TV: Episodes, Serials or Anthologies?

I was in an interesting discussion on another board, comparing the merits of the various "Star Trek"s. Some people pointed out that the original Star Trek became successful in reruns because people could enjoy each episode as a self-contained story, without having to follow some huge story arc as became common in some of the later Trek's. Naturally, they claimed this didn't bode well for the long-term success of shows like "Lost" or the new "Battlestar Galactica", where viewers are truly Lost () if they try to jump in and watch a random episode from, say, Season 3.

It got me thinking about the three broad types of TV shows:

1. Episodic - the most common type of show, with consistent characters and settings, self-contained stories compatible with the formula or genre

2. Serials - basically a mini-series lasting years, with new pieces of a puzzle filled in each week (or new puzzles added)

3. Anthologies - a brand new short story every week, with genre being the only consistency. They haven't died completely but their heyday was the Golden Age from the mid-1950's through the mid sixties (Playhouse 90, The Twilight Zone, Thriller, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, etc.)

This also got me thinking, "why not ask a bunch of writers?"

Other things being equal (quality, etc.), what type of show would you prefer to watch?

Given a chance as a writer, for which type of show would you prefer to write?

Discuss, and have fun...

katiemac said:

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I want the big, sprawling self-referential story, and if you're a writer who can pull that off, I've got lots of extra admiration for you.

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Pulling it off is the tricky part! I expect it would make a big difference in the weekly quality of the show if the entire arc were plotted (at least in a general direction) vs. making it up as they go along.

The first serial I tried to follow was "Twin Peaks", but I got frustrated when it seemed to become just whatever weird stuff would get people talking around the water cooler the next morning.

childeroland said:

A combination of serial and episodic, where each episode contained a bit of the ongoing arch as well as its own self-contained story, ala a Whedon show, Alias, etc.

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I always thought "The Fugitive" pulled that off pretty well. Dr. Kimball was in a different town and dealing with different people and situations every week, but there was also Lt. Girard chasing him.

Should have added a category for hybrids...

c.h valentino said:

I shamefully add-as I feel I watch too much TV- serials. I never wind up acctually watching a show until I see the entire first season of something and go, "Oh my god! I love this!"

Warning: DO NOT go rent seasons 1 and 2 of Rome. They are fantastic. You will love them- and then.... no more. And it leaves you hanging. It's sad.

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This brings up an interesting point - the age of DVR's and TV seasons packaged on DVD. It's as though these serialized shows are less interested in massive ratings during their initial broadcast, and more about building an intense fan base and word of mouth for future DVD set purchases/rentals.

SirOtter said:

The first TV shows for which I can recall seeing specific episodes were The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, in about 1963, so anthology shows have always appealed to me. On the other hand, I would run home after school to catch Dark Shadows every afternoon, so serials appeal as well. On the other, other hand, about the only shows I watch nowadays are House and Dr. Who, so I like episodic TV too. What was the question again?

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It's OK, we're allowed to like all three.

I considered asking this in the Novels, Short Stories or Scriptwriting forums, but I thought I'd get three sets of answers depending on whose tastes were being catered to!