tv_talk | TV Tuesday: New Faces

I've been a fan of Netflix's "Love Death and Robots" since the first season. Not every episode hits--every season has one or two that make me yawn or roll my eyes--but the show does a great job of being incredibly varied both in terms of animation and story. There's also always a couple that I'm still thinking about months later. I think it works really well for when you don't necessarily have the time to commit to a whole series, because each episode is self-contained. It's a lot of fun!

Yes, no need to worry about unfulfilled cliffhangers!

I've noticed that some procedurals are more like stealth anthologies than others. Especially in longer Brit episodes there can be more time spent with various character groups than the detecting team, and it's rare to ever see those characters return.

I don't watch anthology series frequently, but I think they're a neat. I like a good self-contained story every now and then. I remember enjoying the first two seasons of Syfy's Channel Zero horror anthology when it came out. I suppose horror is a good genre for anthology since you don't really expect many characters to stick around to the end. Maybe.

I can't think of any examples of a "stealth" anthology! But that seems like a cool idea

Ha, good point about the horror!

I love anthology shows! there should be more of them, but I understand why they aren't everyone's cup of tea.

I think there are some shows that could fit the anthology criteria, for example:

Fantasy Island - which focuses on the different visitors to the island
Doctor Who (more so earlier seasons imo)
Star Trek (TOS, TNG, VOY) with their alien of the week storylines
Stargate SG1 - with a trip through the gate to a different location every week

Some police procedurals too, like SVU for example.

Yeah, I agree about Fantasy Island, at least in terms of the few episodes I saw. The lead characters just seemed to facilitate the stories than have any real role themselves, but someone who'd seen a lot more of it might know better.

I don't think I've ever watched any anthology shows besides the episodes I've seen of Twilight Zone (and that as much by osmosis as intentional viewing!)

Sometimes? They tend to be mostly in the horror and mystery genre, and were more popular in the early decades of television? I saw a lot of them in reruns - Ellery Queen's Mystery Theater (which was a stealth anthology series), Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt...

There was one that involved mysterious and cursed antiquities - and had recurring characters - it was a horror anthology. Ah, it was called Friday the 13th Series. It had one episode that haunts me to this day - about a man who managed to get his dog and his ex-wife to switch bodies with a cursed object.

And a stealth anthology was "Nightmare Cafe" - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103502/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_cdt_c_107, which starred Robert Englund.

Black Mirror is more recent type - similar to The Twilight Zone or the Twilight Zone by way of Night Gallery.

I've seen a lot of them. They are basically the television equivalent of short stories. Some are really good - Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents...the stealth ones don't tend to last or work as well.

I was trying to think of comedy ones and could only come up with Love, American Style which might not have actually been a comedy series.

It's interesting that this style of series has faded in number over time. In a way it's like variety shows, which themselves were a bit like anthologies in that there was something different each time. Of course, it also depended on the variety show. Some were more predictable than others I expect.

They are oddly still prevalent on certain streaming platforms. Netflix loves them for example. It has Black Mirror, and the animated short anthology series Love + Robots (I think that's what it is called). Also, Amazon and Apple have dived into it at times, as has Disney. What If, Tales of the Jedi, Goosebumps...it's done a lot now with animation and horror, which are apparently easier to do it with.

Love American Style was a bit of a series - short lived, but Happy Days spun off from it, it was one of the shorts in that series.

Fantasy Island and the Love Boat are also examples - of stealth anthology series. They are hard to do well, though? Since you have the space of 43-50 minutes to tell a complete story.

Oh that's a good point about animated projects! I never really thought of What If as an anthology series, largely because it used characters we already know in short new adventures. I can see the argument for it since many of the episodes are unconnected to other stories, but there's also a number that not only connect to one another but will do so with later films as well.

But you're absolutely right about Star Wars leaning into this. In most of these new projects they center on a known character but the Visions series is very much an anthology.

I'm not positive, but I think Eyes on Wakanda is also one? I've not tried it - but it looks like it deals with various short tales around different characters?

Disney likes to do them with animation apparently.

Fantasy Island was definitely a stealth anthology. Mr. Roark and Tattoo (?) facilitated the story, they were never leads. I watched most of it as a pre-teen. Live. They were these mini-horror/nightmare tales. Usually had three tales a night. Didn't interlock at all. The mysterious Mr. Roark was the interconnection - and he was kind of a devilish character? Granting their greatest fantasy but with a twist. There was no story about Roark or Tattoo - no over-arching bit.

Star Trek and Doctor Who are more episodic series, which is very different than an anthology. Episodic is when you have the B story (the monster, alien, case of the week) and the A (the relationships between the characters and their issues week to week which is what brings in the audience).

