They That Wait...

While many felt the second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon was ultimately a drag, there seemed to be more disdain over the expected wait time for the next season. With production set for early 2025, season three isn’t promised until 2026, placing almost two years between the second half of the four-season series. It is the latest example of TV studios elongating the period between production and when the show will return to our screens.

Other offenders of this alleged practice: HBO’s Euphoria (after the alleged on-set drama and an actor’s death) and Netflix’s Stranger Things, both last on our screens in the first half of 2022. Even the second season of Peacock’s hit Poker Face holds its cards until later this year. What gives? We want our TV and we want it now!

It seemed folks had more patience for these delays when the world paused. The COVID pandemic halted most productions across Hollywood and continues extreme protective measures keeping A-list staff and others protected. Afterward, those important “others” stopped the ball rolling with a much-needed dual labor strike, demanding better-guaranteed pay and benefits. Collectively, people were reexamining work culture and how to make the environment healthier for all involved. But it seems thoughts about wellness and work disappeared soon as masks were lifted and picket signs were tossed for paychecks.

Admittedly, there is a big chunk of corporate sludge to blame, as execs drain rising subscription costs from viewers hoping we find more content while waiting. These tactics are rooted in greed and are another symptom of the capitalistic structure. But we can also blame the public’s demand for instant gratification in the digital age. Emails no longer write themselves with AI-assisted prompts and DoorDash now delivers more than food and groceries. Our Ready Play One minds want everything right here, right now, while demanding the same tools not be used in our art. Good things come to those who wait, and I want good TV.

Did folks fathom that the way things worked didn’t work anymore? Is it hard to decipher that perhaps the long hours in shortened days and underpay were producing great art but at the cost of the artists? Why would we assume things would snap back to “normal”? Nothing has been normal since. Change is the only constant, and the truth is the way TV shows are made has changed. The sooner we accept the inevitable, the better we’ll all be.

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