Lisa Hamilton Daly on Understanding TV Viewer ‘Need States’

Netflix spends over $17 billion annually on content yet struggles with subscriber churn, while cozy dramas like “Virgin River” consistently outperform more expensive, high-concept shows. What explains this counterintuitive success? The answer lies not in demographics, but in emotions.

Television programming has traditionally targeted viewers through demographic models: age brackets, zip codes, and income levels. However, some television executives have begun exploring different approaches. Among them is Lisa Hamilton Daly, who worked on streaming hits like “Virgin River” and “Firefly Lane.” Rather than asking who watches, Daly focuses on why they watch and what emotional experience they seek in that moment.

This psychological framework, what Daly calls viewer “need states,” explains patterns demographics cannot: why viewers might binge a violent thriller on Friday night but seek out a heartwarming small-town drama on Sunday afternoon. The concept centers on emotional requirements that drive viewing decisions.

Discover tastes unseen

“As a viewer, I have a very wide range of viewing tastes. I’m not only looking for one kind of show,” Daly explains. “I watch everything. So I will watch horror, I will watch comedy, I will watch thrillers, I’ll watch whatever. But I think it’s about a need state.”

She further clarifies: “Sometimes you just want to sit down and be bathed in female friendship or something like that. You want a softer moment.”

From Academic Theory to Industry Practice

The concept of emotional needs driving viewing preferences stems from both academic research and industry experience. Lisa Hamilton Daly’s background includes doctoral research analyzing women’s fiction, which provided insights into emotional storytelling, knowledge applicable to television development.

“I want to make really high-quality things that speak to women where they are,” she says. “There are just different need states for different people. I think ‘Virgin River,’ ‘Sweet Magnolias,’ ‘The Way Home’ speak to women’s need for community.”

This focus on emotional resonance can explain why certain shows succeed beyond their presumed demographic boundaries. Though initially positioned for female viewers, series like Virgin River attracted broader audiences seeking specific emotional experiences: community connection, romantic optimism, and relatable personal challenges.

Beyond the screen

Traditional television networks primarily targeted the 18-34 demographic due to advertising priorities. However, streaming platforms operate under completely different economic principles.

“Unlike traditional network television, where the valuable viewers are 18 to 34, it doesn’t matter on a streamer, you want everybody,” Daly explains. This fundamental shift creates opportunities for content executives to develop programming previously rejected due to demographic considerations.

The ratings success of shows like “Virgin River” suggests viewers across demographic categories respond to content addressing specific emotional needs.

Capture the unseen magic

“I think these shows are all about finding community and finding family and finding love, and they do it in different ways and tell different kinds of stories,” says Daly.

Cultural Context and Viewer Emotions

The relevance of viewer need states becomes particularly acute during times of cultural and social upheaval. External circumstances significantly influence the emotional experiences viewers seek from entertainment.

“We’re in a really weird political moment right now,” Lisa Hamilton Daly says. “Is it your escapism? Do we want to pretend that we’re not living in this moment right now? Or do we want to watch shows that are about people who fight back?”

This tension between providing comfort through escapism versus addressing current realities through challenging material shapes content development throughout the industry. Television executives must anticipate not just what audiences want currently, but what emotional experiences they’ll seek months or years later when shows finally premiere.

Uncover what lies ahead

“You’re putting content out into the world and you really have no idea what people are going to respond or not respond to in a given minute,” Daly notes. “A lot of shows just don’t make it. They’re too niche or they hit at a moment where whatever thing you thought two years ago when you bought the show was going to really feel relevant is somehow no longer relevant in the moment you released.”

Balancing Data with Intuition

The need-state approach combines research data with creative intuition to identify which emotional factors might drive future viewing decisions. Given that television content typically takes 1-3 years from concept to screen, executives must predict audience emotional requirements well in advance.

“I listen to my instinct a lot,” Lisa Hamilton Daly says. “I know there are programmers who are more based on algorithms, and I find that all of those are helpful tools, but they don’t replace a good gut instinct.”

Experience and pattern recognition acquired over years in the industry play crucial roles: “I’ve read widely, I’ve read tons of scripts, I’ve watched tons of things, and I sort of know what works and what doesn’t work. So your instinct is formed not just by some ineffable thing inside you, but it’s also formed by wide experience.”

Discover hidden depths

Additionally, viewers seek different emotional experiences depending on their circumstances and moment-to-moment needs. This understanding has guided her approach to developing shows like Sweet Magnolias, which addresses specific emotional requirements for viewers.

“With so many awful things going on in the world, people want to find refuge and calm, they want a happy ending, and they want to be connected emotionally in a positive way,” Daly says.

Moving Beyond Demographics

The focus on emotional need states rather than traditional demographics offers a different lens for television content development. Recognizing that viewers make choices based on emotional requirements that transcend age brackets or geographic location provides an alternative to conventional programming approaches.

As streaming platforms continue to compete for subscriber attention and traditional ratings metrics become less relevant, psychological understanding of audience motivation grows increasingly valuable. Shows like “Virgin River” suggest that content addressing fundamental emotional needs can find surprisingly broad audiences across presumed demographic divides.

“I think good storytelling that comes from really talented people will always continue to find a home,” Lisa Hamilton Daly observes when discussing industry trends. This perspective, informed by her work transforming television through female-centric storytelling, emphasizes that despite technological advancements and changing distribution models, the fundamental elements of compelling storytelling remain constant.

Ignite viewer connections

The challenge for television executives isn’t just predicting what viewers want to watch, it’s understanding what they need to feel. In an era of nearly limitless content options, emotional intelligence could be what distinguishes successful programming from shows that fail to connect.