Credit: Far Out / Warner Bros / Apple Films / Universal Pictures /
Wed 26 August 2026 21:15, UK
Film and television have become interchangeable, but the few differences are key to their success.
The most significant development in film culture in the 21st century hasn’t been what is on the big screen, but what’s on the small one. There used to be a significant difference between what was in theatres and on television, with the term “TV movie” being used disparagingly. Even the early HBO shows, which featured remarkable writing and acting, didn’t have the production or hype that would come with a cinematic release.
The industry has now reached the point where tremendous budgets are being spent on television shows, as a single episode of House of the Dragon or Stranger Things costs more than many of the recent ‘Best Picture’ winners. That there are now so many films that either go straight-to-streaming or find their audiences once they are on a subscription service only makes viewers more accustomed to simply waiting to see things at home.
The blurring of the lines has become even more significant because of the notable auteurs who are directing television; it may have started with David Lynch and Twin Peaks, but recently David Fincher did Mindhunter for Netflix, Park Chan-wook did The Little Drummer Girl for AMC, Steven Soderbergh did Full Circle for HBO Max, and Cary Fukunaga did True Detective for HBO.
There is still a major difference between television and film when it comes to length and structure, and determining when to expand and where to cut excess material is critical in choosing which medium is the best fit for the story in question.
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