You don’t need to be stuck in below freezing temperatures to go on a good TV binge. It happens to the best of us. There’s a lot of really good television out there, as we know. There’s also just a lot of television, in general out there. Some hits, some misses. If you have lots of different kinds of tastes for television, you could drive yourself crazy trying to catch up.
Or should you? Maureen Ryan wrote recently over at the Huffington Post that there are a lot of shows out there that are “pretty good.” We’re watching them enough:
The amount of available TV — genre and otherwise, good and great — expands daily, via new outlets trying to make an impact with original fare, existing networks with worthy new and returning programs, and a host of fine older or imported shows available via streaming. The bar keeps getting raised, and our DVRs keep getting stuffed to the breaking point. Something’s got to give, and shows that don’t deeply hook me in the first few hours rarely get a do-over.
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Ryan wrote last week about this plight of the “pretty good” shows and most of the original content coming from Amazon. As a business model, she posits, Amazon, and Netflix, should stay away from making easy shows with cookie cutter elements and really go all out. They don’t depend on advertisers, so they can get really weird if they wanted to.
Of course, “Transparent,” “Orange is the New Black” are the exceptions:
But beyond the big-dog game-playing, why not be weirder, more experimental and take more chances? Given the success of “Transparent,” which tells an unusual story in a distinctive way, why not lean in that direction? Amazon and Netflix should make more stories that can’t be found elsewhere, from creators who reflect a diverse and eclectic range of backgrounds and viewpoints. Sometimes they do, granted, but I’m not convinced they realize this ability to tack away from business as usual is their greatest strength.
You can see her point. Amazon especially is guilty of this. “Alpha House” and “Bosch” could be on TNT. But maybe that’s not a fault. By appealing to the masses — and throwing some radical content out there now and again — Amazon is casting a wide net. Come families, single girls, and political geeks! We have things for you to watch. Amazon Studios is still part of that Amazon brand. What would your grandma think of her online shopping destination trying to promote, say, a “Black Mirror?”
In my opinion, it makes OTT viewing more palatable, there’s “more of the same.” Flipping to the Amazon Prime app on your TV should be just as instinctual as scrolling through the channel guide. It’ already a big step to invest in big name directors, actors, and produce the content. If we have to watch a bunch of “pretty good” shows in order to get everyone on the bandwagon, I say it’s a smart business move.
