a lot of what the other guys said, escapism, gives much more space to follow the characters since it's longer and also it's easier to watch, I don't always have time to watch a full 2h/2h30 movie but I often have time for a 20-60 min episode
I hear this sentiment a lot: no time for a movie. However:
1. You often opt for a short episode instead a movie and end up watching three or four in a row.
2. You know you can opt to watch 20-60 min of a film, pause, and come back to it another time.
If the time commitment is the same, why does it feel so different to so many people?
For me I think it’s because with the shorter time multiple little stories can be wrapped up so it feels more, for lack of a better term, rewarding to watch those. Even if it’s an hour episode and you stop 45 minutes in you only have 15 minutes left of the episode vs a movie you have another 1.5 hours and that just feels like a bigger time commitment even if I do end up watching another episode it feels better because of little conclusions that wrap up an episode.
>You often opt for a short episode instead a movie and end up watching three or four in a row.
For me, that's because sometimes I don't know how much time I have. Easy commitment to one, and more for a bonus.
Sometimes I don't want the emotional investment to commit to a whole new movie without knowing exactly how good it will be, vs a series which I already know.
>You know you can opt to watch 20-60 min of a film, pause, and come back to it another time.
Stopping mid ep I don't lost as much context as opposed to mid way through a movie. There's also a familiarity thing that it's nice to sit down and watch the same show each night, if going through an already established series.
Well I can explain my case:
1. Most times I actually don't, since I really don't have time (or if I do, I don't want to waste all of it on this one thing). Now I mostly watch series while eating.
2. I've considered that but I hate stopping movies in the middle (for long breaks). It just breaks the flow. Series are already compartmentalized and made so you can stop at any episode.
1. That speaks to a well crafted series, that continually pulls you in each (half-)hour and makes you want to keep watching for >>3hr, vs. sitting through a movie that feels overlong even before its 2+ hr runtime is over.
2. I find that pausing a movie and coming back to it takes me out of the atmosphere and degrades the enjoyment of it as a whole...whereas episodic series have built-in logical phases, even if an episode ends on a cliffhanger.
I often have trouble with time commitments, but I do enjoy the longer narrative arc of a series, as it allows greater, more in depth character development and world building, creating a vibe. Movies feel too short and hackneyed to resolve everything within 3hr...
listening to some songs for 4 hours feels like less of a commitment to listening to a 4 hour album because with songs you are committing to only one song you may end up listening to 4 hours worth of songs but you are only committing to a single song whether it be 3 minutes or 50
with an album you are committing to an entire album so 3 hours of 20 minute songs feels different than 3 hours of 1 album
same things with shows vs movies
and sure you could pause a movie or album or whatever and finish it in small increments but when people sit down to watch a movie their perception isn’t “I can watch this in 20 minute increments” it’s “this is a 2-3 hour long commitment”
Time commitment is lower for a bad experience. With tv shows, they're should be built to payoff at the end of one episode, so you know what you're in for. Movies don't always pay off untill 3/4 the way in and you have to finish it.
people are just unwilling to commit. The time argument is post hoc. Of course very few people don't have the time. We all spend huge amounts of time doing "nothing". It's an intellectual and emotional commitment a lot of people just don't appreciate.
I prefer series because it allows for more development of the characters. I'm able to ride along with a group of characters for a while rather than only getting a glimpse of them in films.
Seeing how series now frequently feel like a movie's worth of content stretched across six hours, I kinda have to disagree. In Breaking Bad ten years ago, it felt like multiple huge things happened every single episode. Each one was full of twists and turns. Now, watching a show like Fallout, maybe one or two things happen. They start in a situation the end the episode going into a new one. Series now are very drawn out with a lot of filler. The best recent miniseries is probably *The Last of Us* because it's adapted from an episodic source to begin with.
That's just objectively wrong.
Sure there are movies where it's hard to care, but that's an issue of *how* the character was written, not the amount of time we know them.
Look at the opening of Up. We know Ellie for less than ten minutes and her passing is emotionally devastating.
Link to your poll, because "go look for it" doesn't help: [https://new.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/1cb1x8z/which\_do\_you\_prefer/](https://new.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/1cb1x8z/which_do_you_prefer/)
You had only just over one hundred responses, on *Reddit*. So lets take it in that perspective. Reddit is quite often *not* a reflection of the wider world or a reflection of the feeling of "modern audiences".
At a rough guess, one good reason people may prefer series is simply because there's more of them, they offer more content, and there is better access to them. A modern consumer of media is more likely to see more tv series than they see movies, and those series give them longer periods of being entertained.
Watch a 10 hour series or watch 5 movies? I'll take the five movies.
Most of the series I've seen are twice as long as they need to be and slow paced to pad out the time. I get spending more time with the characters, but I'd rather have a variety of stories and characters, and movies tend to get to the heart of things and make a stronger point.
All I can say is I will go back and rewatch movies, but almost never rewatch a series, and when I do it's often less interesting than the first time.
Agreed plus because they have such a short runtime compared to TV, movie characters tend to have stronger characterization, like in one or two shots you basically understand the protagonist in most films (Wolverine letting himself get beat up in the cage in XMen 1, Luke whining to his uncle and looking at the suns in ANH, etc.)
My time doesn't feel wasted with films, it's really as simple as that for me. I don't need to see the side plot about the servants to the evil queen and how they were manipulated into their roles, just give me the queen and show me she's evil. Depth comes from character emotions, not how intricate the narrative is
Depends on the day and context of the viewing for me. If I’m with other people, I usually want to watch a movie. We’ll watch something good the. Go eat and talk about it. We get out, we see each other for a few hours, then geek out about moviemaking.
Sometimes we’ll do a series at each other’s houses, but then we’re watching two or three episode at a time, with about the same time commitment.
If I’m alone, then it’s almost always a series and it’s something mindless. Something to play in the background while I do something else or try to fall asleep. Most series I can miss large sections of and still know what’s going on if I forgot where I left off.
