Should Television Shows And Movies Share The Same Universe?

Should television shows and movies share the same universe? Another way of phrasing that question would be, should television and movies crossover or be linked? It is a hotly contested subject between fans. This topic mostly deals with superhero shows and movies, so I’ll focus on those.

Marvel currently has one television show and it does exist in the same realm as their movies. I am talking about Agents of SHIELD. DC currently has four shows and they do not exist in the same realm as their movies. They are Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, and Constantine.

While I understand falling in love with a show or an actor’s portrayal of a character, shared universes present some problems:

Acting Ability and Quality: For the most part movie actors are better at their craft than television actors. The same goes for production. Movies have a much bigger budget than television shows, so their production value is vastly superior. Especially when compared to network television. There are some exceptions to the rule, but there is a reason movie actors and directors are paid more than television actors and directors. It would be hard to have a shared universe, because the television actor could potentially be outclassed during a movie. It would make them look bad and hurt both the television show and movie product. It would also be difficult to persuade “A-list” actors to do television episodes. Agents of Shield hasn’t had Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, etc.

Continuity and Schedule: There are a lot more television episodes than movie installments. A television show can go through two to three seasons before a movie releases. That is a lot of episodes. It could create continuity issues within the shared universe and end up hurting the show and movie. It also uses up potential characters and plot lines that a movie may want to touch on. Think about all the villains Arrow and Flash have already defeated. Due to actor’s schedules it would also be difficult to arrange a time when the television actors and movie actors are both available to film a new movie.

Fan Confusion: One complaint about Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is why certain characters don’t show up in different movies to help out other super heroes. Imagine if that complaint was doubled. Why didn’t a movie character appear in the show to help? Why didn’t a television character appear in a movie to help? It would create confusion for the common fan. Hardcore fans may be able to rationalize plot holes, but run-of-the-mill fans can’t. It’s important to remember hardcore fans are not the majority. They are the minority.

So there are some reasons why television shows and movies should not share the same universe. I would love it if they did, but objectively thinking, they cannot. There are additional arguments against a shared universe, but I didn’t want to make this too long.