On network TV, the shows would get canceled if they didn't perform because there were only a few networks in those slots. Now that you have so many of them, so many slots, so much time to fill, do shows live on forever? Most streaming services will commit to a season. If there's big talent involved, they'll commit to two. The counter to that is that the good shows don't last as long or don't stay on forever.
Remember when everyone loved to complain how there were 150 channels on TV and nothing good to watch? It’s pretty hard to say that now. There are so many good shows being made.
Our new complaint: how hard it is to watch all those great shows, especially when they’re spread across so many streaming services—and most of them you have to pay for.
How did we get here? Bloomberg media reporter Felix Gillette has answers. He’s the co-author of the upcoming book It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO.
Felix joins this episode to break down why TV has never been better–and yet has never been more frustrating to watch. Bloomberg’s entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw also stops in to explain how this shift has changed the way Hollywood decides which shows get made--and which ones don't.
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