re: When will they have another must see TV show?

I would say that The Boys was up there for me, but we're only a season in at this point so there's potential for it to go downhill. Dark is also a phenomenal show that I'd argue is nearly perfect

I think it's interesting to see how shows like you're referencing develop and find favor across the country.

IMO there has been a level of sophistication to all recent all-time type shows that attracted a fairly smart/nerdy audience which trickled down. Breaking Bad is a drug show, but it's a smart one that was a slow burn for a while and it took a while for people to get on board (myself included). Sopranos, GOT, Mad Men, West Wing, etc., all seemed to find favor in an influencer crowd first (media, the educated, heavy readers/film geeks, etc.) and that enthusiasm brought a lot of other people on board. Lost is probably the same, and the only other network show I can think of in recent memory that fits the must-see category.

It probably makes some sense for it to occur like that, as entertainment targeting a "network" audience is less likely to travel upwards (either for lack of quality or sheer elitism). You have some holdout shows that at one point may have generated a "nation watches the finale" type response, but most have outlived their prime (Grey's). I suppose This is Us might be the rare network show to fall in the category we're talking about.

GOT did it for the fantasy-ish genre, but I'm just not sure you can expect something like His Dark Materials or a normal comic-based show to garner the same nationwide captivation. I would say the same for Watchmen, but Lindelof's involvement could change that. Even if it isn't a country-watches-in-unison show, it'll probably generate a cult like Lost and Leftovers.

Mindhunter is a show that almost everyone in my aforementioned category obsesses about, although I think the subject matter is probably too extreme for it to get top status (although GOT...) and the binge component keeps Netflix stuff out of the category I think you're talking about.

I've read several pieces recently about network executives all searching for the next Game of Thrones.

Westworld had the potential story to be that show if it wouldn’t be so fricking confusing to the casual viewer and not so all over the place at times.

quote:

---

Part of the reasons those shows were so big is they built up anticipation each week. You had to wait an entire week before seeing the next episode. In between episodes, you'd have these online communities (like this one) dissecting previous episodes and forecasting what was to come.

Most of the best series today are on streaming platforms and you can binge-watch the entire thing. It cuts out the community aspect of it all. The shows are still fantastic, but they won't generate the same type of buzz.

---

No water cooler talk at work because everyone watches at a different pace. Sometimes the people we live with aren't watching it together, or on the same pace.

Binging isn't all it's cracked up to be.

quote:

---

Westworld had the potential story to be that show if it wouldn’t be so fricking confusing to the casual viewer and not so all over the place at times.

---

I get that. The first season imo was damn near perfect television. Yes, the second season was confusing as shite, but I would just watch a recap video/listen to a westworld podcast the next day to get the timeline in place... if you do that it'll make a lot more sense, even though i know people just want to watch a show and not do all this extra jazz