'Background TV' is booming

Actor, writer and director Justine Bateman calls it "visual Muzak." Others describe it as "background TV." Whatever the label, it's popular.

Nearly half of the top 10 streaming shows in June were shows that originated somewhere else (usually traditional TV) and are now licensed by a streaming platform. The popular shows in June were "Suits," "S.W.A.T.," "Grey's Anatomy" and "NCIS."

Streamers use the term "second-screen content," aka the kind of shows you pick when you're tired or distracted by your phone — or your kids or that sinkful of dishes or pile of laundry.

"Law & Order" is high-quality background TV. It's formulaic, but that's a feature, not a bug. The writing is just novel enough to provide variety and unpredictability within a predictable structure. There can be something comforting and reassuring about that structure.

There no doubt are executives who talk about this kind of programming in the most cynical, creative-sapping terms. But that doesn't mean this type of show is inherently bad, or has no value or appeal.

With streaming originals, episodes aren't meant to stand on their own, as a complete story. But that's really the key to background TV: You don't necessarily need to keep up with a show's ongoing lore to understand what you're watching. You can dip in and dip out at your convenience, and there are distinct pleasures to be had when a show doesn't have the specter of homework about it.

For now, there's "Suits," which arrived on Netflix in June and set a viewing record for an acquired series on the streaming platform.

A winking drama about corporate and legal sharks maneuvering for power, "Suits" is great to look at. Everyone is beautiful and dressed impeccably, with Brioni suits and body-con dresses as far as the eye can see. The offices are a wonder of glass and blond wood and clean lines. And the writing doesn't take itself too seriously. The format is light but gives the illusion of complexity.

The history of TV is, to an extent, the history of various genres and styles of entertainment going in and out of fashion. But I suspect there will always be a demand for background TV.

Life is hard. It's OK, sometimes, for TV to be easy.