Our TV landscape is changing, but this article lays out such a convincing argument that we have Horace to thank for this. About 2000 years ago he realised art and poetry could teach and entertain at the same time. Without need ad breaks every 10 minutes, to boot.
I don’t watched House of Cards, or The Wire as the article mentions, but I have watched BBC’s Sherlock. Last season, or the season that feels like it shouldn’t be over, but it is, focused heavily on Sherlock’s methods, his deductions, how he handles pain and how he deals with the deepest darkest parts of him (moreso than other parts). It’s the key to understanding him, and the audience has to pay attention to keep up with him. Much like the books — they were never more engrossing, and fun when I understood why he deduced the things he did. Basically, I think this can come down to: audiences are willing to pay attention to complicated stories. The viewers are out there, and they don’t need 45 minutes + numerous ad breaks to convince them to watch.
