There are series that have become cemented in pop culture. Even if people haven’t watched them, most are familiar with Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. Only a few series nowadays manage to create such cultural influence. A German film expert explains in an interview what this might be attributed to.
What does the German expert say? In a recent interview, ZDF spoke with Jonas Eiden. He is a professor of camera and directing at the Macromedia University in Munich. The interview primarily dealt with the modern series landscape and the comparison with earlier series like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad.
This raises the question of why major series nowadays no longer reach the cultural relevance that Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones had.
Eiden sees the problem mainly in the oversupply and the intense competition. Platforms want to quickly deliver the latest big hit, but this compromises originality. Familiar patterns emerge that eventually reach their creative limit. The platforms analyze what has worked and try to replicate it.
Moreover, time is a significant issue. Platforms must maintain a regular rhythm to stay competitive in the market.
How Netflix became what it is today can be seen here:
An oversupply in a scattered market
What does MeinMMO film editor Nikolas Hernes say about this? Eiden is certainly right. There are simply many more series being released than a few years ago. It feels like a new important series comes out every week, not to mention new films on the streaming platforms.
The competition is also a problem for cultural influence because there are significantly more streaming services nowadays than there were at the beginnings of Netflix. Not everyone has every service, making word-of-mouth recommendations more difficult.
Social media also contributes to this. New major series are quickly discussed, memes are created, and people express their opinions as fast as possible. This creates a FOMO effect, and viewers try to binge-watch a series quickly. As a result, series can no longer mature culturally, as shortly after, the next series is already being talked about.
However, today’s series still have a pop cultural influence, just in a different way. Wednesday became a character that was everywhere due to marketing. Merchandise related to it continues to appear even two years after the first season. Squid Game has also managed to make a significant impact on pop culture with its distinctively designed guards
and games.
Series like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad came out at a perfect time. They changed the series landscape because there was nothing comparable before. This is significantly more challenging today.
Are there exceptions nowadays? In the interview, Eiden also mentions exceptions that still remind him of the quality of Breaking Bad. Shōgun is a series that is sophisticated and visually impressive. Additionally, he says that smaller productions regularly offer surprises. He mentions series like Squid Game or Dark.
The flood of new series also hides true gems that are harder to find. Few series will likely achieve the cultural impact of series like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, but there will likely always be qualitative and impressive series; you just have to look for them. A recommendable documentary series on Netflix can be found here: New series on Netflix shows the man who made wrestlers like The Rock famous – It’s as thrilling as a good thriller
