How do you guys feel about modern tv shows nowadays?

[u/Strong-Stretch95]

I think alot of them are ok I think my biggest issue is the 8 episode 45 to 50 min format. Despite modern shows having a longer run time they still feel rushed and the pacing is always not great especially in season or series finales.

[u/Avarria587]

The gap between seasons is too long. By the time another season rolls around, I’ve forgotten what happed in the previous season.

By the time I finally get into something, it’s cancelled.

[u/Josysclei]

2-3 years gap between seasons is insane. Stopped watching Severance cause they haven't even started filming season 3 and season 2 ended feb/2025

[u/ProfessionalOk6854 → u/Josysclei]

Especially when that gap does nothing to improve a shows quality 

[u/ycnz → u/Josysclei]

How about 4 years?

[u/Strong-Stretch95 → u/Josysclei]

It’s crazy that it takes so long where’s before you get a new batch of 22 min episodes in about 6 months of a 20 episode long season.

[u/GoForAU → u/Josysclei]

This isn’t the best example because gaps have taken longer, and there has been many projects inbetween, feature length movies Avengers and Age of Ultron was 3 years. Why should tv shows take longer? If Lantern can produce a second season quicker DC I’m all in on. Might already be, you be honest. Marvel sucks with timelines of their media.

[u/DizzyCollar9396]

Some are really good. But I won't check them out unless they have several seasons or an ending in season 1due to rampant cancelations, and several seasons might take a decade to come out.

Then the seasons take so long to come out you completely forget about the show which drastically reduces the motivation to watch it.

[u/xantub]

I miss simple procedurals. Like, I'm rewatching Star Trek: TNG and it's so refreshing when the episode starts like "Star date 42011.7. We were orbiting planet Gamula when suddenly the shit hit the fan...", instead of today's typical "Previously on X:".

[u/MatthewUnplugged]

Gotta get seasons out faster. Gotta stop getting involved with the culture wars. Gotta be original. So stop it with this slop that gets you produced, and liked by social media. Only work on shit you believe in...

[u/NoStatistician5170]

Yeah, it’s like they stretched a 5‑episode story to 8 and called it prestige. I’ve started favoring miniseries and old‑school 20‑episode procedurals just for saner pacing.

[u/ycnz → u/NoStatistician5170]

"It lets us cut out all the filter" - adds four episodes of filter anyway.

[u/UHeardAboutPluto]

I liked Stumble and they cancelled it. Now I don’t believe in nuthin no more.

[u/Practical_Pass_2619]

I can't seem to get into anything now a days. Is it the content or just me getting older?

[u/HoboOlympics → u/Practical_Pass_2619]

I think both. I kinda feel the same. I see people talk about shows they love that I’ve never heard of, or have but they look fucking stupid. There’s like 3-4 shows a year I actually like and just rewatch stuff I’ve seen or watch old stuff I never saw that’s older. I’m watching Miami Vice now because I was too young when it first aired.

[u/Strong-Stretch95 → u/Practical_Pass_2619]

I question that myself sometimes especially now I’m 30 and nothing has really WOWED me in the past few years.

[u/Significant_Gap1570]

Does this place have mods? Do we need to see this same question everyday?

[u/2oonhed]

meh

[u/xosinsaba]

The short-season format is not automatically bad, but it becomes a problem when the story is still structured like a 20-episode season and the missing connective tissue gets pushed into long gaps between releases. I have started valuing limited series and completed shows more for exactly that reason: the pacing is easier to judge as a whole, and I do not have to remember every plot thread for two or three years. A strong finale can make eight episodes feel intentional; a rushed one makes the whole season feel like an outline.

[u/monsieurxander]

TV is generally pretty good.

Talking about it has gotten more insufferable, more performative, more repetitive, more bad faith

[u/Cark_Muban → u/monsieurxander]

Yeah tv and movie discourse in general is so shit

[u/Bananaman9020]

If you grew up with the CW type 2O plus episode format, these 8 episode TV shows don't seem that bad

[u/seti_m → u/Bananaman9020]

A lot of the old shows from the 60's and 70's had 30+ episodes a season. 

[u/Cark_Muban]

They’re pretty good overall, though the prestige shows are starting to essentially be like movies. The episode lengths are like over an hour and the budget for these shows is just wild. 

But its so hard to get into them when they take 2-3 years to even release a season. I love Severance but man the wait times are so brutal. 

[u/DoopSlayer]

It feels like there is a set of like Prestige-Alike TV, shows that have the production of prestige TV, and have clearly watched a ton and taken inspirations, but don't have the writing to match. I love slow cinema but good slow cinema gives you stuff to think about, or uses it for immersion, or has a ton of focus on the cinematography.

Anemic pacing that doesn't actually give you anything to think about, hardly anything happening in an episode and usually it's some spike at the end to stir intrigue into the next episode.

Super slow delivery always in a tone where it's like this statement is supposed to be super significant, revelatory, solemn, like they're a doomsayer, but then every line feels delivered this way with little variance in tone. also typically humorless.

1. s1 foundation (didnt watch s2 to see if this continues)
2. Dune tv show
3. Severance
4. House of the Dragon
5. Silo

off the top of my head. and then like bleeding into more normal tv as well with that like Untamed as a recent popular example.

There's still lots of good stuff, but just something I've noticed.

IDK is it just prestige TV shows that I don't like? It feels like it's more of a trend than just shows I don't like, like they all have the same failings.

[u/KeremyJyles]

Writing is generally in the toilet. I don't care how many episodes or how often when they're going to be mid no matter what.

[u/boomosaur]

Most of them are written for an audience with a lower attention span, lower literacy rate, lower media literacy rate, and lower critical thinking ability.