Story Arcs in Primetime Television

For all of the television fans this post will interest you. Today most scripted television shows have a storyline throughout the season called a story arc rather than a season of self-contained episodes. This could either keep viewers hooked throughout the season or make more viewers ready to give up on the show if they miss an episode. However, with the availability of many past episodes available online that may not be an issue either. Non-the less most shows use story arcs not just dramas like “Lost” but sitcoms like “Modern Family” as well. Just a few decades ago story arcs were used for soap opera shows. Story arcs also make syndication a bit tricky since the episodes would need to run in sequential order to make sense to a new viewer. There are shows that have story arcs as well as episodes that could be stand alone while barely grazing the arc, some might call those filler episodes. Shows with running storylines gives more dimension to the character and often involves a more darker and serious show.