Expect TV miniseries to thrive as theatrical movies wane in the coronavirus era

Observer

"Movie theaters will never go extinct as there will always be a home for communal blockbuster viewing (health and safety permitting) for films such as Avengers: Endgame," says Brandon Katz. "Yet with the theatrical industry facing a prolonged downturn and the rise of television over the last decade routinely snapping up movie stars, we may see a migration of money in Hollywood. Given all the above factors, big-budget limited and miniseries—HBO’s Big Little Lies, Amazon’s Homecoming, Showtime’s The Loudest Voice, etc.—may become the new dominant trend in entertainment as we wait for the world to stabilize.... The miniseries was a dominant part of network television in the late 1970s and throughout the ’80s. For the first time in the medium’s history, large budgets and top tier production values were being invested into the small screen product." In fact, big-name movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood like Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas starred in miniseries.