Tarantino nails what I so dislike about new TV series, even when they are well acted:
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What is the difference between TV and a Good Movie?
- Thread starter amirm
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I've not watched Yellowstone, I suspected it would be like that, plus Westerns aren't my thing. I have seen the Tarentino western, all I can remember about it was an annoying choice of focus breathing lenses were used, so by his definition not a great film.
I see TV as being like novels, and films are more like short stories. I prefer the indirect messy drift of the longer forms, with more time for things to develop, without having to crack through the plot. The best art always transends the limitations of the form, so these rules are made to be broken.
I see TV as being like novels, and films are more like short stories. I prefer the indirect messy drift of the longer forms, with more time for things to develop, without having to crack through the plot. The best art always transends the limitations of the form, so these rules are made to be broken.
Absolutely same here.
Although my favourite of all times is a show - The Game of Thrones. I also prefer (some) movies with sequels as that just builds up to a more detailed and impactful story. Obviously different people might like different things.
Totally agree.
"TV" (streaming) series based on books (Expanse, Bosch, Longmire) seem to avoid the 'let's keep this script going while it's hot, but cut back on writers, etc to make more money now that 'they' are hooked" problem, but not always.
"TV" (streaming) series based on books (Expanse, Bosch, Longmire) seem to avoid the 'let's keep this script going while it's hot, but cut back on writers, etc to make more money now that 'they' are hooked" problem, but not always.
I'm with Tarantino on this one with the exception of mini series where in 3-8 episodes more detail or subtle convolution can take place. The Queens Gambit or Ripley quickly come to mind but there many others.
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Personally I reckon The Shield was as good as TV gets. To this day, I still think about that final episode.
This is a real blight on many TV shows, not sure if they do it less in the streaming age, or I've gotten better at avoiding those shows, but I don't see it as often.
I'd love to see some suggestions for films that are better than the wire, they would be quite something.
One of my favourite directors was David Lynch, a master of both formats.
Not that it matters for individual taste but shows seem to get slightly higher ratings on IMDb than movies.
Is it possible writers are running out of good ideas?, we are far from the old TV series where each chapter was a different unique story, frequently with introduction new characters, development, climax and ending. Now we have a long story with endless development of characters and usually not great endings. In most of them I got bore after few chapters and go back to some old TV series chapter where I will have the whole good experience in 45 min.
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Philbo King
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The main thing I dislike about many TV series is the tendency to stretch it out by having many episodes where nothing happens that contributes to the story line.
Robin L
Master Contributor
But everything Tarantino says can be pinned to him saying that he was completely taken by the first season of "Yellowstone". What's the difference between good TV and good movies? Duration and closure. Being able to open up a novel to 12 hours is great when it's done right. Extending a program on the air indefinitely is exactly the same problem as the movie studios' addiction to franchises/sequels. One finds re-hashed story lines and no sense that anything is ever "settled". "The Sopranos" ran for long enough and ended with an episode that left people wondering to this day, a good ending to a great show.
Are there TV shows being produced now that are like good movies? "The Residence" on Netflix, came out on March of 2025. 8 episodes. The series was cancelled just a few days ago, meaning we have closure whether we like it or not. In any case, a really good "movie" that lasts about 12 hours, subdivided into 8 digestible bits.
The fact that there are so many "TV shows" that outlast their welcome should be no surprise. There are far too many movie franchises that wore out their welcome a long time ago.
Are there TV shows being produced now that are like good movies? "The Residence" on Netflix, came out on March of 2025. 8 episodes. The series was cancelled just a few days ago, meaning we have closure whether we like it or not. In any case, a really good "movie" that lasts about 12 hours, subdivided into 8 digestible bits.
The fact that there are so many "TV shows" that outlast their welcome should be no surprise. There are far too many movie franchises that wore out their welcome a long time ago.
I agree with Tarantino. There's nothing wrong with a soap opera format, but it's disposable television, you don't recall or care what happened 50 episodes ago, it's all about the current storylines.
