The current model of filmmaking doesn't fucking work

Over the course of the most recent years, there have been two types of shows:
>Shows with complex, over the top storylines that regularly arc and intersect with each other, yet are cancelled during the middle of the climax, forcing a consolation ending (Legends though to be fair they ruined it by putting the twist in the very first episode instead of placing it in the finale Hannibal, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow killing the sheboon was a mistake, but using that character in the first place was a bigger one, and to a degree, The Walking Dead when you consider what happened backstage)

Shows are getting cancelled before their time with hackneyed endings that don't make the slightest amount of sense (hell, with shows like 24 the whole second half of Season 8 was a soft retcon on everything that had been building up since S4), whilst films are either not getting the sequels they deserve or getting sequels that nobody wants.

Way I see it, things should be more like the old days where you have to work your way up by directing adverts, direct a handful of small-scale pictures and crack your way into the big time, by which point you can ask for essentially unlimited funding. From there, in my ideal world, you'd get a three-strikes rule, wherein you make 3 bombs in a row the studio doesn't want to hear from you anymore, regardless of your talent or connections.

Similarly, shows should be reserved in advance (e.g. 5 season contract, anything more would have to be renegotiated after the conclusion of the fourth season) and even if a channel cancels it, they should still be able to continue with production, sending them straight-to-DVD instead, or hell, even releasing them theatrically like they used to with serials a long time ago.

Thoughts?

...

That will never happen. What if the audience dies off in the 2nd season? The studio is now forced to fund another 3 seasons of schlock and either air them, losing more money, or put them in the bargain bin in stores, which will never recoup costs.

Anyways, if the story is good, it will be concluded properly as the studio wants to milk it for money. Name a single example of a show that ended on a cliffhanger with high ratings and love from fans.

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
The Zeta Project
Samurai Jack (in its moment)

Crash incoming. Good for the business.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
When it ended it was highly rated, and was/is loved.
It also ended on a cliffhanger.

Sliders
Quantum Leap
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Enterprise

Nearly any and all FOX shows for the last 20 years

Forever
TerraNova

I can list more…
Also, first time poster, long time lurker.

The problem here is that the shows don't have storylines anymore. There is a starting point, but there is no ending point, nobody wants to go anywhere, just blurt out more and more seasons.

Just think about Babylon 5! Straczynski knew the starting point and he knew where he wanted to get in the end. If I remember correctly, they wanted to put the show down after 4 seasons, but he said he needs one more to end it. And he did it.

Legend of the Rangers was utter shit because it had no real purpose, it had no start and no ending. It just was. And series nowadays are all like this.

Who do you know of that has immediately gone into directing a big budget project? Most filmmakers have to start with microbudget short films to even get a look in. And the current model of filmmaking doesn't work for you, the audience, it works just fine for the studios.

The idea of having to have 5 series of 13-23 episodes as a baseline is so American. The Office ran for two series of 14 episodes, just enough to tell the story it needed to and wrap up everything neatly. Compare with The Office US, a bloated nine series of 201 episodes. In the U.K, to have a series of six to ten episodes is standard and it means that shows have to get to the fucking point which is good. The problem isn't that there's not enough time to tell the stories, it's that the stories are too long and producers play brinkmanship with getting renewed without wrapping up plot points.

Studios not allowing shows to continue elsewhere (even as direct to DVD or on SyFy or some shit) is greedy though, as in nearly all cases they never intend to do anything with the rights to it.

I see the American movie industry as being similar to the American video game industry during the 80's.
Everybody is copying each other, there's extreme over-saturation, everything is the same and everybody wants a piece of the pie.
I reckon in a few years the same thing will happen to movies that happened to video games, there will be consumer fatigue which will lead to a huge decline in the market followed by a renaissance in quality as new studios move in, similar to how Atari and Coleco were replaced by Nintendo and Sega.

Obviously your draconian regulation will (& should) never happen, but I think you already know that. Your model is a bit simple too, cop procedurals for example are thoroughly episodic for the most part, but also have seasonal or even longer term plot lines. I think the most soluble problem here is shows being dragged out way past their natural end, because they get good ratings. Hannibal felt rather like this, despite the 7 series plan that we were all assured was there. Presumably it was a very loose plan, or perhaps an outright lie. Kinoisseurs like yourself should be more active in criticising studios (specifically studios, not show runners, because it's ultimately the studio's decision) who maintain zombie programs for years after their natural death.