Column: In defense of background TV
Nearly half of the top 10 streaming shows in late June were “library” shows. Meaning, shows that originated somewhere else (usually traditional TV) and are now licensed by a streaming platform. The popular shows in June were “Suits,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “NCIS.”
Looking at that list, journalist-turned-screenwriter Oriana Schwindt made an observation: “People love watching shows with lots of episodes. Shows with strong episodic structure. Make more shows like this.”
She’s not wrong.
I’m always baffled by the snobbery toward background TV. Streamers prefer to call it “second-screen content,” aka the kind of shows you pick when you’re tired or distracted by your phone — or your kids, or that sinkful of dishes you’re washing, or pile of
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