The TV series phenomenon

Once considered a rather simple television pastime, TV series have become a veritable fashion phenomenon. Thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, series are becoming increasingly important, complex, interesting and accessible. To the point of relegating cinema to the sidelines?

What series do you watch?

This question has become a must whenever people meet, or meet again. Gone are the days of "what's your favourite colour" or "what are your hobbies", now people define themselves by the series they watch, on TV or online on Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Disney+, AppleTV and many others. The Bridgerton Chronicles, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Squid Game, House of the Dragon... So many popular series, some of which are even the subject of veritable fashion phenomena.

And with the abundance of online platforms, it's become hard to watch them all. It has to be said that these streaming giants also take great pleasure in reintroducing old series such as Doctor House, Monk and Breaking Bad. This also allows us to compare the 'old' series with the 'new' ones. Because there was a turning point one day, the one that marked the birth of the modern series. But which turning point? The answer in the next episode...

From Doctor House to Lucifer, the turning point

There aren't many basic differences between these two successful series. One is a misanthropic doctor with a loathsome temper who solves impossible medical puzzles thanks to his genius and his ability to outwit patients. And the other is the devil himself, who comes to Earth to solve criminal puzzles thanks to his genius and ability to foil people's lies by making them confess their deepest desires.

But there's a major aesthetic difference between the two. It's the Casa de Papel effect.

Launched in 2017, this Spanish series has a revolutionary aesthetic in the world of TV. Netflix understood this immediately and bought the rights to it the same year, changing the format of the episodes to market them worldwide. After only 4 months on the air, the series was already the number one non-English series, appealing to virtually all social groups.

La Casa de Papel, although not the only fiction series to do so, brings a very colourful aesthetic, with saturated colours, as well as a script that effectively mixes thriller, drama, comedy and romance. The plot twists are well controlled and spread throughout the story arcs.

For Netflix and other series producers, this has become a canon to follow: the saturated colours are best seen on mobile devices (smartphones), the characters are engaging and the mix of genres allows for different levels of suspense, plot twists... in short, always enough to encourage viewers to watch the next episode. So much so that in 2024, it seems as if all modern series are alike, whether fantasy, science fiction, drama, crime, thriller or horror.

Stars get into series

In the past, the great actors and directors concentrated on the big screen, the big cinema, and abandoned series. Today, it's almost the opposite. With bigger budgets and rich, intense story arcs, TV series are attracting more artistic talent. Alongside regular actors such as Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, we often see well-known actors and film directors.

Producers devote a large budget to developing the script and paying these actors. Standardised aesthetics save money, as do cheaper filming locations. So series set in Paris, Rome, New York or Moscow may well have been filmed in Canada, for example.

A recurring audience

Thanks to streaming platforms, audiences have become more regular. This makes it possible to produce series... in series. More and more spin-offs are appearing, like "Better Call Saul", the spin-off series from "Breaking Bad", or the countless spin-offs from "The Walking Dead". So much so that it has become an obligation to keep the public interested and prevent them from migrating to another platform.

Whatever your favourite series, or platform of choice, you'll find plenty of TV series goodies in our geek shop. So you can show off your favourites, while you wait for the next season of Stranger Things to arrive, for example!