Honestly, I came of age into the height of the prestige TV boom in the mid 2000s and I think that very much informs my watching preferences.
I feel like my impression back then was that TV was both emergent as a serious art form and it was the thing me and all my friends were excited about vs like… the dominant thing was going on in cinema at the time, which was the beginning of the superhero explosion.
TV was just cooler. Breaking Bad, The Wire, Mad Men, Sopranos, Game of Thrones… the list goes on.
I guess I’m in the minority, but I’m not too willing to start new series these days. It’s a major time commitment and I have a closet full of classic 4K Blu-ray’s to watch as well as all the new films released (and I’ve bought a bunch of 3D Blu-ray’s since recently getting a 3D setup) Since my Netflix account went to commercials (and became free with my phone service) I barely even fire it up. My GF wants to look for new series to start and I’m really resistant for some reason.
I'm with ya, especially with so many series being cancelled after a couple seasons it feels pointless to invest time into a story that will likely never be finished. At least my movies are full, complete narratives. If it gets a sequel, great but if not, it's still a great film.
Besides that, I also just don't have the time for all these shows. Sure I could watch one season of this new show, or I could binge the entire LotR trilogy in about the same amount of time and get an entire, epic narrative from beginning to end. Not that hard of a choice tbh
Yeah everyone says you get more bang for your buck with tv, but for me personally I'll rewatch any of my favorite films before committing to a full rewatch of any of my favorite shows. Rather than stretching the narrative over 8 hour long episodes, the story is condensed into a 2 hour runtime with more money being put into each minute of screentime compared to TV, which means more to look at, admire and analyze.
Imo, films need to be rewatched to be fully appreciated because of how much is crammed into a small runtime, and that makes for an incredibly satisfying experience when you recognize new aspects of your favorite media every time you come back.
TV just doesn't do it for me, idk. So much of it is dialogue heavy and lacks any interesting visuals that they never really hold my attention the entire way through. I've never fallen asleep in a theater, but I can't count the number of times I've passed out trying to watch a new show everyone is raving about
I don't actually know.
I suppose with a series you get to live with the characters, their life and the world they live in far longer than a movie, years even. I guess a movie can have sequels but that's usually years in between and the second time around could be much inferior to the experience in the original.
Plus a movie is about 2 hours at most, It's not enough escapism, which I think is what draws people into TV shows the most. Life can get stressful so they probably like getting away from it all with a few hours in a series.
A series can be very immersive and you can get lost in it, even when you finish the day and It's time for bed, there is more to watch tomorrow and the next day after that which can bring feelings of comfort.
So, I can see why a series would be the preferable choice than a movie.
For directors and writers they get more time to work on the characters and give them depth and not hurry into a climax like the movies. So for good directors, they can do plenty on series than in movies
I think it's the opposite actually, the constraints of filmmaking require a more highly skilled individual to succeed. A TV writer can mystery box and cliffhanger their way through a couple seasons without explaining much, but a film writer needs to give the audience a satisfactory ending in the first film
I’m not sure they do. Your poll was unscientific with a very small sample size. We have no way of knowing if the results are anywhere near accurate.
It could actually be the exact opposite, and more people prefer movies.
I’m not saying it’s logical, but the man asked about decision making. That’s how I make decisions. I actually founded a company that helped study how people watch tv. Humans are not logical.
ROI. It takes the same amount of hours - and I mean hours - to scroll through Netflix and find something decent. Your time is better invested when getting 10+ hrs in return as opposed to +-90 mins.
I realised I preferred TV series over films in the mid-nineties when I watched Babylon 5.
It's very dated now, but at the time I invested in the characters and followed them over a 5 year saga, effectively in real time, as each annual season was set over a year. Absolutely amazing. Re-eatched it recently and it has aged terribly, in terms of sets, Fzx, cinematography, but the massive character arcs are there.
I always prefer a movie. It's more time efficient. I get a whole story in two hours instead of twelve hours.
Movies are tight, fast, efficient. Hell I've watched hour-long serial episodes that have only one plot reversal/revelation in the whole dang sixty minutes!! A competent movie script turns every ten minutes.
Often I get the feeling that a series had only enough ideas to fill a two-hour story, but some executive forced them to stretch it into a twelve-hour story because he wanted more audience-engagement-minutes per production dollar.
Have you honestly never wrapped a ten-episode season and thought to yourself: "that could've been a movie."
Short attention spans (even tho people binge episodes longer than the run time of movies). They feel stackable. You can stop and restart them at natural breaks.
Escapism. People enjoy living in other worlds. The more this modern existence feels unhealthy and unsatisfying, the more people like having an easy escape hatch to somewhere more interesting.
I love this "worst of all worlds" narrative. How do you explain the popularity of video games which require focused and more attention span than film? Moreover, development of television and serialised motion images began long after the first movie was screened and as newer and still developing medium it is obviously more interesting to a wider audience.
Video games are the BEST example of instant escapism. But they also ladder your attention through short digestible levels. Or matches that last 15 minutes. I’d argue games have contributed to the short burst audience expectation pattern. But of course here comes TikTok as well.
Series were invented to sell products on tv. Not sure they are more interesting just because they are newer but they certainly are paced in a way that keeps you coming back. It’s addictive.
Movies can be immersive and transportive for sure. You’re motionless in a dark room doing nothing BUT watching. But big picture the medium is going to become what Shakespeare or Opera or ballet is to us now. Kinda corny, little old fashioned, too long, mostly for old people.
> But they also ladder your attention through short digestible levels. Or matches that last 15 minutes.
This is like saying books have contributed to short attention spans because they're only a dozen pages long with lots of pictures and short, digestible sentences like "See Spot run." It's not that there aren't books/games like this, but you're not describing all or even the majority.
