This year’s biggest cultural phenomenon isn't a superhero show. It’s The Lattice , a 10-episode Apple TV+ drama about a slow-motion corporate espionage plot within a Dutch semiconductor firm. It has no explosions, no sex scenes, and no cliffhangers. It does have natural lighting, a jazz-infused score, and actors in their 40s wearing unflattering sweaters.
The "mid-brow prestige" show is the intellectual comfort food of the anxious 2020s. It’s smarter than a soap opera but less demanding than Primer . It signals taste without requiring effort. These shows are defined by: Blacked.23.01.28.Keisha.Grey.Give.It.All.XXX.10...
To understand where we are, we must first look back. For most of the 20th century, were controlled by a handful of powerful gatekeepers. In film, the "Big Five" studios (Paramount, MGM, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and RKO) dictated what movies reached the silver screen. In music, three major labels (Sony, Universal, and Warner) decided which artists would become stars. In television, the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) determined the national conversation through primetime schedules and evening news. This year’s biggest cultural phenomenon isn't a superhero