What is it about?

The anthology format is different from series and serials. Its seasons consist of packages of episodes that are not connected by a narrative throughline. Instead, each episode features a different plot, cast, and story world. This lack of narrative accumulation allows audiences to explore alternative continuities. With undefined boundaries and elastic rules, viewers may wonder what the TV anthology is and what glues its episodes together. This article explores the aesthetic, narrative, and dramatic characteristics of anthologies such as 'Black Mirror,' 'Love, Death & Robots,' or "The Twilight Zone."

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Why is it important?

If you enjoy TV fiction—one of the most popular forms of entertainment today—you've likely encountered programs such as the immensely popular 'Black Mirror,' the reboot of 'The Twilight Zone,' the futuristic 'Electric Dreams,' the risky 'Love, Death & Robots,' the scary 'Into the Dark,' or the insightful 'Room 101', to name a few. This article will help you understand what makes the TV anthology a distinctive format.

Perspectives

We hope whis article will provide a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the anthology format, shedding light on its recent surge in popularity during the streaming era.

Alberto N. García
Universidad de Navarra

Between the mid-2010s and 2020, the amount of TV shows on offer seemed boundless, driven in good measure by the competition of the streaming wars. Around then, many viewers (perhaps you, too?) began feeling a certain fatigue. It was just too much—too much to choose from, too much to catch up on, too much to fear missing out on. Enter the TV anthology. The original Golden Age of television (say hello, The Twilight Zone!) returned to save us from drowning in abundance: short shows, independent episodes, unordered viewing, freedom to pick and choose... Was this TV paradise? In this article, Alberto and I try to figure out what exactly an anthology series is, beginning with the most basic question: is it even a "series"?

Pablo Castrillo
Universidad de Navarra

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: E pluribus Unum : toward a poetics of the TV anthology, New Review of Film and Television Studies, May 2024, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17400309.2024.2347168.
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