--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In an age where television is viewed as…" description: "\"In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.\" — Miche..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg" --- # In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to… ![“In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.” quote by Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg) > “In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.” [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how prestige TV prioritizes style over depth, using narrative as a veneer for lacking substance. **In simple terms:** Prestige TV often favors style over substance. Key Takeaway Focus on depth, not just storytelling flair. Themes media criticism storytelling culture television prestige Mood critical reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - TV criticism - film studies - creative writing - media production - content strategy Key Concepts Narrative vs substance artistic integrity commercial pressures Questions to Reflect On - How does narrative shape perception of quality? - When does style become a substitute for substance? A Different Perspective Style can mask shallow content, limiting audience insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [We're in a golden age for television. TV 25 years ago was slow, plodding , boring. The production values were not great. Today it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/we-re-in-a-golden-age-for-television-tv-25-years-ago-was-slow/) [Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/) > [As the age of television progresses the Reagans will be the rule, not the exception. To be perfect for television is all a President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-the-age-of-television-progresses-the-reagans-will-be-the-rule-not/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I was a massive fan of 'Twin Peaks.' Massive. I don't know how any of us grew up in this age of television and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-forbes/i-was-a-massive-fan-of-twin-peaks-massive-i-don-t-know-how-any-of-us/) [Michelle Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-forbes/) > [If we may say that the Age of Andrew Jackson took political life out of the hands of aristocrats and turned it over to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/if-we-may-say-that-the-age-of-andrew-jackson-took-political-life-out/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [In the age of television, image becomes more important than substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/in-the-age-of-television-image-becomes-more-important-than-substance/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [I wrote my own first book about the defense of television as an art form in 1992. It was harder to make the argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bianculli/i-wrote-my-own-first-book-about-the-defense-of-television-as-an-art/) [David Bianculli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bianculli/) > [I feel like it's a golden age for television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/i-feel-like-it-s-a-golden-age-for-television/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [We are in this amazing age of television where there's an incredible amount and an incredible quality of television, of long-form narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-marvel/we-are-in-this-amazing-age-of-television-where-there-s-an-incredible/) [Elizabeth Marvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-marvel/) > [I do think there was an age of television back in the '90s that was a little bit more wholesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-fishel/i-do-think-there-was-an-age-of-television-back-in-the-90s-that-was-a/) [Danielle Fishel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-fishel/) > [There are some fantastic roles for women and women of a certain age on television, whether it's 'Medium' or 'The Closer' or 'Damages' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-follows/there-are-some-fantastic-roles-for-women-and-women-of-a-certain-age/) [Megan Follows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-follows/) > [People have always said since TV was invented what a cultural wasteland it is but I think it is the worst and the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/people-have-always-said-since-tv-was-invented-what-a-cultural/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [She grew up hard and she grew up fast, in the age of television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/she-grew-up-hard-and-she-grew-up-fast-in-the-age-of-television/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [We're in the second golden age of television, and to me, one of the most profound things that's happening in TV is just that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/we-re-in-the-second-golden-age-of-television-and-to-me-one-of-the/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [I think the reason the Golden Age of television is so golden is because a lot of folks are willing to let creators do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-azaria/i-think-the-reason-the-golden-age-of-television-is-so-golden-is/) [Hank Azaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-azaria/) > [In recent years we've seen an explosion of creative programming, and I think it represents a third golden age of television because the creators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/in-recent-years-we-ve-seen-an-explosion-of-creative-programming-and-i/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) ## More by Michelle Dean > [There is an unfortunate side effect of being a person of few words: Sometimes people will assume you are less intelligent than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-an-unfortunate-side-effect-of-being-a-person-of-few-words/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Poems are ideally suited, in some ways, to social media because they pack so much meaning into so little language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/poems-are-ideally-suited-in-some-ways-to-social-media-because-they/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [The diversity of perspective, the unwillingness to generalise - those are good traits in countries as they are in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-diversity-of-perspective-the-unwillingness-to-generalise-those/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [When Paul Beatty's 'The Sellout' was first published in America in 2015, it was a small release. It got a rave review in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/when-paul-beatty-s-the-sellout-was-first-published-in-america-in-2015/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hollywood versions of watershed moments in American history are generally high-minded shlock. 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Awards are not cumulative, and in the case of something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/book-awards-in-america-at-least-are-not-like-the-oscars-awards-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I tend to judge a piece of criticism by how smart I find the argument. This, I know,, is not how everyone does it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/i-tend-to-judge-a-piece-of-criticism-by-how-smart-i-find-the-argument/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) [Explore all 88 Michelle Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Dean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/michelle-dean-7717_age_in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as_470878.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for…” — Michelle Dean", "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": "Michelle Dean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In an age where television is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/#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 } } ] } ```