Dragon vs Alexa 65

[Karim D. Ghantous]

I was thinking more long the lines of tele-movies than TV series. There are a lot of hours to fill. Got to fill them with something!

I agree that people don't want to see dispiriting things - unless those elements are a means to an end. It's no wonder that people will put up with inane TV (and most TV is inane) as long as it's light, distracting, and a little bit uplifting. I think this is how church attendance works. Joel Osteen is popular because he wants to lift people up - his words, more or less. Now, Osteen is not inane or distracting, but the point is that people don't want to go to church to be told how baaaaaad the world is.

Horror might be an exception - a good indie horror film could do well.

 

[M Most]

Only GREAT actors can make a character believable and compelling over tens of hours of audience exposure - they can;t just have a shallow read on who that character is

I'm not so sure about that. There are a number of examples of successful long running series with what I would call "not particularly great" actors, but solid writing and an ability to continue a storyline that can hook the audience. One need go no further than "The Vampire Diaries" for an example of that. There are plenty of shows that remain successful and at least somewhat compelling without being blessed with a James Spader or Benedict Cumberbatch.