> ...you couldn't really rely that everyone had seen all the episodes; who can always be at home at a given date and time? People got lives to lead.
> In 1983 Babylon 5 would have been a non-starter, simply because few people would be able to watch all of it
This is an incorrect assessment of 80s US culture. TV was more central to the populace, pre-VCR than you seem to imply. The majority of people religiously watched episodes of news broadcasts, game shows, and soaps (not just daytime), or whatever favorite content they engaged in. There was an arc to most shows, albeit sometimes more pronounced than others. The reasons B5 would not have succeeded would more likely be the limitations of technology, the niche interest in scifi[1], and the uncomfortable moral ambiguity at a prominent point in the cold war.
[1] Out of this world, Small Wonder, and Alf managed 4 seasons each, Greatest American Hero 3. These were all relatively small budget shows.
Of the show categories you mentioned, they don't exactly support your argument.
News has little rewatch-ability, and partially recaps what's going on, in case you're just joining. Game shows almost never have long-running arcs, and even if you had a repeat contestant, it's not necessary to watch a previous episode to enjoy their performance in the current one.
Soaps DO have long-running plot arcs, but are notably aired in the middle of the day, and aimed at housewives and retirees, who are MUCH better situated than the average person to follow a show regularly.
A better comparison would have been Twin Peaks, which also had long-running plots. People made a point to watch it, but it was much shorter and thus easier to commit to. It was also national water-cooler conversation because it was one of the most unusual things ever aired on TV before then.
I definitely agree about the special effects; it looked much worse than Star Trek:tNG, which started airing 6 years earlier. I also agree that the moral ambiguity was discomfiting at the time, and that sci-fi faces hurdles to mass popularity. I personally think B5 also suffered from a slow first season, and a lack of top-tier actors (like say, Patrick Stewart or Edward James Olmos).
> at a prominent point in the cold war
The Cold War might have been an influence on Straczysnki's writing, but technically, it had been over for at least a year (USSR dissolved in Dec 1991) by the time B5 aired (Feb 1993).
Notably, soap operas are designed so that missed episode does not matter. The events happen slowly. Every important plot point is discussed by characters again and again and again, so that if catch up easily.
Soap operas are designed so that stay at home mom can change the diapers, feed the kid or console it. They are designed so that receptionist or sales assistant can handle customer and return to watching without feeling a loss.
> The Cold War might have been an influence on Straczysnki's writing, but technically, it had been over for at least a year (USSR dissolved in Dec 1991) by the time B5 aired (Feb 1993).
The discussion is around if B5 was broadcast during the 80s, which makes it relevant, imo.
> In 1983 Babylon 5 would have been a non-starter, simply because few people would be able to watch all of it
This is an incorrect assessment of 80s US culture. TV was more central to the populace, pre-VCR than you seem to imply. The majority of people religiously watched episodes of news broadcasts, game shows, and soaps (not just daytime), or whatever favorite content they engaged in. There was an arc to most shows, albeit sometimes more pronounced than others. The reasons B5 would not have succeeded would more likely be the limitations of technology, the niche interest in scifi[1], and the uncomfortable moral ambiguity at a prominent point in the cold war.
[1] Out of this world, Small Wonder, and Alf managed 4 seasons each, Greatest American Hero 3. These were all relatively small budget shows.