It’s safe to say that the internet has influenced the way we view television. Streaming, for one, has made an entire series bingeable within a few hours, a far cry from the age when “Must See TV” meant waiting for a specific time each week to watch your favorite show.
Those in the television industry have become aware of this shift to the extent that many are tailoring their shows to accommodate the current viewing trends.
“TV producers and makers are becoming very aware that they have so much competition,” critic and podcaster Scott Bryan told GQ, adding that many of them include “landmark moments” and big scenes that become memeable and get viral attention.
Some networks may even use memes as a publicity and marketing tool for their shows. As GIPHY brand marketing VP Meg Lewis tells GQ in the same interview, reality shows like Real Housewives and Jersey Shore were the first ones to create these viral moments that eventually turned into memes.
Lewis also noted how many dramatic shows have followed suit, naming HBO’s black comedy-drama Succession as an example.
“Without even trying, these shows are continually in the conversation of their audience,” Lewis said.
The White Lotus, another HBO hit show, has produced a ton of “memeable” moments. And as The Guardian’s Jared Richards points out, these still images, which can go viral in an instant, are the conversation pieces about these shows, much like how water cooler conversations were in the pre-digital age.
Concurring with Bryan’s previous statements, Richards believes writers are “aiming for virality.” And for the most part, they may be doing it out of necessity.
“With streaming services across the board regularly cancelling shows with dedicated but stagnant audiences, scripted television needs to prove its staying power,” he wrote.
