Do you believe modern TV/shows (especially w/streaming) rely too heavily on "mystery box" writing?

[Skel1ingt0n]

Often brought up in internet essays and movie critiques, and regularly attributed recently to JJ Abrams of LOST-fame (the first introduction to this style - or at least, labeling it as such - for many), mystery box writing is the idea of dropping an audience in the middle of a mystery-in-progress, that leaves them wanting answers in any and all directions. With a heavy emphasis on holding back information, an audience's intrigue is not just in the narrative unfolding, but also unlocking key "a-ha" moments about character relationships, the context of the character's world, and their histories throughout the length of the story and with regularity.

This formatting has grown increasingly popular in "connected universes" and also in streaming shows, arguably because it builds a greater desire to theorize and uncover new information episode after episode (increasing engagement). Anything I could add has already been written by much smarter folks than myself many times over... so I just merely ask the question: does modern entertainment feel to you that it relies too heavily on this type of writing?

 

[GARlock Spiral]

Not at all.

"Narrative" and "Payoff" are parts to a story. I like having questions that need answers, then again, I was practically RAISED on LOST when It came out. Maybe it's too much for some, but if wanting decent answers to interesting questions is wrong, I don't want to be right.

 

[Pirateluigi]

Maybe it's just the shows I watch, but this feels like it's a lot less common than it used to be.

 

[GTAce]

Any examples? Isn't this just normal, keep-the-suspense-up writing? Lost was something unique, because not even the writers had a clue.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Maybe it's just the shows I watch, but this feels like it's a lot less common than it used to be.

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That's what I was going to say. But it also might be that I avoid those.

 

[Linus815]

Any examples? Isn't this just normal, keep-the-suspense-up writing? Lost was something unique, because not even the writers had a clue.

Click to shrink...

That isn't unique.

Practically every network tv show was written on the fly at the time. In fact Lost is one of the very very few network shows that was allowed to have an ending instead of just running until there's enough of an audience for it.

X-Files, 24, Prison Break, all of them. The network wanted more and more seasons, and the writers had to come up with more and more stories to tell.
This is actually pretty common even today, even with some of the best written shows like Better Call Saul's co creator Peter Gould said they weren't actually sure where the final season will go until relatively recently.

Mystery box writing isn't really a "thing" imo, there are shows, movies with an element of mystery. There always were and always will be. Even giga expensive shows that had the luxury of very limited episode count and an end date agreed years before the fact like Game of Thrones relied heavily on this, and then the final season came and the writers just threw their hands up.

 

[Seesaw15]

Nah. Mystery box/event shows are very rare and usually only show up on broadcast networks these days. Whats the point of a mystery box show when you can just binge it all in one go? Lot more character driven shows these days overall compared to the early/mid 00's.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Maybe it's just the shows I watch, but this feels like it's a lot less common than it used to be.

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My feeling as well. This was a big thing from 2005-2010 ish but doesn't seem super common now. I think a lot of is is not only because LOST is no longer airing/surging in popularity but also that the increasing reliance on adapting existing IP makes it harder to pull off. Mystery boxes are much harder to insert if you are adapting a book, comic, etc that's already out.

 

[Crossing Eden]

That isn't unique.

Practically every network tv show was written on the fly at the time. In fact Lost is one of the very very few network shows that was allowed to have an ending instead of just running until there's enough of an audience for it.

X-Files, 24, Prison Break, all of them. The network wanted more and more seasons, and the writers had to come up with more and more stories to tell.
This is actually pretty common even today, even with some of the best written shows like Better Call Saul's co creator Peter Gould said they weren't actually sure where the final season will go until relatively recently.

Mystery box writing isn't really a "thing" imo, there are shows, movies with an element of mystery. There always were and always will be. Even giga expensive shows that had the luxury of very limited episode count and an end date agreed years before the fact like Game of Thrones relied heavily on this, and then the final season came and the writers just threw their hands up.

Click to shrink...

☝

 

[Cokomon]

I think another problem the "Mystery Box" formula has is that nowadays the Reddit Hive Mind figures out the solution before even the writers do.

 

[Parthenios]

It's probably the opposite, with the move towards dumping the whole season at once.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

I don't think I currently watch any shows like this. And I do think it's a crutch to try and make a show seem more interesting than it really is.

 

[jelly]

Blacklist is laughable these days.

 

[EdibleKnife]

I don't think it's used too much. I think JJ Abrham's "set it and forget it" version is what should be appearing less. The issue with his mystery storytelling is that the fact that the box itself is supposed to be enough on its own in his mind. The way to make it worthwhile is having sufficient followthrough.

Blacklist is laughable these days.

Click to shrink...

Regret wasting my time in the first few seasons of that show.

 

[Tavernade]

There was definitely a wave of this to capitalize on Heroes/Lost but I feel like it's subsided a bit? Though each network seems to try again every year or so with some super vague quasi-genre thriller where the mystery is 'what is the plot even about.'

It can be done well but I feel like for a lot of shows they either don't think it through or don't have anything else going for them but the mystery. I feel like Netflix and other streamers usually put a big reveal right at the end of the first episode, so you know the biggest mystery of the box early and then work back from there. As opposed to each episode barely revealing anything.

 

[caliph95]

Maybe it's the tv shows i watched but i don't think that's a thing anymore or at least for years