Serial or Episodic?

 Have you ever watched a show that you rarely watch, and still understood what was going on in the episode? How about when you tune into a new show mid-season and end up completely lost?

If you fall into the first category- unfortunately your not a genius that catches on really quickly- it’s the type of television series your watching is its called episodic television.  Each episode in episodic television can make sense on it’s own. In episodic shows nothing usually happens on one episode that greatly impacts future episodes. Examples of episodic television would be Friends, How I Met Your Mother, South Park, The Simpsons,  and a multitude of other shows.

If you happen to fall into the second category- don’t worry, chances are your watching a serial television series. Serial television is a show where the plot is built upon every episode. The episodes of serial television usually require sequential viewing. Examples of serial television would be Lost, 24, The Newsroom, Grey’s Anatomy and of course many many more.

There are definitely a large variety of shows that fall somewhere in the middle ground between episodic and serial types of television.

I’m curious about everyone’s preference- do you prefer episodic or serial television? Or does it vary by show?

-Bree