Heartless machinations of TV networks turned into pretty, pretty charts
Television, ultimately, is a business. Its true purpose is not to entertain, enlighten, educate, or elucidate. It exists solely to make money, meaning that the fates of TV shows are decided by bean counters and number crunchers. That translates to dashed dreams, ruined careers, innumerable crimes against art, and countless peptic ulcers, but it’s all just cold-blooded math and statistics. Can those statistics somehow magically be turned back into art? Yes, suggests a gorgeous series of colorful, eye-pleasing infographs called Seasons Of Television compiled by content marketer George Hatzis at his Visu website, which aims to present Hatzis’ considerable knowledge of pop culture “in a visually appealing format for you to enjoy and to learn more about what plays on your screen.” Seasons Of Television certainly accomplishes that goal as it covers the tumultuous last half-decade of TV, a time period that has seen major changes in the ways people consume their favorite shows. As Hatzis puts it: