Great TV is characterized by the same thing present in all great art: a sense that you’re reading an open text, with parts you can’t pin down but which nevertheless add up to a greater whole. The best shows are all challenging and, for want of a better word, “weird” — that is, there’s stuff going on that a plot summary or a recitation of the dialogue can’t capture. I don’t want to come away feeling comforted, reassured, or satisfied that I’ve solved what I just saw. I don’t want to be let off the hook.
Me and Alyssa Rosenberg and a whole bunch of critics talked about what separates good TV from great TV for Candivan. This may be the key question these days!
Tags: criticism, meta, TV, TV reviews