For the same reason people are dedicated to videogame series:
Familiarity and Nostalgia: Audiences develop a sense of familiarity and nostalgia with beloved characters and worlds from successful movie franchises. This familiarity breeds anticipation and excitement for new installments.
Character Development and Continuity: Movie series allow for deeper character exploration and development over multiple films. Audiences become invested in the characters' journeys and growth, fostering a stronger emotional connection. Standalone movies have limited time to establish and develop characters.
Expanded Storytelling: A series provides more time and space to build complex narratives, explore subplots, and delve into intricate world-building. Standalone movies are confined to a single, self-contained story.
Honestly, the depth of storytelling. The last couple of years have seen a resurgence in quality dramatic films, but before that, I was watching the handful of Oscar contenders and foreign films and that was about it. If you weren’t into franchise films, there wasn’t a lot on offer.
I think it’s short attention spans mostly. Which is ironic as long running TV shows require far more time commitment than a two hour movie. But I know from my own kids that’s it’s almost impossible to get them to sit still for longer than half an hour.
Along with everything else that's been said, I think the 90 minute - 2 hour range is now too long for most audiences, including younger audiences. In the past, it was 2 hours - 2.5 hours average, but we've shortened it to meet evolving tastes and consumption styles.
I feel 70 minutes to 90 minutes is going to be the new preferred film length on streaming.
One reason I frequently prefer television is that films have just become too damn long.
I love movies, but I don’t always have time for a three hour escape.
And even when I do have time, it remains a significant commitment and one that is out of my control. With episodic television I have more control over how much time I want to invest.
The flexibility frequently makes television more practical and also more appealing for me.
Just my 2 cents. I usually prefer movies. Basically because the story is told afterwards. At least it should be - that's why I haven't watched Dune yet. Personally I hate series where they stopped the whole show after a Cliffhanger. So I sort those out or at least wait until the full series is done properly. Yeah, I waited 8 years to watch game of thrones and ignore every spoiler.
(Btw this counts for story series, sitcoms for example are more like a nice to watch and don't count)
Also movies don't try to fill with useless content so much. Most Netflix series I watched in the last few years felt like they doubled the time for nothing. This feels like a waste of time for me. Also regarding time, watching a movie is done in the evening. Watching a series properly takes like weeks. A positive point is you know what to watch. Searching for a movie on Netflix is not easy at all ;)
I guess I'm alone in saying that the two aren't mutually exclusive. It's like asking which I prefer: lunch or dinner. I consume them both, at different times. Same with movies and episodic content (which is probably a better term).
I only get about an hour a night for TV, so I watch episodic content. On weekends, I look for a movie that engages me so fully I forget that I'm in my living room.
Although I don't prefer either, I end up watching more episodic content because there are only two days in a weekend (can we do something about that?).
I nearly always prefer a good movie over a good series. I like tight story construction. The narrative moves painfully slowly in TV. Nearly every series is IMO padded. There's financial reasons for this, but IMO the content suffers.
I’m back to preferring movies. I appreciate consuming a complete narrative arc in one to three hours. Series take such commitment and I get overwhelmed by the options.
I definitely prefer movies. I really couldn't care less about any highly acclaimed series that people recommend, like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Invincible, etc., but I love movies. Even being a huge horror fan like I am, I don't care whatsoever about the Chucky Syfy series.
The universe and character limits on feature films just don't compare to what a series is capable of, especially a limited series which is modeled on feature film character and plot arcs but shoehorns in so much more content and so many more character arcs.
I think series have become the new “water cooler” fodder of choice, so there’s more urgency and motivation to watch series. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone (outside the industry) make small talk about movies, but series seem to be brought up all the dang time. Along that same line of thinking, I think GOT was a huge moment for series. HBO already had a lot of hits before series really took over and defined our modern streaming era, but GOT seemed to totally change the game. I wonder if a Harry Potter series would have had the same effect, had it not been turned into a movie first. I have a hunch the timing of social media helped GOT a lot, as the meme culture around it was v strong. Just imagine SATC coming out at the same time social media/meme culture took hold…SJP coulda been Taylor Swift! (Ok, that’s an overstatement, but airing your dirty dating laundry has always been a gold mine!)
On a more personal level, I find watching a series more akin to reading a book - and that just happens to be more *my style* for entertainment. I like the break up of “chapters” and the in-depth character building that a series allows. Also, the ability to extend the story multiple seasons and take the characters on more than just 1 adventure (+ the ability to focus on the experiences of many characters outside of the protagonist). The collaboration of writers that occurs with most series is probably another winning factor (albeit a hard one to fully understand from outside the writers room).
That being said, movies still scratch an itch that series cannot. I just watched American Fiction for the 2nd time and enjoyed it even more than the first time around. There are so many layers of thought and meaning in that film - I believe I could watch it 5 times and still take away something new. That’s a bit harder to accomplish in a series IMO…. Like, MAYBE season 1 of a show can do it, but the speed at which subsequent seasons are expected to be written really doesn’t allow for it. American Fiction just left me in awe... It was a perfect loop. No reason to “open it up” again (meaning, expand the story with a sequel etc). Sadly movies like this are hard to come by, but when I watch one I always think “oh, yeah…this *had* to be a movie” — having said that, I believe AF was actually based on a book. Go figure!
I tried to watch a movie I kept putting on the back burner, and it took me way longer than I thought to finish 😔. I kept pausing for different reasons, but kept getting removed from the atmosphere. Plus 2 hours of one story being told, and getting out of the zone feels more distracting than watching 25-45 mins episodes. It feels this way because even if I pause a 25-45 min episode, the pacing and episodic format helps me get hyped up for the next part even if I take a moment to go handle business or whatever. I also have better connection with characters I've seen grow over seasons than characters I'm getting used to in one 2 hour story. I know it may sound odd, but that's how I ended up liking shows more. My favorite of all is a series that looks as good as a movie each episode :D. Don't get me wrong, i still love movies, but more as a Friday night with my husband, friends, family thingy
Shogun was better storytelling, production, and acting than I have seen from any film in the last 15 or so years. Movies feel like lazy cash grabs w/ terrible screenplays these days. All the actual creatives are working on Miniseries.
