What Makes a TV Show Binge-Worthy?

Introduction

The evolutionary changes and advancement in the entertainment industry have seen the rise of televisions shows. The massive revolutionary changes in film production warranting TV shows massive following are products of the 21st century (Cateridge 2015, p. 339). HBO, alongside AMC, led other film producing companies by creating and airing shows such as "The Sex and The City" and "The Sopranos," and "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead" respectively. Cateridge illustrates how the global community is gradually acclaiming and appreciating Television Shows (TV) while ditching the former cinematic provisions of entertainment. The wonder behind this is the subject touching on the nitty-gritty employed by TV show-making companies, like HBO and AMC, in tuning their shows in an exciting and captivating mode. Some of these TV shows nab individuals, and get them glued to the televisions till the shows come to an end. Excellent examples of such are evident in novels like "A Song of Ice and Fire" on which "Game of Thrones" is based. "Breaking Bad" also features such features. All the same, the big question regarding such a phenomenon seeks to solve the puzzle, or rather articulates the points and reasons that make these shows stand out among the rest, and warrant them such a massive following globally. Several reasons are account for 'binge-worthy' TV shows. Below is a countdown.

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Thriller Stories

In film studies, the concept is developing thriller stories that do not fade away pretty quick among viewers. This creates excitement, and attract more viewers. In examining 'binge-worthy' TV shows, critical questions arising are, "Why are some stories more popular than others?", also, "Why are they eagerly talked about, and heard, read, retold, and remembered?" (Fiske et al. 2017, p. 2). Ideally, the film-producers and their scriptwriters must do some due diligence to achieve this. Naturally, people get moved by exciting stories, and this is a fact that is confirmed by the massive following and viewership of HBO's "Game of Thrones," and AMC's "Breaking Bad" than other shows like Tyler Perry's "Have's And Have-Nots." This does not imply that other shows do not have exciting stories because it implies that "Game of Thrones" and "Breaking Bad" have tremendously thrilling stories that captivate viewers. TV shows created on excellent stories do not fade away pretty fast. TV shows based on fascinating stories get viewers and fans waiting for forthcoming seasons and episodes with bated breaths. Consider the final season of "Game of Thrones" scheduled to be released in April 2018 (Cateridge 2015, p. 339). Fans and viewers are eagerly waiting for the season finale.

The essence of creating thrilling stories is to the viewer to the show, and keep them wondering what happens next. For instance, Ned Eddard Stark is beheaded in the first season of "Game of Thrones," and this happens after King Robert Baratheon wrote a will that Stark succeed him upon his death. This alone left viewers in suspense and pursued them to keep watching till they see whoever inherits or instead takes the iron throne. The same care applies to AMC's "Breaking Bad" in which the poverty-stricken Walter White is diagnosed with cancer, and yet his family cannot support his treatment and take care of the family. Thus, viewers keep an eye on the show and watch every action unfold.

Drama

Drama is an essential component of good stories on TV shows. The undeniable fact is that incorporating dama, crime serving as an example, get viewers hooked to the show (Turnbull 2014, p. 99). This is yet another reason making a TV show 'binge-worthy.' The undeniable truth is, no one would bother watching a show with at least a drama scene.

In most cases, shows with compelling drama get viewers on the edge of their seats, and a converse of this is true. Considering "Game of Thrones," viewers are always on the lookout of the events that will yield out of the political tussle among the key players, or rather, the dominant houses such as the Starks, Baratheons, Martell, Lanisters, Greyjoys, Tyrell, and the Arryns. As such, fans are interested in establishing the winning house that will eventually rule over the seven kingdoms. The case is similar in "Breaking Bad" in which there is much drama between Walter White and his wife over his new and weird ways of life following the acquisition of the too much money for which he cannot account for properly. There is also drama between White and Jesse Pinkman. However, the most interesting of them all is the dramatic events that see Walter White rise the methamphetamine business, and runs the streets. In the two shows, drama elucidates conflict and way among parties with varied ideologies, interests, and agenda in the plate, and this fuels tension buildup and unfolding of unexpected, excitatory events that entertain viewers. This is accounts for their fame.

Humor, Meaning, and Sense

'Binge-worthy' TV shows display multiple episodes of light moments that leave viewers bursting into uncontrollable laughter, if not in broad smiles. Interestingly, some people are driven by an immense sense of humor in TV shows, and sometimes "it is about the jokes" (Friedman 2014 p. 1). Several shows possess this attribute. However, those with hilarious scenes stand out. For instance, Jesse Pinkman turns out to be a funny character by mastering the art of insulting everyone as a bitch. Friedman further states that "it has to be funny." Thus, humor must be part of a captivating show. There is a significant interplay between humor and meaning, and several examples from HBO's "Game of Thrones" supports this argument (Gann 2017 p. 57). However, an excellent example that stands out is that in which Haldon engages in a heated exchange with the guard. The guard, referring to Tyrion Lannister, says that it great luck rubbing a dwarf's head. Upon hearing this, Tyrion smiled jovially and replied by saying, "it is even better luck to suck on a dwarf's cock." Even though Tyrion's remarks are hilarious, it holds significant meaning and a lesson in the play. Tyrion's reply implies that he is proud of himself and no one can downplay his nature without a fight. Even though humor may be used to spice up the show, viewers must see sense and worth of watching the story. For instance, viewers must see sense, or rather, the reason as to why Walter White quits his teaching profession for cooking methamphetamine in "Breaking Bad." Concurrently, viewers must see the reason as to why the Knight King, alongside his army of the dead, is marching south to kill everyone and concur the seven kingdoms in "Game of Thrones."

