I was going to make a point here about it being ok to occasionally churn out some uncomplicated slop because it helps fund more interesting projects, that was until i looked up the maker of Friends and found NBC pretty much only make that kind of stuff.
NBC and Nintendo, no evolution or original thought. Just copy paste it to the masses because its all the seem to want anyway based on this thread.
Maybe im wrong for demanding more....
Things can be challenging, easy, predictable, and trite and still be good. Garfield/Tetris/KFC is fine. There's not shame in enjoying it, and there's certainly no shame in working on it (or selling it).
Evolution and original stuff are amazing and we should want them to exist. To be disappointed because we also have stuff that isn't like that is to turn a blind eye to what makes up a lot of our life.
You’re not wrong for wanting it. But you are wrong for expecting that every studio should only ever release completely original content.
The reality is that there is room for studios to release original content AND sequels.
For every Star Wars and Marvel rehash there is a Big Hero 6, Elementals, and Zootopia.
And for every Nintendo there are a dozen indie games studios releasing creative new games.
The key to avoiding rehashes is literally just to avoid them. ;)
Who are the millions of people who watch, for the 20th time in their life, how Character A does something unrealistically stupid, ends up in an awkward situation, and then spend the rest of the episode being continuously teased over it by other characters, because they're all written to be slightly stupid and low-key assholes.
This is not to criticize sitcoms and reality shows (and people watching them) here, but rather to point out that the same phenomenon you described also manifests with vastly more popular forms of entertainment, so there must be something to enjoying the experience beyond sheer originality.