The overwhelming number of choices on streaming services drives me to watch a television series instead of a movie. It provides for light entertainment without the time-consuming drama that occurs with another round of “what do you want to watch tonight?” By the time we settle on a movie, I could have watched another episode of a series. It is just easier for me to pick a show and stick with it until the end, thus avoiding all need for thought and decision-making.
Apparently, others feel the same way about books. At the library, almost the entire section of new fiction books was part of a series. Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was there in book #19. Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan was book #25, and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher was featured in his 27th novel. Other best-selling authors were also there with the latest installment of their famous characters: Jack Ryan, Alex Cross, and Stephanie Plum.
Packaging content as a series is an effective way to garner momentum and help people create affinity to a particular author/show/product without them having to start from scratch each time they are ready to absorb new material. Consider that it creates a barrier as well. I don’t want to read book #20 or jump into the middle of a television season. If you are providing a series, you need to make efforts to provide easy entry points and stand-alone content so those who don’t start at the beginning are able to connect and continue. The host has to work hard to make you feel welcome when you’re late to the party.