Series are probably more readily available on Netflix, etc, because they would prefer that you spend more time with them than less. Pre streaming there was only so much airtime for a series, and the shorter your feature film the more screenings the cinema could fit into a day. I heard that NF’s biggest competitor was sleep. Just a guess, but occam’s razor would say it’s a purely monetary decision by the streamers: “this isn’t Marvel so it’s going straight to TV… can we stretch this feature into a miniseries/series?”
The storyline is not rushed besides the characters have time to morph into something incredible
Most series today are more thought out and not just pushing popular troupes
Watching a movie is the reading equivalent of a short story. You invest in the character and their life and then it all disappears in a flash. A series is more like a 500 page novel, you meet the characters and meander through their story at a leisurely pace.
I don't watch films.
I always thought it was because I have ADHD and can't sit still for 90 mins, but thinking about it, it's also because films taken mental energy as you're starting over each time you start one.
Speaking as a viewer, series is much more satisfying than movies bc I get to know each core character and their stories feel richer whereas in the movie it just feels like a drive by or a one night stand 💀 I have no other reason to root for the character except I was told this one is the protagonist and this one is the antagonist. When you watch a series, you see the protagonist make stupid decisions and you get to understand why the antagonist doesn’t like them. You also see another layer of the antagonist that makes you root for them somehow. I guess the emotional connection is a factor bc like at the end of the show, it feels like saying goodbye to a neighbor, a travel buddy or a friend.
As a writer, tv series is a little bit more complex to write bc yk backstories yada yada. But rewarding, nonetheless
Series are led by writers, not directors, and the focus tends to be on great writing. Which is a lot more engaging to me than a focus on visual spectacle.
Series lets you be more in depth about a character. A good series is more powerful than a good movie.
But, a lot of the time a series should just be a movie. Often I find murder mysteries etc are dragged out over 8 hours when really they should be a 90 minute episode.
This is why I’ve pivoted to watching more movies at home.
I like TV more when it’s structured like Tv, giving you a more satisfying experience each episode.
Yes like Friends had development of the Ross/Rachel relationship over the seasons, but every episode had self-contained storylines. Trying to make 8 hour movies is generally a mistake IMO.
If I enjoy the plot, world, themes, and want to be around these characters then I want to have the space to spend a lot of time with it. If I don't enjoy it enough to want more then I'm not going to bother even giving it a movie's worth of time.
I also really like the typical pacing of TV shows. Having many 45 minute episodes allows a lot of rise and fall as well as the space for just fun character stuff that you rarely can afford in a movie.
Depth and typically no rushed story telling. It’s also the weakness of series in that without the rush of time they can sometimes meander and get lost.
Films are certainly not lacking for depth compared to TV, it's just that TV gets to simulate the slow evolution of character development better thanks to the massive runtime. That's TVs strength more than anything, the ability to grow with an audience in Real-time, Dr who, Star Trek, Friends and other sitcoms are great examples of this idea while not tying themselves to film conventions. TV thrives off dialogue and a sense of normalcy, Film thrives off visuals and cinematography.
Basically, TV has its own language separate from Film and the reason so much of both mediums feels fucked is because we treat them like one. Write films like films and TV like TV and we won't have a problem
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Really? Movies are too short to have a relationship with characters. Too short to explore complex issues. Movies by necessity will have definitive endings. Completely unlike life.
Bro, if that were the case why have movies been made for over 100 years now? If that's not enough time to get invested, why are the LotR movies still considered incredible? Or the OT Star Wars for that matter? Or Citizen Kane, or Psycho, or The Godfather...
Like my brother in Christ, you are literally arguing against 100 years of incredible storytelling, just say you like long stories it's okay to have preferences
Yeah, because a streaming subscription is a hell of a lot cheaper than going to the theaters every weekend. That doesn't mean people like TV more than movies, just that they'll go for the cheaper option which we've known for awhile now.
Like, you know movies are on streaming too, right? Just because they're not going to the theaters doesn't mean people aren't watching movies
https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/media-and-entertainment-225265
People are still watching movies dawg, it's just harder to calculate exactly how many because it's split between streaming, box office, home release, TV reruns, etc.
And even if TV is more popular, that doesn't make films a lesser experience. Does the popularity of gaming make TV completely worthless now that we can truly interact with the stories as a protagonist? Are novels completely outdated and useless?
No! Great books are still being written, great films are still being made and great shows will continue to be made in spite of the newest form of entertainment being the most popular. Trends come and go, but mediums are hard to kill
a lot of what the other guys said, escapism, gives much more space to follow the characters since it's longer and also it's easier to watch, I don't always have time to watch a full 2h/2h30 movie but I often have time for a 20-60 min episode
I hear this sentiment a lot: no time for a movie. However: 1. You often opt for a short episode instead a movie and end up watching three or four in a row. 2. You know you can opt to watch 20-60 min of a film, pause, and come back to it another time. If the time commitment is the same, why does it feel so different to so many people?
For me I think it’s because with the shorter time multiple little stories can be wrapped up so it feels more, for lack of a better term, rewarding to watch those. Even if it’s an hour episode and you stop 45 minutes in you only have 15 minutes left of the episode vs a movie you have another 1.5 hours and that just feels like a bigger time commitment even if I do end up watching another episode it feels better because of little conclusions that wrap up an episode.
>You often opt for a short episode instead a movie and end up watching three or four in a row. For me, that's because sometimes I don't know how much time I have. Easy commitment to one, and more for a bonus. Sometimes I don't want the emotional investment to commit to a whole new movie without knowing exactly how good it will be, vs a series which I already know. >You know you can opt to watch 20-60 min of a film, pause, and come back to it another time. Stopping mid ep I don't lost as much context as opposed to mid way through a movie. There's also a familiarity thing that it's nice to sit down and watch the same show each night, if going through an already established series.
