IN 2011 ALEXIS PICHARD, a French academic, declared that American television was enjoying a "new golden age", marked by vast improvements in cinematography and storytelling. Although critics disagree over when tv emerged as a serious art form, there is consensus that shows like "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad" have brought new sophistication to the small screen. The picture that emerges from viewers-or at least those who post reviews on iMDb, an online database-is a bit fuzzier. Among dramas from the 1970s with at least 100 ratings, the median show that aired in America had an average score of 7.85 out of ten. In the 1990s, this figure was the same. And since 2010, it has risen to 8.17-a tiny gain. If you were to choose at random one drama from the 2010s and one from the 1990s, the modern one would score worse than the older one 37% of the time.
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