When every show is optimized for 24-minute episodes with a cliffhanger every 10 minutes, artistic variety suffers. Complex narratives that require 50-minute episodes or irregular runtimes are marginalized.

When we combine these three elements, we get a complete picture of the modern entertainment landscape:

With content available 24/7, shared cultural moments (like the finale of MASH* or Game of Thrones) are rare. The "watercooler effect" now happens on Twitter/X for 10 minutes after a drop, then vanishes.