The Evolution of Television in a Technological World

Television: The Transition Into Online Streaming

Online streaming has greatly impacted the world of television over the past 10 years.

The majority of television shows still continues to expand over the course of months, with weekly episodes. Yet platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity TVHBO Now, Amazon and even YouTube have changed the game for television. Among this list also includes television networks that have created online websites which viewers can access and stream tv shows. These companies allow viewers to binge watch entire seasons of episodes on their own time. This concept is known as binge watching, or the binge watching culture, which we have adapted into our society.  

Two of the most well-known platforms that allow access to online streaming include Hulu and Netflix. Hulu was established in March of 2007, while Netflix was first founded in August of 1997. During the late 1990s and early 2000s in it's formative years, Netflix was originally created to rent movies on DVD. By 2007, Netflix moved into online streaming. In the 2010s, Netflix grew into a network, airing original content and television series. The network began hosting it's own series in early 2013, with the first Netflix original House of Cards. Now, even YouTube hosts their own original television series that consumers have access to with a subscription to Youtube Red.

Online Streaming Started with Netflix and Hulu

Access to binge watching allows audience members the privilege of catching up on their favorite shows if they fall behind. Viewers also have the option to watch multiple episodes if available on programing sites such as Netflix or Hulu.

I remember growing up, sitting down at 4 o’clock on the dot to watch Full House or Gilmore Girls. As a teen, I recall watching whatever was on MTV, even if I wasn't interested in the program. MTV established one of the few channels that offered programs free from  infomercials at 2:30 a.m. It kept viewers mildly entertained, namely audience members in their teens and early 20s during. This period of the early 2000s was before the convenience of Netflix and Hulu became available through devices such as laptops and iPads. 

Now, individuals have the ability to access their favorite shows anytime, day or night, at the cost of $7 per month. This also offers economic benefits as well as convenience, providing viewers with a cheaper option than cable packages. 

This new age of binge watching questions whether there is a loss of climatic build-up for viewers. Could the lack of on-screen suspense be the result of having access to watch a whole season any time the individual chooses? Audience members can now set their own pace, establishing a sense of control while watching their favorite shows.

However, this new age of total access to constantly watch our favorite programs also brings into question the quantity of television produced.

Is there a greater need to produce more because viewers have accessibility to watch more? How many television shows are produced now compared to 30 years ago? Reports state that television networks such as HBO and MTV aimed to diversify their programming during the 1990s. HBO, also known as home box office, originally intended to offer movies exclusively to viewers. Their aim was to provide individuals with the appeal of a home theater. Similarly, MTV, known as music television, also produced one type of content during the network’s establishment: music videos. MTV strictly aired music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was the primary content and intent of the network’s programing that monopolized the 1980s.

One example of a booming area in television that continues to produce numerous shows is the crime/investigative genre in television. Some examples of crime-related television shows originating over the past 20 years that sustains programming with new episodes include: The BlacklistBlue Bloods, Bones, Criminal MindsChicago P.D., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Hawaii Five-O, Law and Order: SVU.

Criminal Justice Shows Bring Realism from Outside World into Television

However, according to britannica.com, the criminal genre in television was considered to be inappropriate at the time. During the 1990s, NYPD Blue received criticism by adult figures. 

“Parents, teachers, and religious groups complained that network television was no longer appropriate for family viewing. This became a major on-going refrain in the 1990s.” 

At that point, television was evolving. The shared, family-friendly experience that television originally intended to be during the 1940s and 1950s was changing.  

Networks welcomed the diversification of programming and television content. As a result, viewers could see the real, raw words and actions that mimic the world around us. Television is no longer set in this dream land that falsely portrayed perfect lives, as seen in the Cleaver clan and the Anderson family.

Now, the diversification of television is shown through its platforms in addition to its content.

The accessibility and convenience of online streaming is a privilege that we just can't deny.  


5 Television Shows from the 2000s Cancelled Too Early

The early cancellations of quality shows, even potentially iconic shows, has increasingly become problematic in tv history. Many notable series don't even make it past their first seasons, despite their popularity and the support of fans. Here’s a look back at five of our favorite short lived shows over the past 15 years:

  • Freaks and Geeks (2000) — Freaks and Geeks remains a widely popular television series, despite only lasting a single season. The show accrued millions of viewers, with 6.77 million. This large fan base and the high ratings from sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes is evident. According to IMDB, Freaks and Geeks rated as an 8.5/10 or higher. It seemed like the show would be unstoppable. Yet, despite the audience’s raving reviews, NBC pulled the plug on "Freaks and Geeks" after 18 episodes. Although I did not watch the show during its original airing, I did watch all 18 episodes on Netflix. Freaks and Geeks follows the individual lives of average teenagers, while reflecting each characters triumphs and battles. But as a watcher, what made Freaks and Geeks extraordinary is that it offers a realistic depiction of the awkward and the embarrassing moments of being a teenager. It accomplished the frustration of being a teen while highlighting the bonds and estrangements of high school. 
  • Veronica Mars (2004-2007) — A young Kristen Bell portrays the character of Veronica Mars, a teenager whose high school life and progression into college is anything but average. After the death and murder of her best friend, Mars begins working as a private investigator alongside her detective father. The show’s first season is on the higher side of average,with ratings reaching a 7/10 according to IMDB. Yet, the series raked in about 2.5 million viewers over the course of three seasons, with season 3 ratings sky-rocketing.