Perhaps 'The Sopranos' was an exception since although it was essentially a soap they did make some effort to 'self-contain' each episode so it was like a mini-movie with its own unique theme and climax.
The only other long running soap opera style show I can recall that did that was 'Hill Street Blues' although there may be others I've not seen.
Perhaps 'The Sopranos' was an exception since although it was essentially a soap they did make some effort to 'self-contain' each episode so it was like a mini-movie with its own unique theme and climax.
The only other long running soap opera style show I can recall that did that was 'Hill Street Blues' although there may be others I've not seen.
GM3
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I almost completely disagree. When you look at a good or great TV series and contrast it to a movie, the movie is just too short to really get into character development and buildup, complex plot, no time for a real buildup, etc. You typically don't have time to get attached to characters, they're typically just thrown in bland generic stereotypes. Plus, most are nearly impossible to really get into given the silly bland generic stories with over the top drama or stakes... Add to that that the iconic scenes he mentions are exceptionally rare in movies...
If you're talking about good series, you actually can feel like you yourself have a stake, and actually root for characters, feel their sadness, joy, etc. Tarantino's 'soap opera' narrative applies to some type of TV series, ex; Friends, Simpsons, original Star Trek, etc., but most now have had ongoing plots which lasts for years, some of them even going as far as to have generational elements to them. My biggest gripe though with TV series is that in the last decades, is that they often start out great, then get wokefied and become embarrassingly bad. Or, like GoT, the team changes, and the quality of the series takes a nose dive.
TLDR: But yeah, overall, the line between TV series and movies has been blurred, and the long form of TV series by far is superior to short form formats for story telling, character development, personal involvement, etc. Iconic and memorable scenes are hence even more common and impactful in series.
If you're talking about good series, you actually can feel like you yourself have a stake, and actually root for characters, feel their sadness, joy, etc. Tarantino's 'soap opera' narrative applies to some type of TV series, ex; Friends, Simpsons, original Star Trek, etc., but most now have had ongoing plots which lasts for years, some of them even going as far as to have generational elements to them. My biggest gripe though with TV series is that in the last decades, is that they often start out great, then get wokefied and become embarrassingly bad. Or, like GoT, the team changes, and the quality of the series takes a nose dive.
TLDR: But yeah, overall, the line between TV series and movies has been blurred, and the long form of TV series by far is superior to short form formats for story telling, character development, personal involvement, etc. Iconic and memorable scenes are hence even more common and impactful in series.
tineared
Addicted to Fun and Learning
I view television as I do popular music.
There are plenty of shows that are entertaining, but very few which are "good". My definition of "good" is to be entertaining and thought provoking
Most of it is just mindless fluff, not that there's anything wrong with that...
There are plenty of shows that are entertaining, but very few which are "good". My definition of "good" is to be entertaining and thought provoking
Most of it is just mindless fluff, not that there's anything wrong with that...
Chr1
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Hey ho. Yet another thread with massive generalisations.
Kinda like saying paintings are better than photographs or sculptures.
Or my genre of music is better than yours.
Howsabout agreeing there's good and bad. In both.
Films/TV series.
And what we like is subjective.
There's no "winner" really.
We like what we like. And the world would be a pretty boring place if we all liked exactly the same thing.
Vive la movies... plus TV series, I say!
Kinda like saying paintings are better than photographs or sculptures.
Or my genre of music is better than yours.
Howsabout agreeing there's good and bad. In both.
Films/TV series.
And what we like is subjective.
There's no "winner" really.
We like what we like. And the world would be a pretty boring place if we all liked exactly the same thing.
Vive la movies... plus TV series, I say!
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Barrelhouse Solly
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The big difference between movies and TV is the screen size and time constraints. Some films don't work well on TV because the screen is too small unless you can afford a screen that goes into peripheral vision. Some stories don't work well in movies because they're too long for a good adaptation. Acting, photography, and sound can be equally good in either medium.
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