Definition Of A Serialized Television Show

We define a serialized television show as one that adopts a long-form story format to weave stories across entire seasons or series. These stories often resemble chapters like those out of a novel due to the way episodes and seasons continually unfold, building on the story threads and plot arcs over time.

Unlike procedural TV shows, things that happen to characters in serialized TV shows impact the subsequent episodes and can even recontextualize previous episodes – hence more importance on viewers keeping up to date with episodes and watching in the proper order.

The best serialized television is often high-concept and high-risk. Such stories are geared towards viewer investment and fan engagement because when the credits roll, the story is always to be continued..

Why are the best serialized stories concerned about cultivating characters that the viewers care about? Because if the audience cares, they are more likely to follow the show and invest in its stories through these ‘human’ connections.

While serialized television isn’t everyone’s cup of tea due to personal preference or time constraints, we here at Seriable are wholly invested in these seriable tales. Collectively, we journey with these stories through live-viewing, DVRs, DVDs, and online ‘water cooler’ destinations, such as – well, Seriable.com.

We engage with all types of serialized television shows, though we particularly focus on highly serialized shows with a strong character focus. We call the shows we cover ‘Seriable Shows’.