TV vs Movies: A Comparison

By: Erin Rose Hennessy

As much as I love writing, I do neglect my poor blog. I think it’s because no only do Emily and I write Riccoli family novels 4-5 nights a week, I’ve actually become busier than I usually am. I went on a few vacations this year – Duluth was especially amazing. A friend and I have a day trip to Hinckley planned this fall. My cousin was married this past weekend – the wedding was beautiful and fun and fantastic and exhausting. You know that feeling when you’re bone tired but really happy after a great day? That kind of exhausting.

My cat is ten years old today as I write this and the new season of television is upon us. I was talking to another cousin at the wedding about our various television habits and started thinking about why I love television so much. And also – why do I love it more than movies?

Don’t get me wrong, I like movies, too. Specific movies. Basically, if I’m not “into it” in the first ten minutes – I won’t be. I’m like that with TV shows, too – but usually I’ll give it an episode or two before calling it quits. To say I’m picky about what I’ll watch is putting it mildly.

But then there’s those shows that release my inner fangirl and it’s all I think about for the next three weeks. I recently finished Netflix’s reboot of Lost in Space. The original show was made in the 60s, before I was born, so I never saw that one. But oh my goodness, do I love the reboot. It’s my love for creative storytelling, something that hasn’t been done before, combined with my love for space, strong female characters, and family relationships. I have watched it through at least three times already. Hooked!

One of the main reasons I like TV shows is because they are longer than movies. You have more time to get to know and bond with the characters. If I had only seen the first episode of Lost in Space, and decided not to continue (and I was debating it!), I wouldn’t have liked it as much. The same goes for movies. I need more time to connect with and bond with the characters and also the storyline. Storylines are fleshed out and more detailed, more creative when it’s a TV show. You get to see your favorite characters’ daily lives, where movies only show the “good parts” and you’re sometimes left wondering “but why did…” “but what happened after….”

In talking with friends a couple weeks ago, we had a conversation about what draws someone to watch a TV show or movie. Some people watch because of the actors who are in it. Some watch for the story itself. Some, like me, bond to characters and truly care about what happens to them and their loved ones. Willow Rosenberg. Rory and Lorelai Gilmore. The Adams-Foster family. Kara and Alex Danvers. Penny Robinson and her family. I watch for them. Take them away and it’s some random show about magic, life in a small town, the foster system, superheroes, and space. I need more to connect, and that “more” is usually more pronounced in a TV show where there’s more time to get to know these characters. To love them.

I’m now watching Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD on Netflix. 16 episodes in a week? I think I’m reeled in!