Too many options now. Streaming mediums like Netflix and Amazon seem to prefer quantity over quality. There hasn't been a good network TV show, unless you want to argue Person of Interest, in almost two decades. Currently, Game of Thrones and Westworld are decent, but they don't compare to The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, or Breaking Bad in the slightest. I feel pretty damn confident in saying the Golden Age of TV was somewhere around 2004-2014, and its decidedly over now.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

bullshit!

_________________
favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

NCIS was good for a little bit.


The problem with Breaking Bad when it was on:

Slow episodes when you could only watch once a week
Filler episodes (Killing the fly)


My biggest problem is during the holidays(Halloween, Christmas), stations do not show those types of movies or tv shows don't do themed episodes for them.

killing the fly was so horrible its one of the only times i have ever remembered the title to an episode just because of how bad it was.

its also the reason i hate watching a tv series thats still in production. just wait until the series is cancelled in a few years.

case in point- dont watch better call saul yet. its way too slow to watch once a week. in 5 years when its over, then you can watch a few episodes at a time and it will be MUCH better.

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

I think they specifically said the fly was made for budgetary reasons.

The golden age of network tv was probably from the late 70s til around the late 90s/early 00s.

You're right in your dates as far as cable's golden age.

Now there are just so many options, and as has been discussed there is very little patience for week to week storytelling.

There were still very good/great shows to be found on tv last year.

Game of Thrones
Westworld
The Americans
Shameless
Better Call Saul
Orphan Black
Rectify

_________________

So...TV was better two years ago?

Network TV has been dead for nearly 20 years. The JimmyPastas of the world are the only viewers remaining.

_________________

Was Lost the last network tv phenomenon?

_________________

Good television? Bad television? It seems to be more subjective now more than ever. No doubt that there is something for everyone these days, especially with all the different resources to view, stream and download.

IMO, the big difference maker is the option to binge... plain and simple.

If you find a series that you really like, chances are you have the option to watch as much or as often as you wish on your schedule. This personal choice adds to the loyalty and fan base of shows - no matter the venue option to view.

I enjoy many shows on cable as well as network television. I like all four of the NBC Dick Wolf/Chicago series, Blue Bloods, Big Bang Theory and a couple of others. On cable, I like Billions, Game of Thrones, Ballers and a few more.

We just got Netflix and Amazon over Christmas and I liked catching up on Longmire (which A&E cancelled but Netflix picked up), Man in the High Castle and recently, Hell on Wheels (A Deadwood light version of the railroad industry after the Civil War).

Today, the options are endless for television viewing.

_________________
"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

What's the definition of phenomenon? Certainly not most people watching or talking about it, as it was never even that close to being the highest rated show on network television.

Fucking kills me to say this, but I'd say the answer is American Idol.

I guess last big show where everyone was talking about it.

And I was limiting it to scripted shows because American Idol/Dancing with the Stars/The Bachelor(ette) were all way bigger phenoms sadly.

_________________

For scripted shows? Maybe but I would say it ushered in the niche audience along with 24.
Sadly, in terms of the last network tv phenomenon it was probably American Idol.

_________________

That's is a range of 1999 to 2015. There is a lot of time for current and shows in development to prove themselves.

Also aren't you a Mr Robot guy?

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I tried Shameless. Never got this answered:

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=102467&p=2618410#p2618410

Got 9 episodes in total. I just don't get the appeal.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I watched the first season of Mr Robot. It was good. It doesn't compare to The Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield, and Breaking Bad though.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

There's a pretty good book called Desperate Networks that covers the fall of network television as we knew it, a time period that basically runs from 1998 through 2005 and covers the rise of reality TV, the panic around squeezing every last drop out of Friends, and the NFL coverage realignment. If you can get past the fact that it's a 250-page love letter to Les Moonves (Jeff Zucker gets a lot of love too, which looks especially bad now that Zucker made a megastar out of Donald Trump, otherwise ran NBC deep into the ground, and then went to CNN to make even more out of Trump), it's an enjoyable read and worth a day or two if you're a broadcast nerd like me.

_________________