Great article. I don't mean to quibble, but a show like House of Cards is film.
I think it's great. Related subjects have been discussed here quite a bit lately: the MPAA, who actually goes to the movies, kids go to movies, the older generations stay home these days, etc. It's been said that Hollywood's feature makers don't make films for adults because adults don't come out the theater anymore. But I wonder how much of that's true, versus the possibility that adults don't go to the theater anymore because they know those content makers don't care much about them these days.
Anyway, I'm currently watching Game of Thrones, Season Two. It's so good. Yes, there are the reasons why it wouldn't work as a feature film(s). Who'd want all that compressed into a two or three hour movie, or even a trilogy of two or three hour movies, anyway? But also, what would the MPAA do to it? The big studios would look at it and ask, fine, but what rating will the MPAA give it? How will it play with the thirteen year olds [or whatever their target audience is at this point]? What will the opening weekend numbers be? Etc. They no doubt wouldn't like the answers, and it'd be, we can't do that! It wouldn't see the light of day...not as is.
But HBO...they can say, pft, and they make it happen, and they can give the world an awesome quality show, thank you very much. What is Hollywood, as far as features go, doing these days that's evening remotely as interesting? The answer is: precious little. Really, can't exaggerate that 'precious little' part. So, as an adult who wants stories and entertainment for adults, I say, please, bring it on. More, more, more. Really, I'm exulting in stuff like Game of Thrones. 95% (oh, I don't know what the proper figure for that is) of what the local multi-plex offers me pales by comparison. It's that simple. I haven't checked House of Cards out yet, but I plan to sooner or later. If Netflix and the others can feed me good quality entertainment that actually values and respects its adult, mature audience, then they have me. Godbless them.