The original post: /r/television by /u/RyanGoosling93 on 2026-05-25 15:33:21+00:00.
Without being derogatory, is there a name for this type of show? I’m having a hard time accurately describing them in conversation.
I’ve been calling them soundtracks shows, but I have never heard anyone else use the term. I’m thinking of something like The Summer I turned Pretty or Off Campus. Usually Netflix or Amazon originals that are extremely light on story, almost entirely college-aged relationship drama and full of sequences with pop music sound tracks. They’re extremely light on any sort of visual storytelling, have few interior locations with a lack of subtlety in dialogue. Characters almost exclusively express exactly what they’re feeling and what their motivations are. These are shows my girlfriend throws on when she’s doing chores, only half paying attention, and has no problem walking away from without pausing.
Excluding full blown reality TV, it’s probably on the other end of the spectrum to something that is more in line with the prime time Sunday slot on HBO. Something like Mad Men, The Pitt, Pluribus, The Sopranos, GoT, Succession, where they’re more ‘prestigious’ for a lack of a better term. Shows where she wouldn’t dare walk away without pausing or even think of picking up her phone.
We both end up defaulting to calling them ‘one of those shows,’ but wasn’t sure if there’s a name for this type of show.