TV vs. movies? Give me the small screen every time

By Mack Perry

Septemer 17, 2007 | I don't know about you, but even as the leaves start to fall and the temperature begins to drop, I'm still reeling from a summer that was brimming with overstuffed, over-the-top, and completely unnecessary movie sequels.

Honestly, do we really need another "Rush Hour?" Well, to be fair, do we really need another movie directed by Brett Ratner? Ever. Again? That's beside the point, I suppose, although Ratner does represent one of the many things wrong with the film industry. Especially when you compare said industry with its small-screen cousin. Television has given us so many gripping, evocative, intelligent, and hilarious hours of escapism over the past year alone and through the glorious format of DVD that we should never have to pay for another movie ticket ever again.

In fact, with the exception of a certain group of giant, transforming robots, all of the summer's most memorable pop culture moments came from the climax of J.K. Rowling's coming-of-age wizard opus and the season finales of some of television's greatest shows. "Office" fans that have been following the will-they-or-won't-they back-and-forth between Jim and Pam since the show's inception finally received three seasons worth of pay-off on the hit workplace sitcom's uproarious finale. And, despite a rocky, Others-centric start to its third season, the season finale of "Lost" delivered two of the most engaging, emotional, and action-packed hours of television that I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. And there's a reason why TV Guide critic Michael Aussiello said that the finale's much talked about ending will go down as one of the greatest twists in the medium's history.

The television industry has entered what many entertainment critics consider a second golden age. Compelling, critically acclaimed drama and comedy programs have continued to flood networks like HBO and Showtime, in addition to all of the major networks of basic cable, and the complex writing and sophisticated cinematography introduced by many of these programs has rivaled the production values of major motion pictures. Many entertainment critics, including Devin Gordon of Newsweek and Tom Maurstad of GuideLive.com, have even hailed some of the content of contemporary television programs as superior to some of the finest films to adorn the silver screen.

Nothing better illustrates this point more than television shows that were originally based on movies. Take NBC's "Friday Night Lights" for example. The film that starred Billy Bob Thorton was a playbook example of a heartwarming and realistic sports movie. But the "Friday Night Lights" series that premiered last fall was nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. Like all of the medium's best entries, the show transcended the trappings of its limited genre and told a story much richer and more complicated than the simplistic yarn offered in the film about an underdog high school football team.

Although the production values of television programs have now allowed them to compete with films, most show runners do not have the budget to rely heavily on special effects to attract an audience and to tell their story. Often, the success of a television show relies heavily upon strong writing and experimentation, two things that most big-budget commercial films tend to lack. Additionally, television writers have the freedom to tell stories over the course of around 20 hours as opposed to only two and, as a result, they have the opportunity to write characters that are more fully developed and multi-dimensional then the more shallow character depictions found on the big screen. The experience of watching a season of television today is much more akin to reading a novel.

Think about it. Let's say you had a crime fiction itch that just needed to be scratched. Let's say that you wanted a more intimate look at the world of organized crime and, more specifically, mafia crime families. Francis Ford Coppola's classic film "The Godfather," considered one of the greatest movies of all time, would certainly be a good place to start. But a three hour and 55 minute film can only do so much to develop that story's characters, situations, and further immerse viewers in the world of organized crime.

In contrast, David Chase's Emmy-award-winning HBO program, "The Sopranos" offers viewers the same connection with the Italian underworld through the eyes of mob boss Tony Soprano, but it also enriches and deepens the connection for viewers across the course of six groundbreaking seasons.

This dichotomy extends beyond HBO to every corner of network and cable television as well. There are more laughs-per-minute to be found in any one episode of "The Office" or the short-lived Fox sitcom "Arrested Development" than pretty much every comedy film that has been released this past year. And sure, "The Departed" and "Blood Diamond" were pretty good, but did you see this season of "The Wire?"

So, as the summer movie season of sequels comes to an end, I rejoice at the upcoming fall television season and the return of real entertainment.

NW
RB