Quality

In every activity that involves profitability, quality is an issue. Thus, the better the quality, the worthy the show. Quality is a function that injects aesthetic value in a show, and it all begins with the authorship of the stories (Bignell 2012, p. 176). Bignell further asserts that quality assures intimacy, intimacy as well as continuity. Ideally, these are fundamental necessities of a show worth watching, and shows with high viewership like "Breaking Bad" or "Game of Thrones" indicate full exploitation of this principle.

Regarding "Game of Thrones," the fantasy show is based on George Raymond Martin's novels alias "A Song of Ice and Fire." Even though the plot captures the seven kingdoms, the wildlings as well as the Knight Kind and his army of the dead inhabiting the ice-covered regions lying north, there is intermarriage of the scenes in these kingdoms, and the story builds up based on the events in these kingdoms. In his writing, George engages viewers by leaving them in suspense especially regarding the end of the show (Bignell 2012, p. 176). Thus, viewers are left speculating all manner of possibilities they may witness in the last season. However, the story in the play is systematically and chronologically arranged to match events in every plot. To this end, it becomes arguable that reading the series of novels, "A Song of Ice and Fire," is yet another reason why HBO's "Game of Thrones" has a wide viewership. Naturally, a person who has read the books would want to watch the series and see how it all ends.

The case is more or less similar AMC's "Breaking Bad" with the exception that Vince Gilligan does not publish any books on the same. However, there is a systematic build-up of the story. It is interesting how Walter White discovers that his former student, who did not perform well in his subject, ends up teaching him the ways of the street. Eventually, Walter white "Breaks bad" after adopting the name "Heisenberg" and becomes the methamphetamine lord by producing the purest meth ever sold in Albuquerque.

Even though the twists and turns of the story are critical in making the story 'binge-worthy,' characters and actors as well as set as other essential aspects, regarding quality, are also critical. A successful and 'binge-worthy' show must have the right characters playing roles that suit them. For instance, in "Homeland," there is a remarkable following until Sir Nicholas Brody is executed. The moment he exited the stage, quite some viewers lost interest in the show. The same case happens in "Wayward Pines," and it becomes worse by replacing the whole cast in every season (Bignell 2012, p. 178). This shows that the producers must find the right individuals and assign them roles depend on their skills and acting prowess. Excellent examples illustrating this point is the presence of Giancarlo Esposito and Brian Cranston in "Breaking Bad." Naturally, the two gentlemen were assigned the right roles that they ended up playing with sheer diligence. In "Breaking Bad," Giancarlo Esposito, as Gus Fring, is pictured as a no-nonsense methamphetamine dealer operating under the shadow of a fast-food restaurant. He operates a tightly controlled methamphetamine empire with the help of Mike Ehrmantraut. On the other hand, Brian Cranston, as Walter White, ditches his teaching career and joins the meth business. He exploits his brains in every move he makes, and Jesse Pinkman testifies that Walter White is too brilliant that he does the exact opposite to the requirements of any plot laid against him.

Still, the story has to stand as one of a kind. Taking "Game of Thrones" as an example, the story utterly unique even though George wrote his novels following inspiration from "The Lord of the Rings." Naturally, authors must add enough flesh to their stories to make the play develop and gain momentum as the story rolls out. This explains why Martin's "Game of Thrones" sells more than "The Lord of the Rings." Even though the two stories are fantasies sharing similar a variety of features, the twists, and turns of events, the structure, as well as the story itself, counts in making the story exceptional (Bignell 2012, p. 179). The same case has been evident in some successful TV series such as "Homeland," "Band of Brothers," "Breaking Bad" as well as "Vikings."

Structure

A show's structure plays a crucial role in making the story amazing. This means that a fascinating TV show must break down its building blocks into acts. This helps the author develop critical elements of presenting an excellent show through recaps, prologues, previews, cliffhangers as well as teasers (Dowd 2015 p. 113). These attributes capture viewers and attract more attention to the show. An excellent example fitting this phenomenon is HBO's teaser for Game of Thrones' season finale towards the end of 2018. Since the release of the teaser, fans, and viewers of the show have been up and about digesting every bit of it as well as speculating the probable ending of the show. A critical look at AMC's "Better Call Saul," "Breaking Bad's" extension, also displays a similar feature. Naturally, well-structured stories do not confuse viewers,...