Birds are not free, they are chained to the sky or if Bob Dylan would've had television time he would've said " there is nothing on"

When Dwight D. Eisenhower instituted the interstate freeway program, it set in motion a 20 year cycle of growth. The automobile transformed the way we lived and moved. Once the transportation issue was mitigated, people could live away from congested cities and goods could efficiently removed beyond railway hubs.

Television has all the tools in place for a similar evolution. With more efficient and simpler to use recording devices, when shows  are broadcast is no longer an issue.

With the plethora of  cable channels either rerunning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the neo-goth Gilligan's Island of its day, or awaiting the time when they can unleash a tsunami of CSI shows into syndication… A breath of fresh air is more than needed.

The answer  is to revisit “Roots” and the "Thorn Birds". At one point miniseries dominated television.… And like bunt cakes they can return again to rule the roost.

Limit the length to 12 hours.  Produce 3 to 6  120 minute shows and distribute them even during marathon form as reruns or weekly/daily drips.  If you miss one, TiVo and watch it when you want.

If it is remotely interesting, six hours leaves people wanting more… And if it's boring after a couple hours… Prepare the remote for hyper clicking.

Computer-generated imaging has come down in price, so the production costs are reasonable.  Any number of novels or biographical stories that are too big for a movie and two small to be dragged out into serious form. YouTube proves there are enough creative people to storm the studio walls and have our own Egyptian moment.

Let the production companies buy the time premieres, so the network is indemnified against risk. For reruns, the network can either lease or by the episodes from the production company. The public broadcasting model, of limited corporate sponsorship could be applied to this format. Commercial time could be available on informational shows between series.

Television needs to adapt to the technology that is available today. It is not 1958,  the consumer is not limited to three or four channels. Quality works every time it is tried. There are answers beyond brooding teenagers lamenting the fact they have to kill demons, when their attention should be focused on toppings and zits.