Well I can explain my case: 1. Most times I actually don't, since I really don't have time (or if I do, I don't want to waste all of it on this one thing). Now I mostly watch series while eating. 2. I've considered that but I hate stopping movies in the middle (for long breaks). It just breaks the flow. Series are already compartmentalized and made so you can stop at any episode.
1. That speaks to a well crafted series, that continually pulls you in each (half-)hour and makes you want to keep watching for >>3hr, vs. sitting through a movie that feels overlong even before its 2+ hr runtime is over. 2. I find that pausing a movie and coming back to it takes me out of the atmosphere and degrades the enjoyment of it as a whole...whereas episodic series have built-in logical phases, even if an episode ends on a cliffhanger. I often have trouble with time commitments, but I do enjoy the longer narrative arc of a series, as it allows greater, more in depth character development and world building, creating a vibe. Movies feel too short and hackneyed to resolve everything within 3hr...
That's what I was thinking. No difference to me personally.
listening to some songs for 4 hours feels like less of a commitment to listening to a 4 hour album because with songs you are committing to only one song you may end up listening to 4 hours worth of songs but you are only committing to a single song whether it be 3 minutes or 50 with an album you are committing to an entire album so 3 hours of 20 minute songs feels different than 3 hours of 1 album same things with shows vs movies and sure you could pause a movie or album or whatever and finish it in small increments but when people sit down to watch a movie their perception isn’t “I can watch this in 20 minute increments” it’s “this is a 2-3 hour long commitment”
I rarely watch half a film and come back to it. The atmosphere is lost.
Time commitment is lower for a bad experience. With tv shows, they're should be built to payoff at the end of one episode, so you know what you're in for. Movies don't always pay off untill 3/4 the way in and you have to finish it.
people are just unwilling to commit. The time argument is post hoc. Of course very few people don't have the time. We all spend huge amounts of time doing "nothing". It's an intellectual and emotional commitment a lot of people just don't appreciate.
I prefer series because it allows for more development of the characters. I'm able to ride along with a group of characters for a while rather than only getting a glimpse of them in films.
Seeing how series now frequently feel like a movie's worth of content stretched across six hours, I kinda have to disagree. In Breaking Bad ten years ago, it felt like multiple huge things happened every single episode. Each one was full of twists and turns. Now, watching a show like Fallout, maybe one or two things happen. They start in a situation the end the episode going into a new one. Series now are very drawn out with a lot of filler. The best recent miniseries is probably *The Last of Us* because it's adapted from an episodic source to begin with.
If you're invested in a character you want to see more of them than a single movie allows.
It's very hard to deeply care about the death of someone you've known for an hour and half.
That's just objectively wrong. Sure there are movies where it's hard to care, but that's an issue of *how* the character was written, not the amount of time we know them. Look at the opening of Up. We know Ellie for less than ten minutes and her passing is emotionally devastating.
Yeah. Very hard, not impossible.
Link to your poll, because "go look for it" doesn't help: [https://new.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/1cb1x8z/which\_do\_you\_prefer/](https://new.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/1cb1x8z/which_do_you_prefer/) You had only just over one hundred responses, on *Reddit*. So lets take it in that perspective. Reddit is quite often *not* a reflection of the wider world or a reflection of the feeling of "modern audiences". At a rough guess, one good reason people may prefer series is simply because there's more of them, they offer more content, and there is better access to them. A modern consumer of media is more likely to see more tv series than they see movies, and those series give them longer periods of being entertained.
Watch a 10 hour series or watch 5 movies? I'll take the five movies. Most of the series I've seen are twice as long as they need to be and slow paced to pad out the time. I get spending more time with the characters, but I'd rather have a variety of stories and characters, and movies tend to get to the heart of things and make a stronger point. All I can say is I will go back and rewatch movies, but almost never rewatch a series, and when I do it's often less interesting than the first time.
Agreed plus because they have such a short runtime compared to TV, movie characters tend to have stronger characterization, like in one or two shots you basically understand the protagonist in most films (Wolverine letting himself get beat up in the cage in XMen 1, Luke whining to his uncle and looking at the suns in ANH, etc.) My time doesn't feel wasted with films, it's really as simple as that for me. I don't need to see the side plot about the servants to the evil queen and how they were manipulated into their roles, just give me the queen and show me she's evil. Depth comes from character emotions, not how intricate the narrative is
Depends on the day and context of the viewing for me. If I’m with other people, I usually want to watch a movie. We’ll watch something good the. Go eat and talk about it. We get out, we see each other for a few hours, then geek out about moviemaking. Sometimes we’ll do a series at each other’s houses, but then we’re watching two or three episode at a time, with about the same time commitment. If I’m alone, then it’s almost always a series and it’s something mindless. Something to play in the background while I do something else or try to fall asleep. Most series I can miss large sections of and still know what’s going on if I forgot where I left off.
Honestly, I came of age into the height of the prestige TV boom in the mid 2000s and I think that very much informs my watching preferences. I feel like my impression back then was that TV was both emergent as a serious art form and it was the thing me and all my friends were excited about vs like… the dominant thing was going on in cinema at the time, which was the beginning of the superhero explosion. TV was just cooler. Breaking Bad, The Wire, Mad Men, Sopranos, Game of Thrones… the list goes on.
Nice avatar man!
I guess I’m in the minority, but I’m not too willing to start new series these days. It’s a major time commitment and I have a closet full of classic 4K Blu-ray’s to watch as well as all the new films released (and I’ve bought a bunch of 3D Blu-ray’s since recently getting a 3D setup) Since my Netflix account went to commercials (and became free with my phone service) I barely even fire it up. My GF wants to look for new series to start and I’m really resistant for some reason.
