Serialized or Episodic. Which storytelling format do you personally prefer for TV shows?

[J75]

Serialized format: An overall story told continuously in successive episodes, with plot arcs and storylines referenced in multiple episodes. Assumes that the viewer is invested in the series from the beginning. Must be watched in order.

Episodic format: A series of self-contained stories situated in single episodes. They can feature a recurring group of characters, or different characters in each episode if it is an anthology. No need to watch in order.

I think both formats have their advantages and disadvantages. A serialized format can get a viewer deeply invested in a story told over an extended period of time as you see the characters and world change and grow, but it could be quite daunting for a newcomer to get into the series if it has many episodes/seasons. One disadvantage of the episodic format is that it has to maintain a status quo at all times, which can make the world and its characters feel static and not evolved (unless the episodic series is an anthology such as The Twilight Zone), but it allows a viewer to jump into any episode as it provides a complete story that is concluded at the end without relying on prior knowledge of past events.

I know a lot of it can depend on the kind of show it is or the story that's being told, but what do you all personally prefer in general? I can't help but have fondness of the episodic format since it was what I grew up with and was mostly the standard for television back in the day. It seems to be more of a rarity nowadays especially in today's age of streaming and binge culture. Even the more self contained episodic found in like Mandalorian can still have some lingering plot elements. What do you all think?

 

[Chie Satonaka91]

Generally i prefer episodic. My favorite tv show is Star Trek TNG and I couldn't see that being improved with serialized storytelling. Some episodic shows can add things or characrters without issue (also doing callbacks) to episodic shows need not be that statc. TNG, Always Sunny. and Futurama were all very episodic shows, but new characters could be added and old episodes referenced without issue for people picking an episode at random.

 

[Einchy]

Serialized.

I tend to only watch episodic comedies, otherwise it's almost exclusively serialized shows. Even as a kid I always thought it was weird how every cartoon would reset after each episode.

 

[chrisPjelly]

Episodic first half with serialized second half. Nice healthy mix of both.

 

[gforguava]

Serialized. It is the single greatest strength that TV has.

 

[Extra Sauce]

not to be confused with cereal-ized, which is how I watch my favorite cartoons

 

[ThatThomas]

I like longer seasons with a healthy mix of both.

 

[Altazor]

Serialized. I'm just wired that way.

I do like some episodic stuff though. But I vastly, vastly prefer serialized.

 

[808s & Villainy]

Episodic first half with serialized second half. Nice healthy mix of both.

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It seems like a lot of shows do this. Especially superhero shows

 

[jman1954goat]

A mix of both like how Steven Universe does it can work great.

If you only can have 1 serial.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Episodic for me. AoS went downhill for me when it moved on from that format after the first half of season 1.
I don't know what format you'd class it as, but I hate the CW DC format (not counting Legends) where there's an overarching plot that could be finished in 5 episodes tops dragged across a 22 episode season, where each episode is a relatively self contained save for the sometimes as little as 30 second main plot tease at the end.

 

[hordak]

Person of interest was both. There was a weekly POI but a continuing underline plot line

elementary did this too with a weekly mystery but a season long plot

 

[canseesea]

I generally don't care at all about episodic shows. X-Files was better when it got about the dumb lore than when it was a monster of the week show, come at me.

 

[HStallion]

I don't really have a preference as each style has its strengths and in the end its all down to execution. I've seen tons of shows that were serialized and terrible as well as tons that were episodic and terrible. The quality in either had little to do with the base story format and more with the poor writing, bad acting and so on.

 

[BasilZero]

Serialized the whole way which is why I enjoy anime far more than cartoons.

 

[Era Uma Vez]

A mix of both, a.k.a
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[thediamondage]

i like the mix, serialized for heavy shows but I really, really like episodic for stuff like Star Trek, Stargate, sit-coms, etc. One of the real failings of the star trek reboots imo (Discovery, Picard) has been how serialized they are. I still gotta watch the cartoon Underdeck (sic) though, I hear its good and more episodic.

 

[blame space]

neither

 

[Kapryov]

A mix of both is best.

There's an underlying story with character growth/arcs, but the episodes each have their contained story and can stand on their own. Then a serialised last few episodes of the season to tie it all up.

 

[Slayven]

I don't really have a preference as each style has its strengths and in the end its all down to execution. I've seen tons of shows that were serialized and terrible as well as tons that were episodic and terrible. The quality in either had little to do with the base story format and more with the poor writing, bad acting and so on.

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[PanSexual_Peacock]

I much prefer shorter serialized series'. However, I'll make exceptions for certain shows. I think Person of Interest had a good balance of both.

 

[Keym]

Sometimes the episodic format can give way to some incredible isolated episodes, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule. I enjoy serialized more.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Serialized. I can enjoy episodic television but standalone narratives that aren't interconnected with the overarching plot rarely offer the payoff I'm looking for.

 

[molnizzle]

Serialized TV is my favorite form of storytelling.

Episodic is just filler "content" that doesn't deserve my time.

 

[Strike]

Serialized.

 

[Joni]

It depends... Some shows I prefer to be episodic, some serialized.

 

[Deleted member 14568]

serialized the tng/voyager ''reset button'' was really annoying and greatly limited character growth

 

[Sander VF]

Either one depending on the show.

A mix is also often appreciated.

 

[THEVOID]

Both. Love one and done series like TZ or Serialized with a dash of episodic like the X-files.

 

[Kurita]

No preference. All I know is that I never watch serialized shows more than once, while I can watch episodic comedies over and over again without ever getting bored.

 

[NeonZ]

When done at its best, I prefer episodic. Basically each episode feels like a standalone story of its own, with a lot of variability from one episode to another. However, most of the time, that isn't what happens in episodic shows and they end up falling to formulas, rather than using the episodic structure for freedom. If you're going to stick to a rigid set up, then serialized is just better and gives a reason to look forward to future episodes.

 

[DevilMayGuy]

Episodic comedies. Serialized basically everything else

 

[davepoobond]

I prefer a mix, personally. Earlier X Files where they are basically doing 2 shows or something overarching to link together episodic episodes

 

[latex]

Serialized with a sprinkling of episodic episodes here and there.

 

[deadman322]

i like a mix. start out episodic but have things that build to a great story then for big moments become more serialised.

 

[Sectorseven]

I like both, but I think I prefer episodic for comedies.