And if you can’t look away, you’re watching an Eyecon. Have you watched an Eyecon Show recently? Which frame is currently burned into your memory?
While not yet an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, "Eyecon Show" is rapidly becoming the industry’s shorthand for a specific, coveted tier of production. It describes a performance or series so visually dominant, so aesthetically cohesive, and so rich in iconic imagery that it transcends traditional storytelling to become a permanent fixture in the cultural retina. eyecon show
Netflix, HBO, and Apple TV+ are now aggressively greenlighting shows with high "Eyecon potential"—hiring music video directors (Sam Levinson, Hiro Murai) and fashion photographers to run series, because they understand that The Critic’s Caveat Of course, not everyone is a fan of the trend. Some critics argue that the rise of the Eyecon Show prioritizes style over substance. They point to shows that are "visually arresting but narratively hollow"—beautiful frames that, upon closer inspection, contain no emotional truth. The danger of the Eyecon Show is the "empty cathedral": a stunning building with nothing holy inside. And if you can’t look away, you’re watching an Eyecon