Liberal Talk Radio

If you get a chance, do check out this piece in the Sunday NYT Magazine by Steven Johnson. He argues that TV shows have gotten steadily more complex starting with Hill Street Blues‘ introduction of multiple plot lines back in the early 80s. The basic thesis is that current shows like E.R., The Sopranos, and The West Wing all ask us to not only process multiple storylines and threads, but also unfold in a way that’s intentionally confusing and therefore self-discovery-inducing.

I gather, though, that there’s much more to come in the book from which this article is excerpted. For example, he writes:

Finally, interactive games have trained a new generation of media consumers to probe complex environments and to think on their feet, and that gamer audience has now come to expect the same challenges from their television shows.

That’s a fascinating concept in terms of media convergence. It suggests that shows like, say, 24 are already a kind of rudimentary “choose your own adventure” story, where the viewer can pursue certain story threads and ignore others.

Many people have argued that interactive TV is a non-starter because TV is a “passive” medium, and the internet is an “active” medium. People don’t want to do much more than surf when they plop on the couch, the argument goes.

But if Johnson is correct, then TV is already more “active” than we’re giving it credit for. And so a whole new generation of “active” programming could be created. The linear nature of TV storytelling could be abolished. Think about it:in a video game like Grand Theft Auto, you wander around the virtual world at your own pace, exploring things, ignoring other things… generally finding your way. Now imagine a season of 24 on TV where there are so many plot lines you can actually ignore most of them and still enjoy the show (but the more you discover, the richer it becomes). Take it a step further and assume some next-generation TiVo where you can skip instantly to any scene or location in the show. Of, if you were mad that one of the characters wasn’t headed in the right direction, you could “sit down” at one of the computers yourself and pull up the terrorists’ files yourself to look for clues. The fictional world of 24 could be endlessly expansive. The only limit would be your attention span.