There are TV shows both fictional and non-fictional which run for a long time, say in some cases several years. Such shows have to keep its loyal audience intact and attract new audience as it goes along. This is stickiness of content. If the show falters while doing so it becomes unsticky. A lot of time  is devoted to developing characters to drive stickiness. Storytelling should be good too. Refreshing the content regularly is a key. The fundamentals are kept the same, and the execution keeps changing. The element of audience fatigue makes this challenging. A spike can be effected by taking a time leap, or by killing a popular character or by introducing an important new character. Spikes are instruments to enhance a story. However, there should not be over-reliance on these as they may damage a story as well.

Nonfiction shows run over seasons. There are innovations in terms of the host, tasks, contestants and audience engagement. However, here stickiness is not so easy. The shows take seasonal breaks, get consumer insights, and refresh the format.There has to be a balance between the old and new format.

Stickiness is the business of content curation. It is a continuous process. Audience feedback helps. If the foundation is strong, there is scope for experimentation making the show sustainable for a longer the show duration.

These days shows are wrapped up very fast.