In the current TV landscape, there are a few different types of storytelling. The big ones are episodic series and serialized series. As you consume and analyze TV from a writer's lens, understanding this difference will be very helpful.
An Episodic show is self-contained with storylines that mostly conclude by the end of the episode. The pros for viewers is that you don’t have to have seen the episode before to understand any of the episodes. If it’s a cop, legal, or medical show, for example, the show usually has a “case of the week” structure. This type of storytelling shows a character or group of characters presented with (and fully solve) a new case in each episode.
A Serialized show has to be watched in chronological order to be truly understood. You have to have seen the episode before to get the next episode. Just like you can’t start reading a long novel in the middle, you’ll have to start at the beginning of the series so you’re not completely lost.
Because of the rise and popularity of streaming services these days, people's TV viewing habits have rapidly changed in recent years too. Since viewers can now watch episodes all at once, rather than waiting for them week to week, you might see more stories with cliffhangers and unanswered questions, so people keep clicking the next episode.
Also, a lot of modern TV series these days combine episodic and serialized storytelling. So while we'll talk about some examples below, note that many of these shows also have a hybrid style; they might have weekly standalone stories, with other storylines or character development taking place over the course of a season.
Here are some examples:
Episodic Storytelling
- Law & Order – This is a classic episodic series. Each episode follows a different criminal case, starting with the investigation and ending with the prosecution.
- Abbott Elementary – This show can be categorized as episodic since each episode focuses on different school events and needs, but character relationships also evolve across seasons.
- Parks and Recreation – Similar to Abbott, this show has standalone comedic stories along with long-term character development.
Serialized Storytelling
- Succession – This series revolves around the Roy family's power struggles, and character relationships that evolve from episode to episode. You'll probably be lost jumping into it in the middle of a season.
- Mad Men – Similar to above, we see character development and workplace dynamics change over seasons.
- Severance – This show is a season-long mystery with a lot of unanswered questions, and every episode moves the central plot forward.
- Only Murders in the Building – Each season follows one murder mystery from beginning to end.
As you consume and analyze TV as a writer, see if you can identify if the show is episodic, serialized, or a combination of both.