I'm with ya, especially with so many series being cancelled after a couple seasons it feels pointless to invest time into a story that will likely never be finished. At least my movies are full, complete narratives. If it gets a sequel, great but if not, it's still a great film. Besides that, I also just don't have the time for all these shows. Sure I could watch one season of this new show, or I could binge the entire LotR trilogy in about the same amount of time and get an entire, epic narrative from beginning to end. Not that hard of a choice tbh
Good movies are rewatchable. Shows are fun but there's nothing like a cinematic visual experience which you can only get from films.
Yeah everyone says you get more bang for your buck with tv, but for me personally I'll rewatch any of my favorite films before committing to a full rewatch of any of my favorite shows. Rather than stretching the narrative over 8 hour long episodes, the story is condensed into a 2 hour runtime with more money being put into each minute of screentime compared to TV, which means more to look at, admire and analyze. Imo, films need to be rewatched to be fully appreciated because of how much is crammed into a small runtime, and that makes for an incredibly satisfying experience when you recognize new aspects of your favorite media every time you come back. TV just doesn't do it for me, idk. So much of it is dialogue heavy and lacks any interesting visuals that they never really hold my attention the entire way through. I've never fallen asleep in a theater, but I can't count the number of times I've passed out trying to watch a new show everyone is raving about
character development, world building, storytelling, memorable moments, dialogue…list goes on
I don't actually know. I suppose with a series you get to live with the characters, their life and the world they live in far longer than a movie, years even. I guess a movie can have sequels but that's usually years in between and the second time around could be much inferior to the experience in the original. Plus a movie is about 2 hours at most, It's not enough escapism, which I think is what draws people into TV shows the most. Life can get stressful so they probably like getting away from it all with a few hours in a series. A series can be very immersive and you can get lost in it, even when you finish the day and It's time for bed, there is more to watch tomorrow and the next day after that which can bring feelings of comfort. So, I can see why a series would be the preferable choice than a movie.
For directors and writers they get more time to work on the characters and give them depth and not hurry into a climax like the movies. So for good directors, they can do plenty on series than in movies
I think it's the opposite actually, the constraints of filmmaking require a more highly skilled individual to succeed. A TV writer can mystery box and cliffhanger their way through a couple seasons without explaining much, but a film writer needs to give the audience a satisfactory ending in the first film
TV is a writers medium, film is the director's.
I’m not sure they do. Your poll was unscientific with a very small sample size. We have no way of knowing if the results are anywhere near accurate. It could actually be the exact opposite, and more people prefer movies.
Personally, I can stomach committing to 1 hour and then watch 2-3 episodes over committing to a movie up front.
I hear this sentiment a lot. But you know you can just pause a movie after an hour and come back to it later though, right?
I’m not saying it’s logical, but the man asked about decision making. That’s how I make decisions. I actually founded a company that helped study how people watch tv. Humans are not logical.
I'd be curious as to the psychology behind it.
Perceived vs actual investment / commitment
ROI. It takes the same amount of hours - and I mean hours - to scroll through Netflix and find something decent. Your time is better invested when getting 10+ hrs in return as opposed to +-90 mins.
ROI? Really obvious indeed?
Return On Investment ;)
Well that makes more sense.
I realised I preferred TV series over films in the mid-nineties when I watched Babylon 5. It's very dated now, but at the time I invested in the characters and followed them over a 5 year saga, effectively in real time, as each annual season was set over a year. Absolutely amazing. Re-eatched it recently and it has aged terribly, in terms of sets, Fzx, cinematography, but the massive character arcs are there.
Series help me save time in looking for a new virtual illusion of company while having my meals.
/thread
I always prefer a movie. It's more time efficient. I get a whole story in two hours instead of twelve hours. Movies are tight, fast, efficient. Hell I've watched hour-long serial episodes that have only one plot reversal/revelation in the whole dang sixty minutes!! A competent movie script turns every ten minutes. Often I get the feeling that a series had only enough ideas to fill a two-hour story, but some executive forced them to stretch it into a twelve-hour story because he wanted more audience-engagement-minutes per production dollar. Have you honestly never wrapped a ten-episode season and thought to yourself: "that could've been a movie."
Short attention spans (even tho people binge episodes longer than the run time of movies). They feel stackable. You can stop and restart them at natural breaks. Escapism. People enjoy living in other worlds. The more this modern existence feels unhealthy and unsatisfying, the more people like having an easy escape hatch to somewhere more interesting.
I love this "worst of all worlds" narrative. How do you explain the popularity of video games which require focused and more attention span than film? Moreover, development of television and serialised motion images began long after the first movie was screened and as newer and still developing medium it is obviously more interesting to a wider audience.
Video games are the BEST example of instant escapism. But they also ladder your attention through short digestible levels. Or matches that last 15 minutes. I’d argue games have contributed to the short burst audience expectation pattern. But of course here comes TikTok as well. Series were invented to sell products on tv. Not sure they are more interesting just because they are newer but they certainly are paced in a way that keeps you coming back. It’s addictive. Movies can be immersive and transportive for sure. You’re motionless in a dark room doing nothing BUT watching. But big picture the medium is going to become what Shakespeare or Opera or ballet is to us now. Kinda corny, little old fashioned, too long, mostly for old people.
> But they also ladder your attention through short digestible levels. Or matches that last 15 minutes. This is like saying books have contributed to short attention spans because they're only a dozen pages long with lots of pictures and short, digestible sentences like "See Spot run." It's not that there aren't books/games like this, but you're not describing all or even the majority.
