Alison Page wrote:

Now, no guesses about which of these two approaches appeals most to a wannabe-creative person. Plus I like episode and series structure, I think it's powerful. And yet the TV stations seem to be turning their backs on these messages, and instead going for a mechanical evaluation of content. And on the third hand, perhaps this mechanistic analysis works?

It generates large numbers of viewers; quality and creativity are simply not the point. Cynic that I am, I actually believe the masses in the U.S. prefer mediocre, formulaic television. The big networks usually seem to shoot for one or two critically acclaimed series for cachet, and the rest are aimed at Mr. & Mrs. Uniformly Average.

Mistral