User blog comment:EtherBot/Random Writers' Show: Channel Zero Pastas Special/@comment-24101790-20180224191349

Good analysis. My original hope with Channel Zero was that it was going to be more of an anthology series like Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, or Tales from the Darkside which would tackle a new story every week and keep the series fresh by switching things up and keeping the audience guessing (Will this episode be a home-invasion story, a tale about a stalking entity, is it a Lovecraftian throwback, will it be a grindhouse-style story?). I think the strength a TV show of that type is that they don't have to spend a massive amount of time brainstorming a massive multi-arc plot that can be hit-or-miss with audiences (I won't lie, I tuned out of NoEnd House a few episodes in until about a month after the season ended and I remembered I had them still DVR-d). These stories/premises already exist and only really need some minor tweaks to make them ready for primetime. The genre is open for a large number of adaptations and I can't think of too many authors who would turn down an opportunity to have one of their stories featured (especially in an episodic format which is likely to have less filler and be more connected to the story).

When they serialized Candle Cove I was a bit worried that they were just going to pad out the base material and they did. They took an original story idea and ended up turning it into IT (you made a good point there). It almost feels like this was a tentative step into the waters and they were afraid to stray out of their comfort zone. From what I hear with the third season, it seems like now they're using creepypastas as more of a means of a starting point with a built-in fanbase which worries me a little bit. Thanks for taking the time to really sit down and break it down in your thoughts.