Chicago Med’s Steven Weber: Binge-Watching Causes Isolation

by

has gained a fresh fan base portraying Dr. Dean Archer in , and joining a large-scale TV series is an opportunity that many actors in the industry would covet. This is likely due to the fact that network shows offer something that the on-demand viewing of Netflix lacks: a sense of camaraderie. For Weber, the shared experience of watching episodes together is increasingly rare in today’s streaming era.

In a candid conversation with George Edelman from MovieWeb, a seasoned professional in the industry shared his perspective. He believes that the ease of accessing entire series on-demand may be fostering a sense of seclusion that wasn’t prevalent 20 – 30 years ago.

In simpler terms, I’ve been discussing with my co-stars, Oliver Platt and Epatha Merkerson, about the “old days,” a time when television viewing was scheduled, and people would gather together at 8pm to watch shows like Wings or Friends. I believe that the emergence of modern technology has taken away from this shared experience, and I think it’s not a positive development.

Yes, it’s true that having the ability to binge-watch shows like The White Lotus and The Pitt, which are both excellent productions, certainly has its perks. But what I find intriguing is the loss of the shared, communal experience when everyone watches a fantastic episode of a beloved show together. This sense of collective enjoyment seems to be diminishing in our society, leading to more compartmentalization and isolation, albeit for convenience’s sake.

Binge-Watching Creates Many Problems

Netflix led the way among streaming platforms in adopting the binge-watch release model, where all episodes of popular shows are made available simultaneously for viewers. This approach has been appreciated by those with flexible schedules who can indulge in marathon viewing sessions, and it proved particularly beneficial during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people found themselves with extended periods of free time at home and turned to binge-watching as a form of entertainment.

Over the course of time, it’s been revealed that there are significant drawbacks to this model. For instance, with all episodes released at once, viewers may lose interest or stop returning to the platform after watching their preferred series. Additionally, there’s the pressure to consistently produce fresh content to compensate for the absence of weekly releases, which can lead to an oversaturation of shows. These programs are often hastily produced to keep up with demand, resulting in a decrease in quality, viewer dissatisfaction, and frequent cancellations shortly after their debut.

Including the detachment that Weber hints at, it becomes apparent that while streaming marathons of TV series have their merit, there’s also a significant space for traditional network TV shows. Shows such as NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, The Blacklist, and the various threads of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med are drawing large audiences with their traditional weekly release format, suggesting that linear TV programs may persist alongside binge-releases in the future.

Read More

2025-04-12 19:05