Peak TV Is Giving People Anxiety, Because We Can't Have Nice Things
TV is so good right now, folks. In fact, it's too good, to the point where people are overwhelmed. At least that's what a new survey has found, with those polled confessing there's so many TV shows on right now they don't even know where to start. It's official: peak TV is giving people anxiety. Thanks a lot, peak TV.
What's your favorite TV show? Is it even possible to have one favorite in the endless sea that is peak TV? In the early days of television, there were only three channels and all they aired was footage of Dwight D. Eisenhower doing the Charleston. Those days are over. Now, our TVs are choked with a steady stream of new shows, many of them quite good. So good, in fact, that people have come to like TV more than movies. There was a time where the gulf between TV and film was wide, with TV considered to be the pits. Now the playing field is more even.
Having nothing better to do, the folks at Hub Entertainment Research put together a survey to better understand our modern era of peak TV. According to Variety, when survey participants were presented with the statement "There are so many TV programs to choose from that it's hard to know where to start," almost half of those surveyed either strongly or somewhat agreed. In addition to that, 39% said there were too Netflix many shows to choose from. Other results include that those surveyed revealed the glut of TV shows has lead them to become more picky about what they watch, with only a measly 12% claiming they would give "any new show a try even if it looks only slightly interesting," while 34% said, "I'll only try a new show if I'm pretty confident I'm going to like it."
If you're more visually based, here's a handy little graph to give you an idea of the data:
The TV landscape is definitely strange right now. On one hand, you have Netflix, where you can binge through entire seasons of shows in a weekend. Then there are the more traditional network sitcoms, which seem hackier than ever yet continue to thrive. Then there's the cable channels like HBO, Showtime, and so on. All of them are combining to form this cacophony of television that's almost impossible to sort through. You have to be discerning. That can be hard, especially if you want to keep up with the trends.
Peak TV shows no signs of going away, though. In fact, it'll probably only get more and more complicated. The solution? Buy at least ten TVs and have them all running at once. Or just read a book or something, I guess.