A common, and growing trend on television and other outlets like Netflix is the TV universe. With more and more shows piloting and premiering that are linked together in some way, the success and the response to these overlapping stories has also been an emerging topic of conversation. Of course, the overlapping of storylines and characters is not a new concept, with movies and TV shows that have employed the technique over the years, and producers at studios like Marvel and DC have recently begun perfecting the technique. The use of this crossover process is becoming more prominent on the small screen, and this has people talking.
Look at the world created by Dick Wolf and the people of the Chicago franchise. With the third show premiering just a few weeks ago, Chicago P.D, Chicago Med and Chicago Fire are now a trifecta of shows, all with crossover characters, plots, and relationships. Though the shows are all good on their own respectively, it is difficult at times to know exactly what is happening without watching them all. With the addition of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit into the mix, like they did at the end of the last season, this means that a viewer has at least three, if not four, shows to keep up with. For someone who loves television, or has a lot of free time, the universe that these shows create together is a great escape, filled with drama and action. For the average individual, however, who may not have the time to keep up with one show, the need for all three may be a problem.
Of course, there are a ton of benefits to having universes created by multiple shows. For example, the people of the CW and DC Comics—who created The Flash and Arrow—have seen great success in the universe they are creating. By being able to test characters out on the principle shows, like they did with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen on Arrow, the networks can gauge the response of the audience to the new character and determine if the new show will see success.
Additionally, the creation of a universe adds to the backstories of characters, increases people’s ability to submerse themselves into the shows, and also means stronger storylines. Especially with comic book-based shows, overlapping series mean more characters can be brought to life—like the addition of the new show DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. In addition, there is the ability of small screen productions, like Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that helps keep fans engaged in the Marvel universe between movies like Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron.
Overall, the introduction of TV universes to the small screen has been successful so far and seems to only be growing. With shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones on Netflix, and the Chicago franchise, and both the Marvel and DC Comics universes emerging on TV, the future of television seems to be making a change. It will be interesting to see which network, or series, branch off next.