This is an attempt to make me to write more. Perhaps more importantly make me write stuff that I'm not academically required to write. It's also an attempt to start thinking more critically about television and films instead of just exclaiming "It's the best things ever!" or "It's utterly terrible it has no saving graces". Whether I'll stick to that I'm not sure, also I'm well aware that the suggestion in my title that it's going to be Snide bitching goes against that.
My plan is to mainly cover American shows that all start up again in the next couple of weeks. This is because it obviously makes more sense to start at the beginning of the season, also I find the US television system so strange and different to the British.
The fact that they start broadcasting episodes before they finish not only filming but writing the season, continually seems odd to me. In many ways I do understand it makes sense. This method means you can adjust the story lines to take into account audience feedback and you don't have to waste money working on episodes of a show if people aren't watching it. So this system works well for both the audience and the producers or at least it should. But I still feel odd about it. I guess this is because it seems such an obvious admission that this business is about making money and not about any higher artistic purpose. It's also so different from other forms of culture and 'the arts'. For people like authors, painters and, in fact, film makers they have to create something complete and finished then let it  out into the world. At this point they loose control over its reception and interpretation of the audience.  So although if you're trying to sell it you need to try and make it something people will like, you have very limited way of testing if this is true on a large scale. You also have no method to change it if it turns out you misjudged it. The film just doesn't do well, your book doesn't sell and everyone hates your painting. Does the fact television so easily bend to the will of the masses mean it looses something or gains something. I don't know really, both probably