Over the last 20 years, the way we consume media has changed drastically. Long gone are the days of gathering around in the family living room to watch prime time programming broadcast by the major television networks like ABC, NBC. CBS and even FOX. What is also gone is the ability to find the time to gather in one place at one time to watch anything at all. Computer technology and mobile devices that were marketed as things that would make our lives easier have in fact disrupted and blurred the lines between work and leisure time.

In a world of 24-hour access to any media content available, the new "prime-tune" has become those few moments stolen here and there throughout the day or night. Meeting the demand for such unstructured viewing times are the new online networks like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and YouTubeRed. These services have become production studios of their own creating original films and series for the new "middle of the night" audiences.

Programming created for an audience once gathered around a family television to watch the latest broadcast of a weekly series is quite different than the content created by these streaming networks. Original series are released as an entire season at once, allowing viewers to consume as few or as many episodes as they wish, whenever they can find the time. In this new television landscape where the norm is to watch as many episodes of anything whenever consumers can find the time, this paper will examine the development of television from its rise in late 1940's through present day as well as how content not only reflects social trends and societal changes, but also how changes in contemporary media consumption have impacted production.