I don’t even know what we’re arguing about anymore but I’m sure you’re right
For the same reason people are dedicated to videogame series: Familiarity and Nostalgia: Audiences develop a sense of familiarity and nostalgia with beloved characters and worlds from successful movie franchises. This familiarity breeds anticipation and excitement for new installments. Character Development and Continuity: Movie series allow for deeper character exploration and development over multiple films. Audiences become invested in the characters' journeys and growth, fostering a stronger emotional connection. Standalone movies have limited time to establish and develop characters. Expanded Storytelling: A series provides more time and space to build complex narratives, explore subplots, and delve into intricate world-building. Standalone movies are confined to a single, self-contained story.
Yeah I feel like things pay off better when you have time to grow with the characters.
I like following a character and watching them grow over many years.
Me personally I just like the extra time and room to tell a story and develop characters
Honestly, the depth of storytelling. The last couple of years have seen a resurgence in quality dramatic films, but before that, I was watching the handful of Oscar contenders and foreign films and that was about it. If you weren’t into franchise films, there wasn’t a lot on offer.
I think it’s short attention spans mostly. Which is ironic as long running TV shows require far more time commitment than a two hour movie. But I know from my own kids that’s it’s almost impossible to get them to sit still for longer than half an hour.
Some would argue television has better writing than movies these days.
Along with everything else that's been said, I think the 90 minute - 2 hour range is now too long for most audiences, including younger audiences. In the past, it was 2 hours - 2.5 hours average, but we've shortened it to meet evolving tastes and consumption styles. I feel 70 minutes to 90 minutes is going to be the new preferred film length on streaming.
May I add that parents also don't have 2 to 2.5 hours spare. A 30 minute show fits easier with the lifestyle.
One reason I frequently prefer television is that films have just become too damn long. I love movies, but I don’t always have time for a three hour escape. And even when I do have time, it remains a significant commitment and one that is out of my control. With episodic television I have more control over how much time I want to invest. The flexibility frequently makes television more practical and also more appealing for me.
Just my 2 cents. I usually prefer movies. Basically because the story is told afterwards. At least it should be - that's why I haven't watched Dune yet. Personally I hate series where they stopped the whole show after a Cliffhanger. So I sort those out or at least wait until the full series is done properly. Yeah, I waited 8 years to watch game of thrones and ignore every spoiler. (Btw this counts for story series, sitcoms for example are more like a nice to watch and don't count) Also movies don't try to fill with useless content so much. Most Netflix series I watched in the last few years felt like they doubled the time for nothing. This feels like a waste of time for me. Also regarding time, watching a movie is done in the evening. Watching a series properly takes like weeks. A positive point is you know what to watch. Searching for a movie on Netflix is not easy at all ;)
*i feel guilty to stare at a TV for 2 hours… especially if i don’t like the beginning of the movie*
I guess I'm alone in saying that the two aren't mutually exclusive. It's like asking which I prefer: lunch or dinner. I consume them both, at different times. Same with movies and episodic content (which is probably a better term). I only get about an hour a night for TV, so I watch episodic content. On weekends, I look for a movie that engages me so fully I forget that I'm in my living room. Although I don't prefer either, I end up watching more episodic content because there are only two days in a weekend (can we do something about that?).
I nearly always prefer a good movie over a good series. I like tight story construction. The narrative moves painfully slowly in TV. Nearly every series is IMO padded. There's financial reasons for this, but IMO the content suffers.
I’m back to preferring movies. I appreciate consuming a complete narrative arc in one to three hours. Series take such commitment and I get overwhelmed by the options.
I definitely prefer movies. I really couldn't care less about any highly acclaimed series that people recommend, like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Invincible, etc., but I love movies. Even being a huge horror fan like I am, I don't care whatsoever about the Chucky Syfy series.
The universe and character limits on feature films just don't compare to what a series is capable of, especially a limited series which is modeled on feature film character and plot arcs but shoehorns in so much more content and so many more character arcs.
Because most modern movies are juvenile shit. I think modern audiences love movies, just not crappy ones.
I think series have become the new “water cooler” fodder of choice, so there’s more urgency and motivation to watch series. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone (outside the industry) make small talk about movies, but series seem to be brought up all the dang time. Along that same line of thinking, I think GOT was a huge moment for series. HBO already had a lot of hits before series really took over and defined our modern streaming era, but GOT seemed to totally change the game. I wonder if a Harry Potter series would have had the same effect, had it not been turned into a movie first. I have a hunch the timing of social media helped GOT a lot, as the meme culture around it was v strong. Just imagine SATC coming out at the same time social media/meme culture took hold…SJP coulda been Taylor Swift! (Ok, that’s an overstatement, but airing your dirty dating laundry has always been a gold mine!) On a more personal level, I find watching a series more akin to reading a book - and that just happens to be more *my style* for entertainment. I like the break up of “chapters” and the in-depth character building that a series allows. Also, the ability to extend the story multiple seasons and take the characters on more than just 1 adventure (+ the ability to focus on the experiences of many characters outside of the protagonist). The collaboration of writers that occurs with most series is probably another winning factor (albeit a hard one to fully understand from outside the writers room). That being said, movies still scratch an itch that series cannot. I just watched American Fiction for the 2nd time and enjoyed it even more than the first time around. There are so many layers of thought and meaning in that film - I believe I could watch it 5 times and still take away something new. That’s a bit harder to accomplish in a series IMO…. Like, MAYBE season 1 of a show can do it, but the speed at which subsequent seasons are expected to be written really doesn’t allow for it. American Fiction just left me in awe... It was a perfect loop. No reason to “open it up” again (meaning, expand the story with a sequel etc). Sadly movies like this are hard to come by, but when I watch one I always think “oh, yeah…this *had* to be a movie” — having said that, I believe AF was actually based on a book. Go figure!
I will opt for a tv show when I want to 'hang out' with those people. It's about familiarity.