Quantum Leap, Murder She Wrote, The Incredible Hulk, The Fugitive, that series about angels with Michael Landon, are all kind of similar to the Doctor Who concept - which is the lead character(s) travels from place to place helping people, or in the case of Quantum Leap and Doctor Who - through time and space doing it. But unlike an anthology series - the leads are developed, and the case of the week is not separate from them - they actually interact with it and are changed by it. Pokerface is another example of that trope - which is the person goes from place to place fixing a problem.

Fantasy Island is more of an anthology - because Roark is acting more like a host or author of the stories, with Tattoo as his set designer and helper. They aren't really characters, they don't change, grow, or evolve. They just enable the individual stories to happen which are separate from each other.

Star Gate and Star Trek - are more western stories - kind of like the old Wagon Trail or Rawhide. In which a group of characters journey to a new local each week and solve a new problem, sometimes it's in their own agency or ship or compound. But I wouldn't call those anthology? I think they are more of an episodic hybrid? You also can't easily miss that many episodes without getting a bit lost. While in an anthology each episode is stand-a-lone and you can miss as many as you want.

Fantasy Island and The Love Boat, you could miss episodes, no problem. The others - less so.

So no, I think you are confusing episodic with anthology? Anthology is basically a group of short stories, that may have a host character or characters connecting them, but these characters are largely in the background. While episodic series - we have the same lead characters, their inter-relationships, and politics in the background of a case of the week. That's all the Star Trek series for the most part, and the Star Gate. (with the exception of DS9, Picard and Discovery which were more serialized.)

I think you are confusing episodic with anthology? Episodic the characters are developed week to week and there's usually an arc to them. (Example? the romantic or workplace relationships between the characters). Anthology is just a group of stories, with a thematic connection or you have a host character introducing them and maybe aiding in the telling, but doesn't feature as a separate character. Fantasy Island (the old one) is a good example.

I'd agree - most of them do it with horror. It's either horror, science fiction (also horror), romance (rare), and mystery (puzzle). It works best with a story that can be self-contained, with a definitive ending.

That's the name of it! I was thinking Love + Robots for some reason, my brain managed to delete the word Death from it. I've not tried it yet. Is it all animated? I think it is? I know John Scalzi (the sci-fi writer) has some stories in it.

No, I know the difference...

They aren't "anthologies" from the standard definition - but the question posted was about Stealth Anthologies and those shows fit the criteria of a stealth anthology in my mind.

Doctor Who for example could be considered stealth anthology because the doctor changes, so every time he regenerates its like a new show. I recognise its the same character, but each regeneration of the Doctor has a different way to approach things, and has a different personality, so its almost like a new character - fans even refer to the doctors as if they are different people when we designate them a number. We also sometimes get a new set of companions, and often there are aliens and other characters that we don't see with other Doctors. A different overall arc. So, stealth anthology.

In a lot of Star Trek, Stargate, and also SVU, episodes (but not all episodes of course), the recurring characters and arcs could be considered frameworks for the individual stories told within the episodes. The recurring stuff isn't always the primary focus of the episode like they are with other shows.

SVU for example each episode the story is about a crime - every crime story has a different set of characters, a different crime, a different motive, different victims. Its just framed by the recurring characters and arcs.

Star Trek and Stargate are similar in that every week we see a different alien planet or ship, and quite often its only in that episode that we encounter them. The stories are often about those aliens, an issue that planet or people is facing, and that story is framed by the recurring characters. Once they leave the planet or ship, or walk back through the gate, thats the end of that story, we never hear or see from those characters again.

And I know, that means that they are episodic, sure. But they are also semi-anthological - stealth anthologies imo.

I've been struggling with the definition of stealth anthology? Because I've seen shows that I would define it as anthology with a host character? I guess old Doctor Who could be defined that way? I've never watched Old Who - so wouldn't know? New Who seems to be more episodic with an A and B arc. It's not stand-alone.

That's the test, I think? If you miss a couple of episodes will it be a problem?

Pokerface - I would define as a stealth anthology. Also, Murder She Wrote. There's no real world building? The character doesn't grow or change or build new relationships. And for the most part is replaceable.

But Star Trek isn't. Nor is Star Gate. Nor is a show like say Bones, Castle, Elementary or NCIS. Procedurals aren't - the focus in those is on how the characters are solving the puzzle. And how they learn from each one each week, so that's a through line, I think?

I guess, it's because I've seen a lot of shows that fit between anthology and episodic and I'd put those as stealth? It's partly that I dislike episodic series and prefer either anthology, stealth or serialized or episodic/serialized. But pure episodic doesn't work for me?

