Words by Taha Khambaty
With the endless amount of streaming content being thrown at us weekly, Taha Khambaty has an idea on how to cut down your watchlist.
“You need to watch this new anime about a guy who merges with his pet devil.”
“I’ll add it to the list.”
“You need to watch this movie about a blind Sandra Bullock.”
“I’ll add it to the list.”
“Taha, you need to watch this 6-season show which you will totally love, but it gets kinda bad after season 4 and it’s at its best after season 2, and there might be a movie soon.”
“Yeah, added to the list.”
An infinite list.
As someone utterly submerged in the world of pop culture, I’m all too familiar with what feels like an ever-expanding list of “must-watch” shows, movies, and anime that continues to grow like a digital hydra. In an era where keeping up with the latest entertainment feels like trying to drink from a firehose, the struggle is real, relatable, and pushing the boundaries of what we can actually watch.
Was it always like this? Remember when British TV had only a handful of channels? Back then, you had to contend with just a few options, with most content streaming in from across the pond. Now, whether you’re in London or New York, both countries have witnessed a boom in TV and film spending. It’s like a relentless race, with studios somehow churning out content faster than you can actually watch it.
According to Forbes, streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime are fuelling this content explosion, causing spending to skyrocket. The temptation to watch more grows, as each streaming platform dishes out original content, adding to the never-ending binge-watch with each show and movie feeling like it exists on a whole new streaming service. I mean, what even are Roku and Freevee?
There was a time when cable TV was king. Everyone shared the coveted 9:00 pm slot. Missed it? You’d just have to hope for reruns or resign yourself to purchasing DVDs (which a lot of us didn’t because we weren’t even born then). Networks fought tooth and nail to reserve prime time for their premium shows which meant an emphasis on quality over quantity. Additionally, this also created barriers for entry which meant that only a set amount of shows could be produced. While shows less likely to succeed would be pushed to less popular time slots which would not get them much viewership. Moreover, before the internet became ubiquitous, there were hardly any ways for shows that networks weren’t actually pushing to become massively popular. This led to most shows never becoming popular enough to enter the public discourse.
Fast forward to today—binge-watching allows you to set your own schedule, especially with entire seasons being unleashed all at once. It’s like a battle royale for your precious time, wrestling not only against other shows but also games, books, and the alluring abyss of social media.
One might assume that this influx of content would mean more people opt for the couch over the cinema. Surprisingly, the number of films produced in the years leading up to the pandemic showed a steady increase. While not all were big-budget blockbusters, it highlights the growing number of choices in the cinematic landscape as well. This is also because over the last few decades, through multiple mergers, most films are produced by a handful of major studios. These studios are either making films constantly for cinemas or their own streaming services. Moreover as theatrical windows have become shorter with films barely lasting even two months in cinemas before being available for streaming, this cycle has rapidly accelerated.
Yet the biggest paradox? Too much of a good thing. As studios shovel more money into creating content, the result is, well, more good stuff to watch. It’s an escalating cycle, and viewers like you and me are unwittingly fanning the flames. Finish one show and you leap into the next, your attention jumping from one distraction to another. The streaming model becomes a double-edged sword that slices both ways—more content requires more engagement to keep us hooked.
So, what’s an entertainment lover to do in this endless abyss of options? The answer, it seems, is to just quit. Recognize that high prestige HBO dramas, modern scripted comedies, or Doctor Who might just not be your thing, and that’s perfectly fine. It is becoming increasingly clear that the notion of a singular media culture that we all need to tune into is gasping its final breaths. As niche communities thrive, the idea of a “monoculture” is almost dead.
So, if you, like me, have been putting off watching that one movie everyone is talking about, heed this advice: “Let it go!” The era of overwhelming monoculture is behind us, and the world of media is your oyster. Dive in, discover, discuss, and draw your own map in this boundless sea of content. It’ll probably save you a lot in subscription fees.