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A limited series format could also free networks and studios from the awkward burden of having to cancel a regular series after just one season. Back in October, Netflix caught heat for axing a bevy of shows, most of which were led by women, people of color, or LGBTQ+ focused. Many decry early cancellations as not giving shows enough time to build an audience. But not all premises are necessarily worth the investment of multiple seasons. Streaming services have already pared down the average number of episodes to which networks were once beholden (between 20-22) in order to fill a nine-month season. So maybe it’s time to narrow the scope even further by rethinking what a limited series can do. … [Read more...] about Hollywood is redefining Peak TV—for better and for worse

“With an RNA vaccine, it’s very easy to switch,” says Drew Weissman, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania whose early research helped make mRNA vaccines possible. The vaccines contain the genetic instructions for cells in the body to make the spike protein, the part of the virus that invades human cells, helping trigger an immune response so the body is ready to respond if it encounters the actual virus. (Other vaccines, like the one from Johnson & Johnson that is likely to be approved soon, would also be fairly simple to update, though the process would take a few more steps—and thus more time—than the new shots that use mRNA.) … [Read more...] about How easy will it be to update the COVID vaccine if the virus mutates too much?