TV shows still incorporate all the technical aspects that a film would. The cinematography, the lighting, the acting, it is all there. What they do is have larger than life characters which the viewers feel that they can connect with, but what they really need is a hook. Romantic comedies are driven by constant question of whether or not the couple will get together in the end, much like screwball comedy movies but drawn out over a longer time frame. Mystery series will often have a bad guy that reoccurs over several episodes so the viewer feels the need to find out what happens. Frequently in order to keep the viewer interested the shows become more risque and push social boundaries. I feel this is why usually TV shows past the first three or so season are not good anymore. They start with a good storyline and premise and then the episodes get crazier and crazier as the editors try and one up the previous episodes.
One TV show that I think is particularly good at capturing the viewers attention is CSI. The episodes are slightly longer than the normal shows, running around 45 mins. I like them because the main focus of the show is solving a mystery and not the social relationships of the CSI members. In this respect it is more like a mini detective movie over a soap opera. However, I freely admit that the story lines get fairly repetitive and that it is not really something that one would watch more than once. I do feel that music choices for the series is really good and helps draw the viewer into the movie. It is also quicker and less mentally taxing to see a an episode of CSI than to see a full length movie with intense social commentary. Both movies and TV show have their uses and it is just what the viewer wants to get out of the experiance which one is "better."
