The magic of cinema is timeless, but if you’re like a lot of us, you’re probably subscribed, or at least have the password to, a number of streaming services. In recent years, since streaming services became the hottest thing, have you found yourself binging hours upon hours of a show, but unable to make it through a two-hour film? We can say with 100% certainty that it was no problem to watch all eight episodes of Stephen King’s The Outsider, but ten minutes into a movie and we’re in a deep slumber. So we got to think: are TV shows now superior to movies? Here’s what we came up with.
Character growth. With a much longer runtime than a film, TV shows give viewers the ability to learn so much more about key characters. Weirdly, after a certain amount of time, you really feel like you get attached to certain characters, meaning you just HAVE to see it through and learn what happens to them.
Unpredictability. Multiple characters means multiple storylines and little to no restrictions which means TV shows allow time for all the plot twists; not that films don’t have plot twists, but a lot more can happen when you’re working with an entire season versus a couple of hours.
Two words we love: instant gratification. When you’re streaming your favorite TV show you get to watch it whenever you want and essentially you control how long you watch it. The instant gratification part comes down to time; for instance, a thirty-minute to one-hour TV show means you’ve seen some character and plot development, so much so that after that short amount of time you’re left feeling pretty satisfied. And of course dying to watch, say it with us, just one more episode.
Complexity. TV shows tend to run multiple seasons which gives writers a ton of airtime to go in every direction with the storyline. While movies may have sequels, they are never guaranteed, and quite frankly, a person can only handle so many plot twists in a two-hour span. But multiple plot twists over multiple seasons? Sign us up.
Ability to adapt and grow. Writers have the ability to change up any detail of a show that isn’t working for audiences at any point, while movies, even if they get a sequel can only do so much at a time. In other words, TV shows have a lot more wiggle room.
At the end, who are we to say which is better? Some people prefer movies, others swear by TV shows. All we know is, nothing is better than curling up with good takeout, full access to our favorite streaming service, and a lot of spare time!
