Derek Thompson

He just had a heart attack because Kelly needed to stretch the plot to eight episodes. Something weird has happened here where it's almost like we've gotten too good at cinematography.

At the same time that storytelling has really fallen off a cliff from an efficiency standpoint, we now just accept as television viewers that entire hour-long episodes of expensive, famous, well-reviewed, critically acclaimed television will just have nothing happening on the plot front. And so that's what I'm calling the gilded age of television.

At the same time that storytelling has really fallen off a cliff from an efficiency standpoint, we now just accept as television viewers that entire hour-long episodes of expensive, famous, well-reviewed, critically acclaimed television will just have nothing happening on the plot front. And so that's what I'm calling the gilded age of television.

At the same time that storytelling has really fallen off a cliff from an efficiency standpoint, we now just accept as television viewers that entire hour-long episodes of expensive, famous, well-reviewed, critically acclaimed television will just have nothing happening on the plot front. And so that's what I'm calling the gilded age of television.

It's golden on the outside, but from a plot standpoint, I think we actually have a crisis of screenwriting, a crisis of forward momentum that's partly created by the fact that the incentives of television economics today calls for making things longer rather than making things efficient.

It's golden on the outside, but from a plot standpoint, I think we actually have a crisis of screenwriting, a crisis of forward momentum that's partly created by the fact that the incentives of television economics today calls for making things longer rather than making things efficient.

It's golden on the outside, but from a plot standpoint, I think we actually have a crisis of screenwriting, a crisis of forward momentum that's partly created by the fact that the incentives of television economics today calls for making things longer rather than making things efficient.

as I understand it, absolutely nothing. But it's interesting that the way these two ideas can fit together, like Prestige TV as white noise and Prestige TV as this visually sumptuous product in which no plot is actually developing, they're kind of the same idea, right? It's kind of, you know that TV channel?

as I understand it, absolutely nothing. But it's interesting that the way these two ideas can fit together, like Prestige TV as white noise and Prestige TV as this visually sumptuous product in which no plot is actually developing, they're kind of the same idea, right? It's kind of, you know that TV channel?

as I understand it, absolutely nothing. But it's interesting that the way these two ideas can fit together, like Prestige TV as white noise and Prestige TV as this visually sumptuous product in which no plot is actually developing, they're kind of the same idea, right? It's kind of, you know that TV channel?

maybe on cable systems that have a ton of channels where it's just like a burning log, right? Like it's popular in Sweden to just like turn on the TV and just have like a log. It's just a fireplace, right? In a way, like that's what a lot of television is. It's gorgeous. You look at it. It makes you feel good.

maybe on cable systems that have a ton of channels where it's just like a burning log, right? Like it's popular in Sweden to just like turn on the TV and just have like a log. It's just a fireplace, right? In a way, like that's what a lot of television is. It's gorgeous. You look at it. It makes you feel good.

maybe on cable systems that have a ton of channels where it's just like a burning log, right? Like it's popular in Sweden to just like turn on the TV and just have like a log. It's just a fireplace, right? In a way, like that's what a lot of television is. It's gorgeous. You look at it. It makes you feel good.

But like you don't actually have to attend to like the plot specifics because it's just really operating at the level of vibes that unfold throughout the television scene.

But like you don't actually have to attend to like the plot specifics because it's just really operating at the level of vibes that unfold throughout the television scene.

But like you don't actually have to attend to like the plot specifics because it's just really operating at the level of vibes that unfold throughout the television scene.

Yeah, and there's a way in which if you're going to have a show like White Lotus that's going to be whatever, eight, maybe 10 episodes long, I don't know how long this particular season is. There's a sense that like, it reminds me of, I used to watch House all the time when I was younger. And what I loved about House is that I could always take a nap in the middle of House.

Yeah, and there's a way in which if you're going to have a show like White Lotus that's going to be whatever, eight, maybe 10 episodes long, I don't know how long this particular season is. There's a sense that like, it reminds me of, I used to watch House all the time when I was younger. And what I loved about House is that I could always take a nap in the middle of House.

Yeah, and there's a way in which if you're going to have a show like White Lotus that's going to be whatever, eight, maybe 10 episodes long, I don't know how long this particular season is. There's a sense that like, it reminds me of, I used to watch House all the time when I was younger. And what I loved about House is that I could always take a nap in the middle of House.

And then I could fall asleep between like minute 15 and minute 52 because I knew how the diagnosis was presenting itself. I understood the symptoms. I knew they were going to click through a bunch of false diagnoses. And then at minute 53, House would have some eureka moment and he would say, oh, it's lupus. Oh, it's this brain, you know, blood barrier situation.