Prime-time genre television programming – sitcoms, dramas, and reality shows – have traditionally given their viewers a sense of community by creating a shared viewing experience. This community depended on each fan watching at a scheduled time, missing their show at the risk of spoiling the plot or being left out of the next day's conversation. Today, the trend of publishing TV shows on dedicated websites makes them available to watch online at any time. Presenting a challenge to the traditional real-time viewing format, this trend led some early adopters of the online format to predict the end of television (Lotz, 2009) existing independently of a computer screen. If this prediction is true, it would mean a significant change in the way many individuals receive entertainment and how even a casual fan interacts with others in their community. I argue that instead of eradicating television, making television shows available online will strengthen viewer loyalty. By allowing a potential fan to catch up on past seasons of a show while continuing the communal routine of prime-time television, this blend of technology creates a symbiotic relationship between traditional and online viewing. The desire to visualize future televisions as large computer screens, with shows posted directly to a website for consumption at any time (Katz, 2009), is exciting. Indeed, a study by the Pew Research Center shows that in 2009, 8% of Americans connected their computer to their television to be able to watch online shows on a television screen (Purcell, 2010). But imagining a purely computer-driven viewing platform doesn't take into account the bonding experience Americans have created while watching certain TV shows... middle of paper ... the end of television as than media. Instead, it offers shows the opportunity to reach new, more deeply engaged groups of viewers. The new online fan base, drawn to TV shows because of the communities that form around the storylines, could force television to evolve even further, creating a new mix of technologies encompassing online and traditional viewing. Works Cited Katz, E. (2009). The end of television? The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 625(01), 6-18.Lotz, A. (2009). What is American television today? The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 625(01), 49-59.Purcell, K. (2010). Online video status. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. The Nielsen Company. (2010). Report on Three Screens: Television, Internet and Mobile Use in the United States No. 8. New York, NY: Author.