--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But in a TV series, you can really take a…" description: "\"But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic approach and explore characters that you wouldn't ordinarily see, in a level of complexity that yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg" --- # But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic… ![“But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic approach and explore characters that you wouldn't ordinarily see, in a level of complexity that you wouldn't ordinarily get to explore just out of the sheer time constraints in a feature.” quote by Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg) > “But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic approach and explore characters that you wouldn't ordinarily see, in a level of complexity that you wouldn't ordinarily get to explore just out of the sheer time constraints in a feature.” [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. TV series allow deep, complex character development beyond the limits of a film’s runtime. **In simple terms:** TV offers more character depth than movies. Key Takeaway Leverage long‑form storytelling. Themes storytelling media analysis character development Mood analytical insightful Type critical educational When to use this quote - scriptwriting - novel adaptation - character arcs Key Concepts narrative depth creative freedom episodic structure Questions to Reflect On - How does format shape narrative? - What limits character exploration? A Different Perspective Budget and pacing can still restrict depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Complexity Wouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity-wouldn-4811946/) [Explore Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explore-characters-3914168/) [Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level/) [Novelistic Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelistic-approach-4811944/) [Really Novelistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-novelistic-4811945/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Series Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series-really-624099/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tv series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-series/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think the women in the TV series are really like that. It's certainly not my personal experience of New York women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/i-don-t-think-the-women-in-the-tv-series-are-really-like-that-it-s/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [So many movies are so formulaic because you've got to get it done in an hour and a half. On a TV series, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-campbell/so-many-movies-are-so-formulaic-because-you-ve-got-to-get-it-done-in/) [Billy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-campbell/) > [For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn't give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes/for-the-simplicity-on-this-side-of-complexity-i-wouldn-t-give-you-a/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes/) > [The fun thing about writing a book with multiple paths and multiple endings is you really get to explore the characters and figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/the-fun-thing-about-writing-a-book-with-multiple-paths-and-multiple/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I really want to try to explore the characters from angles you've never seen and keep them classic and iconic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/i-really-want-to-try-to-explore-the-characters-from-angles-you-ve/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [I like to explore characters who are very different to me, or varied parts are very similar to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendoline-christie/i-like-to-explore-characters-who-are-very-different-to-me-or-varied/) [Gwendoline Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendoline-christie/) > [I've always wanted to explore characters of all races, all genders, all ages. It just seems to me to be a natural way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-ve-always-wanted-to-explore-characters-of-all-races-all-genders-all/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [I get letters from adults saying that they love the books because they are more in-depth with characterization than the comics. The luxury of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yee/i-get-letters-from-adults-saying-that-they-love-the-books-because/) [Lisa Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yee/) > [“we read fiction to satisfy a more basic need—to imagine our way into other lives, to explore characters and situations that tell us something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/we-read-fiction-to-satisfy-a-more-basic-need-to-imagine-our-way-into/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [As an actor, of course it's exciting to go and explore characters. It's exciting to explore human psychology and relationships, and that's really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stana-katic/as-an-actor-of-course-it-s-exciting-to-go-and-explore-characters-it-s/) [Stana Katic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stana-katic/) > [Actually 'Soon' has more than the Left Behind series, but I really believe less is more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/actually-soon-has-more-than-the-left-behind-series-but-i-really/) [Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/) > [What makes a show good for me, personally, is a mystery that just doesn't quit. I want to know why. Why did this happen?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pellegrino/what-makes-a-show-good-for-me-personally-is-a-mystery-that-just-doesn/) [Mark Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pellegrino/) > [In a series, you really need to stay open-minded. It's not like a play or a film, where you can create and fully commit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-galecki/in-a-series-you-really-need-to-stay-open-minded-it-s-not-like-a-play/) [Johnny Galecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-galecki/) > [Luke Cage is seen in 'Jessica Jones,' but he doesn't really come into his own until the 'Luke Cage' series. That's when you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-younge/luke-cage-is-seen-in-jessica-jones-but-he-doesn-t-really-come-into/) [Adrian Younge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-younge/) > [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) ## More by Lisa Joy > [There's a kind of beauty to a skyscraper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/there-s-a-kind-of-beauty-to-a-skyscraper/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I don't see much of myself in the traditional Western hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-don-t-see-much-of-myself-in-the-traditional-western-hero/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I had a lot of college debt. It's very difficult to go to a university that is as expensive as Stanford and then blindly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-had-a-lot-of-college-debt-it-s-very-difficult-to-go-to-a-university/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [One of the most consistent defining qualities of sentience is that we define it as human, as the thing that we possess that others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/one-of-the-most-consistent-defining-qualities-of-sentience-is-that-we/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't think it would really be possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-but-i-didn-t-think-it-would/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [Working on 'Westworld' has been an incredible experience in learning to make something with the scope of a feature on a TV timeline with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/working-on-westworld-has-been-an-incredible-experience-in-learning-to/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I've tried to always be incredibly overprepared in everything that I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-ve-tried-to-always-be-incredibly-overprepared-in-everything-that-i/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [We subverted the entire premise of 'Westworld' in that our sympathies are meant to be with the robots, the hosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/we-subverted-the-entire-premise-of-westworld-in-that-our-sympathies/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [One of the many delights that I found in directing was that you plan so many things so meticulously so that they go smoothly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/one-of-the-many-delights-that-i-found-in-directing-was-that-you-plan/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I think the thing that will endure about Westworld will be the questions it poses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-think-the-thing-that-will-endure-about-westworld-will-be-the/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [The reality is that 'Westworld' is designed so that guests can indulge with impunity their every fantasy - be it light or dark. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/the-reality-is-that-westworld-is-designed-so-that-guests-can-indulge/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [We drive a Tesla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/we-drive-a-tesla/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [The great thing about fiction is you can talk about things without being didactic about them, but hopefully forge a connection with people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/the-great-thing-about-fiction-is-you-can-talk-about-things-without/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [No matter how long my day job hours were, I always made time to write. I wrote fiction, short stories, and poetry. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/no-matter-how-long-my-day-job-hours-were-i-always-made-time-to-write/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I was actually born a robot, so 'Westworld' is just autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-was-actually-born-a-robot-so-westworld-is-just-autobiographical/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) [Explore all 90 Lisa Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) ## More Complexity quotes > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [The complexity increases exponentially when you try and combine two companies that both need to be restructured in their own right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/the-complexity-increases-exponentially-when-you-try-and-combine-two/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [We're in this strange age where we can't say 'I love you,' at least not sincerely. It's something where, if you simplify it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffer-boe/we-re-in-this-strange-age-where-we-can-t-say-i-love-you-at-least-not/) [Christoffer Boe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoffer-boe/) > [I've realized that life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes its crazy to be sane.You need to fall to fly. People suffer because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-realized-that-life-is-indeed-full-of-contradictions-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [As we get more transparent with data sets about infrastructure and systems management, I have a feeling we'll see big changes in how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/as-we-get-more-transparent-with-data-sets-about-infrastructure-and/) [Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/) > [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [We're all complex human beings, and if some of that complexity shows through, I think it's advantageous for the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/we-re-all-complex-human-beings-and-if-some-of-that-complexity-shows/) [Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/) > [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/) [Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/) > [If you want to gain market share at your competitor's expense - look for a customer that's suffering from too much complexity and simplify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cohan/if-you-want-to-gain-market-share-at-your-competitor-s-expense-look/) [Peter Cohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cohan/) > [What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/what-music-is-better-able-to-do-than-language-is-to-represent-the/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Browse all 1,258 Complexity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic approach and explore characters that you wouldn't ordinarily see, in a level of complexity that you wouldn't ordinarily get to explore just out of the sheer time constraints in a feature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lisa Joy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a-novelistic-approach-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complexity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a-novelistic-approach-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/lisa-joy-7481_complexity_but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a_2197302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But in a TV series, you can really take a novelistic approach and explore characters that you wouldn't…” — Lisa Joy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lisa Joy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But in a TV series, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a-novelistic-approach-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/but-in-a-tv-series-you-can-really-take-a-novelistic-approach-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```