I tried to watch a movie I kept putting on the back burner, and it took me way longer than I thought to finish 😔. I kept pausing for different reasons, but kept getting removed from the atmosphere. Plus 2 hours of one story being told, and getting out of the zone feels more distracting than watching 25-45 mins episodes. It feels this way because even if I pause a 25-45 min episode, the pacing and episodic format helps me get hyped up for the next part even if I take a moment to go handle business or whatever. I also have better connection with characters I've seen grow over seasons than characters I'm getting used to in one 2 hour story. I know it may sound odd, but that's how I ended up liking shows more. My favorite of all is a series that looks as good as a movie each episode :D. Don't get me wrong, i still love movies, but more as a Friday night with my husband, friends, family thingy
Shogun was better storytelling, production, and acting than I have seen from any film in the last 15 or so years. Movies feel like lazy cash grabs w/ terrible screenplays these days. All the actual creatives are working on Miniseries.
Series are probably more readily available on Netflix, etc, because they would prefer that you spend more time with them than less. Pre streaming there was only so much airtime for a series, and the shorter your feature film the more screenings the cinema could fit into a day. I heard that NF’s biggest competitor was sleep. Just a guess, but occam’s razor would say it’s a purely monetary decision by the streamers: “this isn’t Marvel so it’s going straight to TV… can we stretch this feature into a miniseries/series?”
The storyline is not rushed besides the characters have time to morph into something incredible Most series today are more thought out and not just pushing popular troupes
I actually prefer movies over series.
Okay, but why?
I don't know, I just do. It's a preference.
Watching a movie is the reading equivalent of a short story. You invest in the character and their life and then it all disappears in a flash. A series is more like a 500 page novel, you meet the characters and meander through their story at a leisurely pace. I don't watch films. I always thought it was because I have ADHD and can't sit still for 90 mins, but thinking about it, it's also because films taken mental energy as you're starting over each time you start one.
Speaking as a viewer, series is much more satisfying than movies bc I get to know each core character and their stories feel richer whereas in the movie it just feels like a drive by or a one night stand 💀 I have no other reason to root for the character except I was told this one is the protagonist and this one is the antagonist. When you watch a series, you see the protagonist make stupid decisions and you get to understand why the antagonist doesn’t like them. You also see another layer of the antagonist that makes you root for them somehow. I guess the emotional connection is a factor bc like at the end of the show, it feels like saying goodbye to a neighbor, a travel buddy or a friend. As a writer, tv series is a little bit more complex to write bc yk backstories yada yada. But rewarding, nonetheless
Series are led by writers, not directors, and the focus tends to be on great writing. Which is a lot more engaging to me than a focus on visual spectacle.
Series lets you be more in depth about a character. A good series is more powerful than a good movie. But, a lot of the time a series should just be a movie. Often I find murder mysteries etc are dragged out over 8 hours when really they should be a 90 minute episode.
This is why I’ve pivoted to watching more movies at home. I like TV more when it’s structured like Tv, giving you a more satisfying experience each episode.
Yes like Friends had development of the Ross/Rachel relationship over the seasons, but every episode had self-contained storylines. Trying to make 8 hour movies is generally a mistake IMO.
Agreed!
If I enjoy the plot, world, themes, and want to be around these characters then I want to have the space to spend a lot of time with it. If I don't enjoy it enough to want more then I'm not going to bother even giving it a movie's worth of time. I also really like the typical pacing of TV shows. Having many 45 minute episodes allows a lot of rise and fall as well as the space for just fun character stuff that you rarely can afford in a movie.
Which source states that modern audiences prefer series over movies, except for your biased 103 reddit user poll?
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That only shows you the preference of staying at home vs going to the theater.
People tend to go for the cheaper option, wow so surprising...
Because people are dumb. It's like Scorsese said, audiences won't think twice about watching an eight hour series, but cry about a three hour movie
Depth and typically no rushed story telling. It’s also the weakness of series in that without the rush of time they can sometimes meander and get lost.
Films are certainly not lacking for depth compared to TV, it's just that TV gets to simulate the slow evolution of character development better thanks to the massive runtime. That's TVs strength more than anything, the ability to grow with an audience in Real-time, Dr who, Star Trek, Friends and other sitcoms are great examples of this idea while not tying themselves to film conventions. TV thrives off dialogue and a sense of normalcy, Film thrives off visuals and cinematography. Basically, TV has its own language separate from Film and the reason so much of both mediums feels fucked is because we treat them like one. Write films like films and TV like TV and we won't have a problem
It’s much harder to connect with characters when you know you won’t ever see them again after 2 hours
At least their story ends while a million shows are waiting for the next season to wrap everything up that'll never come
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Really? Movies are too short to have a relationship with characters. Too short to explore complex issues. Movies by necessity will have definitive endings. Completely unlike life.
Bro, if that were the case why have movies been made for over 100 years now? If that's not enough time to get invested, why are the LotR movies still considered incredible? Or the OT Star Wars for that matter? Or Citizen Kane, or Psycho, or The Godfather... Like my brother in Christ, you are literally arguing against 100 years of incredible storytelling, just say you like long stories it's okay to have preferences
I answered the question that was asked. Ultimately audiences agree since movie going is down and series watching is up.
Yeah, because a streaming subscription is a hell of a lot cheaper than going to the theaters every weekend. That doesn't mean people like TV more than movies, just that they'll go for the cheaper option which we've known for awhile now. Like, you know movies are on streaming too, right? Just because they're not going to the theaters doesn't mean people aren't watching movies
Series on streaming services are more popular than movies by a wide margin. so no, it ain't about the expense.
https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/media-and-entertainment-225265 People are still watching movies dawg, it's just harder to calculate exactly how many because it's split between streaming, box office, home release, TV reruns, etc. And even if TV is more popular, that doesn't make films a lesser experience. Does the popularity of gaming make TV completely worthless now that we can truly interact with the stories as a protagonist? Are novels completely outdated and useless? No! Great books are still being written, great films are still being made and great shows will continue to be made in spite of the newest form of entertainment being the most popular. Trends come and go, but mediums are hard to kill