Serialized TV vs Episodic TV

They both have their strengths and weaknesses but which is ultimately superior and why?

>the chad sci fi
>the virgin power fantasy

i liked star trek, you could just pop right in and you didn't feel like you were left in the dark for accidentally missing an episode, unless it was a two parter

Serialized if the story is good (DS9, Babylon 5).
Episodic if the main premise/plotline is terrible (Game of Thrones).

I thought that was a good io9 article too.

Episodic.

good serialized for intellectuals and any kind of episodic for brainlets

Either

If the series is good, I'll take either

Serialized is better if done well.

Episodic is easier, but on average better.

I prefer episodic as a rule. I’ve been watching TNG and I’ve been surprised how isolated most of the episodes are, especially as most of the episodes that build on previous events are usually the best.

There are a lot of bad TNG episodes but you can simply ignore them and still enjoy the very good ones. And in hindsight, the whole series is still held in high regards. In GoT, everything that follows a stupidly constructed plotpoint is hurt by it. Bad routes that are taken can't simply disappear. In the case of Lost a whole series that was momentarily good is negatively affected by a disappointing finale.

Same with BSG.

Its never as simple as that. Some work great episodically. Some work great serialized. Some benefit greatly from merging the two story arcs like DS9 (Although it did end up going heavy serialized later on, too much so imho). Drama for example is great serialized while Comedy is better episodic.

Also, there is the question of the delivery method. Is it aired on specific times on TV or can you watch it on demand? Serialized need to be able to available on demand to be successful otherwise you're in trouble for missing an episode.

You really need to judge this on a case by case matter.

In the modern day, I'd choose serialised stories over episodic stories 10 times out of 10 for genres other than horror or comedy. The internet allows you to binge watch all the episodes at once with no chance of missing important episodes.

That said, episodic shows need to be planned out in advance. The only episodic show I've ever seen that didn't turn out dissapointing in some way was Breaking Bad, because it really felt like they planned 5 seasons, and then made 5 seasons. Even though it was the most popular thing on TV they didn't keep milking it past the point where it should stop.

If you want your show to be open to potential milking then an approach like Dexter or the wire, where each season is a more self contained story.

To expand on this is just like to note that I could still recomend the fist 4 seasons of Dexter to someone if they asked if the show was worth a watch.

I couldnt recommend the first season of game of thrones to anyone even though I thought it was good because it has no conclusion, and everything that comes after is pure shite.

If your show is going to be played out of order, then episodic is better. If your show is going to be binge-watched on a platform like Netflix, then serialized is better.

Serialized is objectively better as a story. Fuck the case-of-the-week shows.

STD is better than GoT since STD has diversity.

How is Breaking bad episodic?

Also Dexter S3 sucks. Literally Dexter's clingy Hispanic friend goes too far- the season.

A skillful director can mix both.

See: Hannibal S2

Perfect mix of overarching story with the occasional killer of the week craziness.

FUCK YOU LEATHERMAN

The worst combination is self contained episodes and "myth" arcs that take up like half the season. No one cares about your faggy ciggarette man or the war in heaven, I wanna see spoopy aliens and monsterkilling for gods sake.

Serialized gets me to tune in every week. Episodic doesn't.

Episodic television is repetitive as fuck. There are very few if any shows that can retain a level of originality and consistency from start to finish on an episodic basis. It also resets character development every time into the template standard. This becomes very unsatisfying to watch when a character experiences something traumatic and the next episode he's just the same guy as before. And it becomes even more infuriating when the series halfasses a continuity but doesn't commit wholly to it because they don't want to lose the casual watchers.

Serialized allow stories to span over dozens of hours. This allows the series to develop and change characters with over time. It also allows the series to develop an intricate world and storylines. It becomes more satisfying to watch knowing there is some overall direction, a beginning a middle and an end to the story. There is no reason why television shoud somehow not follow the same storytelling structure as literature and film. This is the formula that has worked best throughout the ages.

This is only bad if you don't have a plan of where you're going with it all from the get go.

Discovery writing is a fucking meme.

>It becomes more satisfying to watch knowing there is some overall direction, a beginning a middle and an end to the story.
hehe, the goyim fell for it again!

Women don't understand the appeal for Star Trek

Episodic does have plus points. You can miss a few of them and still enjoy it when you start watching again. Having mini-arcs does help make it interesting but having to watch a whole thing from beginning to end just to appreciate the story can get tiring.
That's ultimately whey I gave up on BSG, I missed a handful of episodes early on and by the time I started watching it I was lost and I really didn't have the energy to start from scratch again.

Star Trek and Doctor Who is cuck-core. They love Picard as much as they love Harry Potter.

Maybe now but in the years it aired I don't think women liked it.

I agree. Kids didn't like it either. Found it fucking boring. 99/100 Star Trek fans here can't claim they gave a shit about the series before Netflix. I don't mean that as a dis. It's just how things are.

...

A mix of both. Like pic related or The X-Files.

Why not both?

when it's both
>tuning in not knowing which you'll get
>sometimes you get good mytharc
>sometimes you get good monster-of-the-week
>when you're bored of one the other is there for you

Goat series.

Episodic if the series is meant to end in a couple of seasons. Miniseries are a win-win in terms of episodic content since they are meant to end.
Serialized if the concept of the thing can be stretched out ala The Twilight Zone.

I generally prefer serialised shows, though this is dependent upon the series as a whole having a coherent vision. Miniseries tend to be the best for this, though there are of course exceptions (The Sopranos and Mad Men).

Episodic TV only really works for anthology shows like The Twilight Zone, due to each episode being its own completely self-contained story. Whilst I enjoy shows like The X-Files, they become very repetitive because they have to reset character developments every episode.

A serialised approach makes the most of TV's long form structure