2023 was a year that the entertainment industry will not soon forget. This was the year of the strikes. The year AI reared its head. The year the superheroes and the long-running action franchises started flopping, and "Barbie" became queen of the box office. Looking back on last year's wishlist, it's amazing how fast things have changed and continue to change.
So this year for the holidays, I want…
For all the strike delayed projects to find a way forward. There has been all kinds of scheduling chaos, but I'm the most worried about the shows and films that may be permanently kaput thanks to the long delays. There have already been a round of cancellations of shows like the "Wonder Years" reboot, and some previously greenlit projects are stuck in limbo. We're looking at a pretty big content drought next year in any case, and it feels like we're officially past Peak TV.
For more physical media and less streaming exclusivity. Last year, I was very thankful for the ability to buy a few streaming favorites on Blu-ray, just for my own peace of mind. The content purges waged by the big streamers seems to have paused for now, but more are surely on the way. Many steaming exclusive shows and movies have been shuffled around to different services. It was a great relief that Prime picked up "Pantheon" after it was dropped by AMC+, so we got to see the second season. However, there are a lot more orphan titles out there. At the time of writing, "The Nevers" is still stuck on Tubi, and extremely difficult to watch.
For the forthcoming 2024 election cycle to be boring. I don't want it to be even remotely interesting. The last few elections have felt like a life-or-death struggle to preserve American democracy, and I'm not ready for another round of that. The results of the 2024 presidential race should be a foregone conclusion. It shouldn't even be close. I also have little interest in any of Donald Trump's trials being televised, but if that's what it takes to finally convince his supporters that he deserves everything that's coming to him, I guess it's a necessary evil.
For Elon Musk to get bored. It's been very entertaining to watch Musk drive Twitter into the ground, and I admit to rubbernecking the drama more than I should have this year. However, it's gotten very tedious watching him chip away at the platform, and enable fascism, and erode civilized online discourse. No viable alternative has really turned up since Zuckerberg royally screwed up the Threads launch, while Bluesky is still taking way too long to establish itself.
For Disney to break some bad habits. Last year wasn't a total disaster for Disney, but it was pretty close. Most of its theatrical releases bombed or flopped or underperformed. The MCU is in crisis, with "Secret Invasion" being an especially low point. It's clear that the company has relied far too much on a handful of franchises, and audiences are exhausted with them. I don't think the problem is with audience interest, but simply that Disney has been slacking on quality control, and let some really subpar media reach our screens. It's going to take them a few years to really regroup and reorient the ship, and I hope they do, instead of doubling down.
For better streaming ads. Now that ad-supported tiers look like the inevitable status quo for most streaming services, the creators of those ads really have to step up their game. I should not be seeing ads that I am not remotely the right audience for. I should not be seeing the same ads running over and over again ad nauseum with every ad break. Those ad breaks should not be placed at random intervals throughout the programming, in the middle of sentences, disrupting the flow of important scenes, and making the viewing experience that much worse. Get it together, streamers!
For all the media coming next year to exceed my expectations, and the creators behind them to have every opportunity to do good work.
Happy holidays!
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