American “Post-soap Opera” – A New Generation of TV Series not Only on Television

The purpose of this article is to analyze the cultural phenomenon of new generation TV series, called „post-soap operas”. They have changed the entire formula of TV series as a genre, e.g. the way they are watched and distributed. „Post-soap operas” constitute also the main factor of the so called „collective intelligence”. In the article a new genre of TV series has been examined through the examples of two popular shows: Lost and Fringe. J.J. Abrams – the main producer of those series – is considered a visionary and genius by many. His products are perceived as the quintessence of „post-soap operas”. Popular TV series become international blockbusters and are distributed legally through television and DVD and illegally by the Internet. This phenomenon occurs also in our country – Polish subtitles for episodes of popular TV series appear on the Internet in less than 24 hours after they have been aired on American television. Internet is full of websites created by fans and TV producers aimed at sharing information and files. They also works as a opinion sharing platforms used for discussions about favorite TV shows.