Does shorter seasons and binge-watching improve TV quality?
I've been rewatching old sitcoms from the 90s on streaming platforms, and it's striking how different the storytelling feels compared to what's produced today. Shows like Friends or Seinfeld had 20+ episodes per season, with jokes built around misunderstandings and catchphrases. Now, a typical season runs 8-10 episodes with a serialized plot, and I can't help but wonder if we've lost something valuable in the shift. Do shorter seasons and binge-watching actually improve the quality of television, or are we just trading depth for convenience? I'm genuinely torn because I enjoy the tight pacing of modern shows, but there's a comforting familiarity in the old formula that seems to be fading away.