Remotely: Travels in the Binge of TV

Film critic/historian Thomson (The Fatal Alliance) argues that television once hoped to expand viewers’ grasp of the world, but now it has become a replacement for reality, with spectators who don’t really expect television to inform them anymore, just keep them occupied. Even news shows have changed, favoring opinion instead of reporting. In TV series—Netflix has more than 2,000 in its hopper—dramas are strung out from episode to episode without threat of resolution. In his book, Thomson delivers this message of doom and gloom to his wife Lucy, who interjects her own views. It’s a pleasant conceit that gives him a second shot at explaining his views. Many shows are mentioned in this standout book, but none more than I Love Lucy and Ozark; one still espouses morality, the other doesn’t. But how different can they really be in an industry driven by ad revenue and viewer share?