The Demise of Cable/Network TV?

The other day I started binge-watching a new Netflix show entitled, Daredevil.  Yes, that Daredevil; the one based off the Marvel Comics hero.  And right off the bat, in the first few minutes of the first episode, I was sold on it.  Well written, well crafted, imaginative . . . with characters you could immediately love/hate, depending on your own personal tastes.

(And I haven't mentioned the action sequence/fight scenes.  Which are, frankly, amazing)

Another non-cable/network show came to mind as well.  Have you seen the series called Peaky Blinders?  A series about British crime families set in the early 1900's in England.  With not nearly the amount of thrilling fight scenes as found in Daredevil, nevertheless the stories here are deep, emotional, hard hitting, and filled with character.

And it got me to thinking.  How many shows are out there on Cable or Network TV which equal or rival the production qualities of Daredevil?

A couple come to mind.  The Blacklist could be thrown into this collection.  A NBC program, it's the main characters that make this series so interesting.  My favorite found on any network is Person of Interest.  A computer guru designing a computer that looks for terrorists, and crime victims or perpetrators, across the entire electrical/computer signature . . . along with the ex-CIA agent who is as tough as hardened steel hired to protect the innocent, is a natural for me,

The Scy/Fy channel has a new out called The 12 Monkeys.  Good one.  It has time travel, conspiracies, and End of Times story lines which, if one is into this kind of stuff, can get deeply wrapped up in rather instantly.

But there's a difference here between non-network/cable material and the new shows popping up on the likes of Netflix and now Amazon.  There are no commercials for one to interrupt you at a critical point in the story.   Disconcerting, to say the least.  And there are no censors to speak of for the shows found on the likes of Netflix and Amazon.  And that's good.  It make for . . . of can make for . . . a far more interesting story to be told.

We all know Network TV is rapidly losing viewership numbers.  There's a reason for that.  Several reasons, in fact. (like, just HOW MANY freaking commercials do you have to run in one time slot before finally getting back to the show?)  Frankly, I'm from the Old School.  I grew up watching Network TV.  So I'm hoping there can be some kind of resurgence . . . a real Renaissance if you will . . . for its return to glory days.

That's what I am wishing for.  I didn't say I was counting on it to happen.