Personality Cafe banner

Movies or TV Shows?

  • Movies

    Votes: 68 29.1%
  • TV Shows

    Votes: 95 40.6%
  • No Preference

    Votes: 45 19.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 26 11.1%

Which Do You Prefer: Movies or TV Shows

37K views 87 replies 75 participants last post by  AnneINTJ 
#1 ·
Which medium do you Prefer: Movies or TV Shows?

And why, if you'd like to share.
 
#2 ·
I prefer TV shows (serials) to movies.

You get to savour them longer. The writers have more opportunities to add twists and turns. Stories can potentially become more complex, increasing the number of possible outcomes to speculate about, and you get to see the full richness of the characters unfold over time.

Movies are too short.
 
#10 ·
This is my position too. You barely get any backstory half the time in films and rarely any worthwhile character development. I like to get into the story more than a movie usually allows. Some of my favorite films are film series, probably for that reason. The average film is very predictable.
 
#5 ·
With live action stuff I prefer films, with anime I usually prefer series. Films always feel much more polished than TV shows, something about live action shows especially tends to feel a bit unnatural and unbelievable to me, like watching a theatre play. Anime films are still usually more aesthetically polished than anime series but it doesn't seem to matter as much in that case, and with series you can get a much longer, more in-depth story that you can spend more time with.
 
#6 ·
I clearly prefer TV shows, because they can develop themes, characters and worlds much, much better due to their length. Films can only go so far, while shows can really go into great detail. This can make or break a show in my eyes, but if done correctly, like the first 6 seasons of Game of Thrones (the last 2 seasons... season 7 had a number of good moments, while season 8... writing-wise it sank like the Titanic), it can really be a masterpiece.
 
#7 ·
I don't really have a preference, it depends on the story and how large its scope is. Some stories are smaller and work better as movies, some works are larger so TV shows work better for them.
I don't need every story I watch to be 10s of hours long. When it comes down to it, I'd rather have quality over quantity.

I've watched way more films than TV so perhaps I like film more. TV over here is pretty bad.
 
#8 ·
I prefer TV Shows, because I enjoy the continuum and progression. They tend to dig deeper with characters.
There's also commitment and something to look forward to, I use them as a night story before sleep.

Movies are often mere snacks. When brilliant, they only leave me craving for more but hardly ever deliver.
But sometimes, they create a compact, wholesome world in which I want to revisit from time to time.
 
#12 ·
I enjoy both as movies and TV shows have their separate strengths and flaws. Neither is inherently superior or inferior to the other. For instance, the 1975 Jaws movie is very popular, but as a TV show it would fail as evident by its sequels getting lower and lower ratings compared to the original. On the other hand, there are franchises that are much more popular as TV shows then as movies.
 
#16 ·
Comic books turned TV shows.

PRO:
[1] We could watch glimpses of every character's background from childhood till adulthood.
[2] It will go according to the comic book illustrative narrations.
 
#17 · (Edited)
As someone said on this thread (to paraphrase): Movies are memorable. Tv shows, for me though, are serialized and/or common, which is something I can watch easily.

As preference, I don't have any leanance toward any side, though on a mood, I watch movies if I want in depth, seriousness, drama, though out action or humor and tv shows for silliness, quick wits or topical stuff, and/or cheap action (not to disparage that tv shows can't have the formers prominent on movies and movies aren't so usually high-quality).
 
#18 ·
Mostly movies, unless we're talking about Anime where Japanese animators usually aren't interested in making a movies that will be popular and good.
 
#19 ·
I need a mix of both or feel life is out of balance.

I like good characters, plot, mystery, and wonder to be part of what I'm watching typically. I prefer TV series that build upon what has gone before over episodic presentations. Those that do this well (good acting, good writing, good plot, relatable characters) are memorable to me as much (sometimes more than) movies (Lost and Babylon 5 are strong examples for me).

Some premises work better as movies and work the wrong way when turned into TV series (e.g., The Purge).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rong Wong
#20 ·
Movies are too short to have very good character development compared to TV shows, and the stories that movies portray always feel incredibly rushed to me. Sure, there are some movies that are more straightforward and work better as movies than they would as a TV show, but I prefer the more realistic slow burn TV shows offer compared to movies in most cases.
 
#21 ·
Movies. Especially '80s B-movies from the '80s (or early '90s) with a heaping helping of gonzo absurdism. There are only a few TV shows I've ever liked enough to watch regularly, like 'The X-Files' in the '90s or Twin Peaks when it was on Netflix (it went over my head as a kid) about a decade ago-go. Also 'Kolchak: The Knight S.T.A.L.K.E.R.' when it was on Netflix (around the same time as Twin Peaks). Typically, if I'm going to watch TV, I prefer to watch nature and history documentaries.

They don't make B-movies like they used to. Probably because they can't seem to rekindle that gonzo vibe of the "toxic waste" era.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lucan1010
#23 ·
I'd rather spend my time reading books if I wanted a story, my attention span does not work well for movies and TV shows. However, given the two options I prefer movies just because they are shorter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aelthwyn
#25 ·
It depends on my mood. If I have time, I'll watch a movie. If I'm a bit more pressed for time, I'll watch a TV show. I just like a good story with interesting characters, a decent plot, and lots of interaction.
 
#26 ·
It is a hard choice. I definitely watch a lot of shows, but I prefer the "experience" of movies. Idk. Like movies are kind of a commitment to me and as I get older its hard for me to justify wasting 2 hours and half hours, unless i'm watching it with someone else. I guess I watch more shows on a regular basis, but prefer movies. I'll even go as far as to say that I can become somewhat emotionally attached to a movie.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top