    I still remember some of the episode plot-lines while watching the show's first airing. The show focuses on the criminal actions of murder and rape from the up close and personal perspective of a young woman. Veronica Mars steps beyond the typical adult, team based crime shows that are produced in bulk. The program portrays a strong female protagonist; a time when powerful women in television really started to gain recognition. Thanks to the large fan base, the short-lived series received a proper ending with the Veronica Mars movie in 2014. 

  • Firefly (2002-2003) — Firefly, Joss Whedon’s sci-fi drama, quickly became a wildly popular hit during the early 2000s. 4.48 million viewers tuned into watch the futuristic fiction. Although the show’s ratings jumped up and down every episode, Firefly gauged an 8.5-9.5 out of 10 over the course of 14 episodes according to IMDB. This Western Space Odyssey is set 500 years in the future. After the recent universal civil war, Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds and his crew travel the galaxy via their space aircraft, known as a firefly. Their mission  of these rebels is to survive in space, as they lack the means to support themselves financially. 

    While I have never been a fan of science fiction stories, those interested in the widely-appreciated genre clearly voiced their opinions on Firefly's brief existence. While the studio cancelled the series, fans of Firefly rejoiced over the series return to the big screen. The story and the cast from Firefly returned in a film continuation of the program, giving the show a proper ending with the 2005 movie Serenity, appropriately named. The film received a solid 8/10 by IMDB’s ratings. 

  • The Following (2013-2015) — The Following series, starring Kevin Bacon, lasted 3 seasons before its studio cancellation it in 2015. The show’s ratings averaged between 7 and 8 out of 10 according to IMDB. While the first two seasons did steadily decline in ratings, the third season inclined. Yet, despite the third season's seemingly successful ratings and an average of 3.45 million viewers, The Following came to an end. The show features a detective who is personally affected by a case when a Edgar Allen Poe professor turned serial killer creates an uprise. The psychotic killer, Joe Carroll, forms a cult of serial killers or "believers" that are willing to follow his leadership at any cost. After watching the first season (and the show’s intensity and creep-factor), I find it hard to imagine that the series' story line could continue after the first season. Yet, according to the ratings, season 3 managed to accomplish that, before the program's demise.
  • Complications (2015) — The 2015 drama Complications follows an ER surgeon, Dr. John Ellison, whose work live becomes complicated by the actions he has taken outside the hospital. In a single situation, the doctor decides who to save and who to kill, choosing to protect a young boy by actively killing gang members. The lines start to blur and the repercussions find John Ellison in every aspect of his life. Despite the series' “riveting” plot-line, Complications came to an end after only 10 episodes, a result by USA network's actions. Although Rotten Tomatoes' critiques only gave the show a rating of 58%, 84% of audience members liked the show. Numerous fans took to twitter to express their outrage at “Complications” short-lived survival. According to IMDB, the series rated 8.5 out of 10 and had  2.78 million viewers.

According to NBC's network statistics, this trend of cutting series short is on the rise. But why is it that shows with lower ratings and a smaller fan base survive while some of the more popular series fall by the wayside within the first season? What do you think about these beloved cancelled shows? Was it too soon to extinguish these story lines? Let us know in the comments section below. 


Phantogram Performing Live

[Video] Phantogram Perform on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

Phantogram are in the thick of their promotional run for their latest project, Voices, released yesterday via Republic Records and last night stopped in Burbank to pay Jimmy Kimmel a visit and perform their songs, "Black Out Days" and "Fall in Love" to an energized crowd at the AT&T Outdoor Stage. The UK duo is sure to be in the public eye quite a bit over the next few months, having finally ended the long wait that fans had between Voices and 2011's full release, Nightlife. Check out the full video of them performing last night in the video, streaming below.

"Black Out Days"

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"Fall In Love"

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[Video] Neko Case Performs on Conan

Neko Case graduated to a new level of notoriety last year on the strength of her mouthful of an album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. The project found itself surrounded by the likes of Kanye West and Arcade Fire atop many of 2013's picks for top albums of the year and that has vaulted her onto the national stage. One of those stages is Conan's late night spot on TBS, which Case stopped by to perform her song, "Ragtime" with Calexico. It's a refreshing performance to start your day off properly, watch the full set below.

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[Video] Big Sean, Kid Cudi Perform on Jimmy Fallon

G.O.O.D. Music was in the building with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yesterday as Big Sean and Kid Cudi stopped by to do their thing with house band The Roots. Sean, on tour in support of his latest album Hall of Fame, stopped by the set of the show to perform his song "First Chain" with Cudi. Check out the video from the performance below.


Chance The Rapper by Bryan Lamb

[Video] Chance The Rapper on 106th & Park

Chance The Rapper just keeps getting bigger. The hometown kid from Chicago, in New York for a two-day, three-set marathon at SOB's beginning today, stopped by BET's 106th & Park to chop it up with Bow Wow on national television. He starts things off by asking the host if it was cool to call him Bow and goes on to touch on some pretty interesting points involving being an independent artist today, the state of the music industry and the origins of music in Chicago. It's crazy to see him standing on the set next to Bow Wow and a testament to a year's worth of hard work. Check out the video below: