Gaps and Recaps: Exploring the Binge-Published Television Serial

Abstract

This thesis aims to gain a better understanding of the binge-published serial and its apparent objective to fulfill the needs of binge-watchers to watch gapless television serials. Looking at how the relationship between gaps and recaps in serial television has evolved alongside new technologies, publication methods, and viewer practices provides insights into how the serial form and serial narrative of the binge-published serial are not as pioneering as they appear. A literature review, accompanied by textual examples, illustrates that the broadcasted television serial subjects viewers to temporal gaps within episodes in the form of commercial breaks, gaps between episodes, and gaps between seasons. These gaps influence the serial form, serial narrative, and the serial’s use of recaps to achieve maximum viewer retention. Technological developments provide viewers with agency over the gaps, meaning that they become capable of deconstructing the serial form to some extent by skipping gaps between episodes. This brought about the binge-watcher, to whom the binge-published serial seems to cater. However, textual analysis of the binge-published serial Orange Is the New Black shows that, while its serial installment shifted from that of an episode to that of a gapless season, the binge-published season is segmented into episodes by the use of non-temporal gaps. The binge-published serial’s use of gaps still mimics the established broadcasted serial form and narrative in order to cater to a non-binge-watcher, but its use of recaps instead caters primarily to the binge-watcher, and only secondary to the non-binge-watcher. While seemingly redefining the ontology of the serial form, the gap between the broadcasted serial and the binge-published serial is only striking in its use of recaps.