When we talk about prestige television, we’re talking about the era that came about at the turn of the 21st century where networks were starting to once again invest in dramas. Budgets got bigger, stars were made (and later drawn in), the landscape was changed. To many, the cinematic elements and storylines that were applied to the small screen matched those on the big screen. And then you have the cinema purists, who could never see prestige TV matching anything that the movies have to offer. Yes, we mean Quentin Tarantino.
Appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast for an extensive sitdown (alongside Roger Avary), Tarantino said that while modern prestige TV has a wide audience, it will never touch pure cinema. “Everybody talks about how television is now. It’s pretty good, I gotta say. It’s pretty good now. But it’s still television to me. And what’s the difference between television and a good movie? Because a lot of the TV now has the patina of a good movie. They are using cinematic language to get you caught up in it.”
Tarantino would go on to cite Yellowstone as a prime example of good prestige TV that drew him in, saying the first season felt as cinematic as a show could. That said, its continuation ultimately left no impression, saying he couldn’t name the primary villains of the subsequent seasons. “The difference is I’ll see a good Western movie, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I’ll remember the story, this scene and that scene. It built to an emotional climax of some degree. The story is good. It’s not just about the interpersonal relationships. But there’s a payoff to it. There is not a payoff on TV stuff. It’s more interconnected drama.” He also called out television for relying too much on season-ending cliffhangers, saying it further lacks the finality of a film.
Tarantino got a lot of hate recently for heaping praise on Joker: Folie à Deux and he might get even more for his take on prestige TV. While it’s cool that he got into a show like Yellowstone (though it’s quite questionable how much he loves How I Met Your Mother), his comments can be read as him dissing TV as a whole. While I would argue that television killed mid-budget dramas that used to thrive on the big screen, film and television exist on separate planes and have different standards. With that, there’s really little reason to bash one for not being the other.
What are your thoughts on Quentin Tarantino’s take on prestige TV? Does he have a point?