Oh I forgot about mysteries, but that's definitely another good genre for anthologies

I think it's the focus on solving the puzzle? A lot of mystery writers are also short story writers.
Anthologies are usually adapted from short stories. Love Death and Robots is adapted from a lot of science fiction short stories. Also there's a lot of one act mystery plays out there that have been adapted. Back in the 1950s and 60s they did nothing but anthology television series: such as Playhouse 90 - where they adapted plays for television. That was period where some of the best anthology series premiered - Playhouse 90 (my mother adored it - that's how I know about it), Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and Night Gallery. Rod Serling hosted Twilight Zone and Night Gallery.
And Alfred Hitchcock did Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the character of Ellery Queen did Ellery Queen Theater or Mysteries. Each was its own stand alone little play, completely unconnected to the rest.

I looked up the definition. Apparently there is one - for television criticism.

"A "stealth anthology" is a series that functions as an anthology but presents itself to the audience as a traditional serial drama with continuing characters and story arcs
. The anthology format is hidden, or "in stealth mode," for a portion of the show's run.
The term gained prominence in pop culture criticism to describe shows that subvert audience expectations by featuring a new story or set of characters in each episode or season, despite having a continuous element that keeps viewers engaged.
A prominent example is the television show Quantum Leap, where a time-traveler jumps into a different person's life each episode. While the time-traveler and his holographic guide are continuous characters, the central story of each episode (the person's life they inhabit) and the supporting cast are always new.
How a stealth anthology works

The framing device: A consistent character or small cast provides continuity from one story to the next.
The new cast: Each new installment features a fresh set of characters and a self-contained plot that resolves by the end of the episode or season.
The audience hook: The continuous framing device pulls the audience along, even if they aren't invested in a particular week's story, allowing the show to explore many different genres and premises.
The genre shift: By essentially doing a different show each week, a stealth anthology can seamlessly move between genres like hard-boiled detective fiction, domestic comedy, musical theater, and science fiction. "

This also describes Pokerface, and Murder She Wrote and Fantasy Island. Anything with a traveling problem solver, drifter or detective.

" Critics Pick Their Favorite Anthology Series of All Time
Aug 20, 2019 — How are we defining “anthology,” exactly? A show that tells a new story with new characters each season? In that case, it's probably “Fargo,” even though I had ..."

So yes, on Doctor Who. Other examples are Fargo, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and True Detective. Where each season is a completely different story with brand new characters. Kind of similar to Doctor Who - where each regeneration of the Doctor is a new series with new characters or new people playing them.

Edited 2025-09-05 01:59 (UTC)

iirc (and I haven't watched S4 yet) it's all animated? Some of the styles are pretty hyperrealistic though. There's some variety in quality/taste ofc but on the whole I think it's very well done! My favorite animation style from the show is in "Zima Blue" from S1.

I don't see how Quantum Leap is any different to Stargate when they go through a gate, or Star Trek where they go to another planet.

but thanks for so thouroughly trying to prove me wrong I guess.

I'm not trying to prove you wrong? Sorry it came across that way? I'm just trying to figure out what stealth anthology means? And episodic shows like Star Gate, Star Trek, CSI, Law & Order, etc - don't make sense to me? They all have the same lead characters, and it's just a new case each week, or new local, but the characters really don't change at all nor does the story really - it's just the problem they are resolving that changes?

I'm a professional wordsmith? So this sort of thing sticks in my brain possibly more than most? But I think of anthology as short stories? Episodic as series of mystery novels and stealth anthology as a series of novellas?

I think that "stealth anthology" is something that appears to be a serial but is in reality an anthology like "American Horror Story", "Fargo", True Detective and maybe Doctor Who? Each year the location, the setting, and the characters are new. They may have the same actors (in the case of American Horror Story), or one of the same characters (but a different actor playing it) - in the case of Doctor Who.

I'm not sure about Quantum Leap or Poker Face - because it really doesn't change that much, we still have the lead characters solving a puzzle each week? But it appears that what it means - is that it's only one lead, and everything else changes but that one person, as opposed to Star Trek and Star Gate - where everyone else stays the same, and it's just the location and supporting characters/problem that changes?

And Star Gate is just a group of the same characters solving a problem each week in a different local? But we don't get a whole new group of "lead" characters each week? While with Quantum Leap - he's in a new person each week, and we get a whole new group of lead characters each week. The difference between anthology and episodic - I think (I may be wrong) - is that the majority of the characters in the anthology change either each week or each year.

That definitely makes sense

I definitely need to check it out. I love animation.

TV Tuesday: New Faces

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