Spoilt for choice: how anthologies became the 'Tinder of television'

Shows such as Black Mirror have revived the format, which gives us more viewing freedom. But is a lack of consistency the price we pay?

One of the most careworn observations of the golden age of TV was that it marked the point where TV became novelistic. After years and years of sitcom-style episodic resets – where Jessica Fletcher never once questioned why such an unthinkable number of people were murdered around her – shows such as The Wire, The Sopranos and Breaking Bad took great delight in telling a single detail-heavy story very slowly.

But that was then. Now there’s a case for arguing that television has abandoned the novel to become a short story collection. This week it was announced that Amazon is making a half-hour series based on the New York Times column Modern Love, complete with an enormous cast including Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, John Slattery, Dev Patel, Catherine Keener, Andy García and Andrew Scott. The catch? It’s an anthology series. Every episode will be self-contained – with different writers, directors and actors – linked only by a nebulous theme.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Q2gSJd