Why TV Can't Tell Stories Chronologically | Plotlines

Flashbacks and non-linear storytelling are everywhere on TV these days. Why are writers so reliant on it, and is there a better way to tell stories? Take your learning further with these "while viewing" and discussion questions from ‪@PBSLearningMediaORG‬ : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m... Plotlines is a series that explores storytelling trends and tropes in literature and beyond. Each episode will break down literary traditions and classic works to show how they impact modern culture, and examines how different types of storytelling media influence our thought processes and shape our world. Host: Jananie K. Velu Creator/Director: Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham Writer: Andrew Matthews Producer: Katie Graham Editor/Animation: Andrew Matthews Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy Illustrations: Vijendra Singh Shot on location at Alienated Majesty Books in Austin, TX Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Stock Images from Shutterstock Music from APM Music Plotlines is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. © 2026 PBS. All rights reserved. reading list: The Odyssey by Homer Frankenstein by Mary Shelley In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust Hamlet by William Shakespeare A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Beloved by Toni Morrison Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen