaming channels is full of filler. I wouldn't be too quick to prejudge, though. I think long-form TV drama is currently the premier art form. It can do things that movies can't do, just as novels can do things that short stories can't do. I look forward to hearing your opinion.

Yes and no.

First of all, the economics of TV don't really let you say, put the audience inside the cockpit of an F-18 Super Hornet. Feature films will always have the advantage when it comes to this type of spectacle and experience.

Second of all, the runtime of a film can vary greatly. An 80 min horror movie is really different than a 210 minute epic with an intermission. One is a 'short story', while the other I think can absolutely approach a novel, with the benefit of preventing the filler that plagues TV.

But generally yes. TV is where you can really get into the characters and the world when done well.

However, Long Form TV is not the premiere artform. There is one other artform that can in theory do everything long form TV can, plus a bunch of stuff it can't:

Video Games.

"There is another." Heh.

When I say premier, I'm packing in a lot: audience and cultural reach plus quality of the narrative. Even then, I'd say only a handful qualify as S tier. The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul. I'm honestly shocked to include Andor on that list, but I think it's that good.

With the exception of The Last of Us [still avoiding spoilers for part ii], I've yet to see video games get to that level. I don't play enough of them these days to make any assertions, though.