Big Stories on the Small Screen

It didn't take the American public too long to embrace streaming video, did it? Years ago, I saw Kevin
Spacey give a speech about how streaming video was the future, and he called it, folks. He called it. (I still struggle with the Kevin Spacey scandal. Lord, that hurt. I've always thought he was one of the best actors of his generation.)

I've been so impressed with some of the content on the small screen, particularly in that (as Spacey notes above) much of it drops all at once. Viewers can have an immersive experience and follow the story as long as their time and stamina allows. Here are some of my recent faves:

• Grace and Frankie. If this isn't a commercial for finding great stories that older performers (who have honed their craft over decades) can tell, I don't know what is. Funny, irreverent, honest. 
• Stranger Things. OMG, season 3 was so good, y'all. The 80s was strong, I LOVED the fierce female characters (#amERICA) and Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey, the actor who played Billy, was on fire. 
• Alias Grace. This series streamed on Netflix, and Sarah Gordon (as accused murderess Grace Marks) was a revelation. She was completely inscrutable, and I found her choices fascinating. 
• Queer Eye. I'm still in the middle of watching the latest season of this, but it's just a feel-good show. I can tell the producers are being very intentional about where the Fab Five turn up and who they choose to assist, particularly in light of current events.
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. So funny. So smart. Great ensemble cast. Costumes to die for. There is nothing not to love here. They are currently filming season three! Whoop! 
• Outlander. I caught the first two seasons of this when it came to Netflix, then got a subscription to Starz just so I could watch the other two seasons. Amazing production values - costumes, sets, props, everything. Romance, war, time travel - a little bit of everything here. 
• Good Omens. Oh, how I loved David Tennant in this. The whole cast was fantastic, but his physicality was so on point. The quirkiness of the story really shone in this television adaptation. 

All that to say, think what you will about Kevin, but he was right about this. I watched every single one of these shows via a streaming service. And in most cases, I binged on several episodes at a time. There's no reason to make consumers wait any longer. Film the whole season, drop it all at once, and put the power in the viewer's hands to consume it the way they want. 

Golden Age of Television, indeed!