Are TV shows surpassing the quality of Movies?

[Clark Kent]

The best television shows have always bested movies, you can tell a more complex narrative with far richer characterization over dozens of TV episodes than you can in two hours. Dramatic, serialized television has always had that edge and always will.

[richieb1971]

I have thought this for a while.

Then I realized that TV shows are aimed at adults quite a lot of the time. All these new movies are about ticket sales and getting a billion people into theaters at the expense of a low rating so kids can watch too.

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in the movie theater where I saw a head roll, some saucy sex scene or a drug party. But in the TV realm you seem to see that quite a lot.

Take Game of Thrones. If that came out at the movie theater in movie format it would like a 12 rating and play out like LOTR. All the story would be pulled out of it and any references to the books where sex or violence happens would likely be off screen.

Adults secretly want to be shocked and want a love hate relationship with the content. Where as something like the Avengers Age of Ultron is always one sided and gets boring for an adult in about 15 minutes.

[Vlad Draculi]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in the movie theater where I saw a head roll, some saucy sex scene or a drug party.

You haven't seen Hateful 8, have you?

[hagios]

[Show spoiler]

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

The best television shows have always bested movies, you can tell a more complex narrative with far richer characterization over dozens of TV episodes than you can in two hours. Dramatic, serialized television has always had that edge and always will.

That is simply not true.

That being said, as far as the studio system is concerned, and with the overall level of bollocks being thrown out to mainstream audiences these days...there probably is some level of merit to your underlying point.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

you can tell a more complex narrative with far richer characterization over dozens of TV episodes than you can in two hours.

That is true. The only time it is bad is when they stretch 6 episodes worth of good content over 20 episodes.

[Zivouhr]

TV shows are like reading a long novel book with 500+ pages, while movies are more compact, like reading a magazine with 90 pages. So I'd say they are valuable in their own ways depending on what the audience is interested in.

Current favorite TV shows:
Gotham
Wayward Pines
The Strain
Ash vs Evil Dead

The Walking Dead is interesting.
I'd like to see Daredevil and a few more shows.