Aaron D. Neufeld- BLOG #11- ‘Television’

Aaron D. Neufeld- BLOG #11- ‘Television’

I’ve noticed how over the past few years on television, serialized dramas or series on television have become very popular. Television programs such as FOX’s ’24,’ NBC’s ‘Heroes,’ and ABC’s ‘LOST’ have all garnered large audiences and have become insanely popular and successful series. ‘24’ and ‘L0ST’ in particular have probably changed the mold for television for years to come.

However, last year ‘Heroes’ failed to attract audiences with it’s weekly storyline and both ‘24’ and ‘L0ST’ aired their series finales in May after dwindling ratings. It seems that in junction with our current economy, Americans simply don’t have time to tune in to their favorite television programs week-after-week anymore. What used to be a sit down night for a certain program has disappeared. Fans are now looking for shows that they can just jump into or out of at any given time. They want a series that they don’t need to be concerned with missing an episode and catching up somehow. I’m not sure exactly how the economy correlates with television viewing in this manner but it seems to make sense. The majority of new series premiering this fall with the exception of NBC’s ‘The Event,’ are not serialized series requiring weekly viewership.

It will surely be interesting to see how ‘The Event’ holds up against sitcoms and even other non-serialized drama series. I wonder if it will prove to be triumphant or if the once-popular time of serialized television has truly changed.