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Fresno State's student-run newspaper

The Collegian

Fresno State's student-run newspaper

The Collegian

The death of network television

With more mature television programming on the rise, network television can no longer compete. The unrealistic families and conversations the network shows present will only last so long; HBO and newer mediums like Netflix don’t have limitations and put generic television to shame.

Gone are the days of ABC’s TGIF, when families were huddled around the television to watch “Full House” and “Family Matters.” Now there is more reality television playing in people’s homes than the basic network shows.

With the recent surge of original programing Netflix has developed, eventually traditional television will disappear and the true battle of HBO vs. Netflix will take place.

The awesome part is that everyone wins. Although network television is free, nothing can compete with the simple ability to watch two people not have to struggle to avoid words you’d naturally say because it isn’t allowable on over-the-air TV.

Netflix’s “House of Cards,” starring the greatest actor ever, Kevin Spacey, made history by getting to be the first TV show to be nominated for Emmy Awards while not actually being on TV.

On top of Netflix’s original series, like “House of Cards,” “Orange is the New Black,” and the resurrected “Arrested Development,” Netflix has thousands of movie and TV show options.

Why would you want to wait a week to watch the next episode of a show you’re watching, when Netflix puts up the episodes of a new season all at once? Plus, there are no commercials.

It’s a small price to pay for this amazing service, assuming you have access to the Internet, of course.

Seeing couples fight on network TV and saying things like, “gosh darn it,” which is an exaggeration of how bland it is, is so unrealistic that it takes you out of the moment. Watching couples argue on HBO or Netflix really puts you in the moment, and you can better relate to the characters.

You have to wait to watch the shows you want to watch on television, but you can watch every episode of “The Sopranos” if you want to, or any of HBO’s original series or movies if you choose. Network TV is antiquated and only exists because it’s free.

Only if television became a pay service could it be as real as real life. But, since people like free things, it will take some time for that to happen.

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