That’s what hits the hardest, not being able to relive childhood experiences as an adult / parent because they’re just not there any more. We’re not the first generation it’s happened to and it’s a part of growing up, but damn it stings.

Of course if you told 9 year old me who’s just missed that weeks only airing of Batman TAS that in the future every episode of every show will be available on demand I’d think you’d be living in a utopia. The reality is that convenience erodes the charm and it all blurs together. But I don’t know where I’d be if I couldn’t bring up the specific episode of Bluey that my girls want to watch.

I no I agree with you, can see that my comment was not written as I intended. I don’t think those eps are filler, they’re very important to the characters and their subsequent actions, but if this were a trimmed down 10 episode season they’d be the first to get cut because they would be wrongly viewed as filler as they don’t focus on the overall plot. Which would be a massive loss to the show.

Totally agree. All these memorable, fan favourite episodes that people act as an interruption to their binge.

I don’t mean to sound too bent out of shape over it. I just don’t get the attitude and hope show creators don’t take it as an absolute.

I’ll rewatch the first Simpsons clip show (April Fools Day) but never again the rest.

It’s wild that HBO practically came straight out of the gate with a pair of shows that epitomise the best of those approaches (The Wire taking the chapter approach and The Sopranos treating their seasons as a collection of short stories building to a greater whole). As many shows that I’ve enjoyed over the two decades since (Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), most are either trying to replicate their success or just making long movies.

Bottle episodes are not inherently bad. They can use the time to deepen the characters and their relationships with each other, or just be low stakes entertainment. They could also be garbage, but if you don’t enjoy any are you watching all shows primarily for plot and just want it over and done with?

Avatar’s a great show to highlight. Very serialised in that there is an overall three act structure to the story told, but it still made plenty of time for episodes that didn’t really move the story forward (or had 1 key Zuko scene at most).

Tales of Ba Sing Se, Sokka’s Master, Zuko Alone, the blood bender ep are all great episides that would be cut from a Netflix version for being filler, but they all contain vital character moments that carry through the show. They deepen the series rather than keeping the plot moving and only having time for surface level characterisation.

I guess ultimately i see people use filler as a pejorative, when those eps can be among the most rewarding for long time viewers. The interrogation episode of Brooklyn 99 with just Jake, Holt and an excellent guest star foil could not have worked early in a short season show, but is an amazing half hour deep into the shows run.