Hello, Hex Squad. Today I’m indulging myself by answering the question, why do tv shows suck so much these days? It’s time we confront a harsh reality—TV shows today kinda suck. And if you’ve found yourself more bored than bingeing, you’re not alone. As someone who used to devour entire seasons in a weekend, I’ve seen the post-COVID television landscape devolve into a graveyard of missed opportunities and mediocre writing. So, why are we stuck in this mess? Let’s dive in.
Do TV Shows Suck Because of Budget?
At first, I thought, “Maybe it’s a budget thing.” But nope, that theory falls apart real quick. Shows are dropping insane amounts of cash. Just look at this:
Game of Thrones Season 1: $6 million per episode
Bridgerton Season 1: $7 million per episode
The Witcher Season 1: $10 million per episode
The Mandalorian: $15 million per episode
WandaVision: $25 million per episode
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: $25 million per episode
House of the Dragon: $20 million per episode
Stranger Things Season 4: $30 million per episode
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: $60 million per episode (!?)
And that’s just a taste. So, clearly, the problem isn’t the production budget—these shows look spectacular. They’ve got jaw-dropping effects, top-tier actors, intricate costumes, and crazy sets. So why are we still unsatisfied?
No, tv shows are spending tons of money per episode. I don’t think it’s the quality of the cast, production quality, the sets, the special effects, the costuming, the hair or makeup that’s the issue.
It’s The Writing. Full Stop.
Bad writing is like the lead balloon dragging these shows down. Great writing is the backbone of any story, and without it, even $60 million per episode is just shiny garbage. Let’s face it, some recent shows have terrible writing. Bland characters, plot holes you could drive a truck through, and dialogue so dull you’d think ChatGPT wrote it.
Take The Umbrella Academy—what happened there? Season 1 was witty, sharp, and engaging. By the latest season, the dialogue is so flat, I half expected the characters to start talking in monotone. Whatever happened to that snappy flair? I’ll tell you: the writing.
Writers Aren’t Paid Enough
Here’s where the train starts to derail. Did you know TV writers make as little as $11.78 an hour? The median pay is $24.29/hour. That’s barely a living wage in most cities. And we wonder why the quality is lacking? If writers can’t make rent, they’re probably not putting their best creative energy into your next Netflix binge.
Writers deserve to be paid more. Networks who don’t value writers are shooting themselves in the foot and hemorrhaging audience’s and their good will each time they take a beloved IP or a new show idea and don’t include good writing.
When Writers Don’t Care About the Source Material
This one’s a killer. Let’s talk about when writers don’t love or even respect the original material they’re working with. I’m looking at you, The Witcher. Andrzej Sapkowski created a dark, twisted, and captivating world, and I’ve read most of the books in it. So why did the tv show give us a watered-down version that even Henry Cavill couldn’t save? Cavill despised the changes so much he left the tv show rather than be associated with the drivel it turned into.
Then there’s House of the Dragon. Writer Sara Hess admitted she hadn’t even watched Game of Thrones, and it’s doubtful if she ever read the books. Seriously? If you’re not going to at least familiarize yourself with the world you’re writing for, the end result is doomed. I really dislike the episodes of House of the Dragon that Sara Hess wrote. Much of what she put in, which wasn’t in the original source material, made no sense and weakened the story from my point of view.
And let’s not even start on The Rings of Power. I tried three times to watch that show and fell asleep each time. Yet I loved the LoTR movies. I know the source material isn’t the problem. Bland dialogue and needing to keep open a wiki to keep track of all the characters might be.
Ego Over Substance: Writers Trying to Make Their Mark
You know what’s worse than writers who don’t know the material? Writers who think they can improve it. There’s this obsession with putting a personal spin on an established IP, and let’s be real—it’s ruining shows. The ego-driven need to leave a mark often means rewriting beloved characters or plots, which alienates diehard fans and creates disjointed narratives.
Spoiler alert: it’s rarely better. 999 times out of 1000 they make it worse.
Is the Golden Age of TV Over?
I was almost ready to say goodbye to good TV, but then along came Kaos on Netflix. This show is a brilliant, dark reimagining of Greek mythology, and wow—it slaps. It hooked me in the first five minutes. Charlie Covell knew the source material inside out, and it showed. Kaos gives us what House of the Dragon and Rings of Power couldn’t—well-researched storytelling with modern relevance and snappy dialogue.
And can we talk about Jeff Goldblum as Zeus? Perfection. This show did in eight episodes what others can’t in sixteen: delivered an engaging, cohesive narrative with actual character agency. (Looking at you, House of the Dragon—why can’t women on your show get any agency?)
Too Short, Too Slow, Too Late
Another major gripe with today’s TV? The short seasons paired with eternal breaks. You can’t tell a compelling story in six to eight episodes unless you’re a wizard, and most shows aren’t pulling it off (Kaos is an exception). Worse, these mini-seasons are followed by two-year breaks. By the time the next season rolls around, I’ve already forgotten half the plot.
Can we bring back the 12- to 16-episode seasons, please? Anything less feels like a teaser trailer stretched into a season (cough House of the Dragon Season 2 cough). The pacing issues are so bad that, after finishing the last episode of House of the Dragon, I canceled my Max subscription out of sheer frustration. I don’t enjoy a slow burn very often, much less a season 2 slow burn that goes nowhere. I felt cheated of anything meaningful and like I’d wasted my time and I should have known better than to give House of the Dragon a chance after the farce that was GoT Season 8.
It’s Directing, Too
Bad directing is also part of the problem, too. No one wants an entire 8 season slow burn with no payoff at the end. Tons of long scenes of people sighing, naked in the bath, or staring into the distance, instead of witty dialogue, is not a good show. It’s boring.
And making it so that viewers need to go watch a Behind the Scenes or listen to a show’s podcast to understand the character motivation shows a lack of good directing. Great directors can convey this information through the characters and the writing.
It was heartbreaking to me to read about the House of the Dragon actors begging for scenes together, such as Aegon and Helaena, and Aegon and Rhaenyra. It’s the directors, as well as the writers, preventing poignant scenes that would have been impactful to the audience.
About the Game of Thrones Books
I will admit, I read the A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Throne) book series. It’s a series I hate-read because I did not enjoy the writing style. The world building in it was great, but I did not care for how women were treated in the books, or the tv show. I’m over men writing about women being brutalized.
Yet, even I can agree that G. R. R. Martin is a wonderful world builder and writer, even if I don’t like how he chooses to write about women, especially if you take a look at video games such as Elden Ring.
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first time that I’ve mentioned being very unhappy with a tv series. I despised the ending of True Blood, as well as the Sookie Stackhouse book series because I felt let down by the ending in both formats. I was so disappointed that I no longer read books written by Charlaine Harris, where previously I would buy every book she put out.
The Verdict: What Can Be Done?
If TV is going to bounce back, it starts with better writing, better pay for writers, and respecting the source material and audience.
Pay the writers more than a living wage so that they can thrive, not just survive. Stop butchering beloved IPs. And for the love of Zeus (Kaos reference, anyone?), give us seasons long enough to actually develop a plot.
What do you think? Do TV shows suck? Or am I just being too harsh? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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