For decades I have watched TV programs, Movies and anime. Not reality TV shows, I have my own Reality Show.
Anyway, over the decades the plot or story line are the same, there are a few that baffle me when I first watch them.
Game of Thrones is a classic example in the first season, the protagonist (viewers think) gets his head cut off... dramatic and anyone watching remembers it... a classic now. (King Jofry poisoning was to easy to read, however the culprit wasn't).
There is a Bruce Willis movie where he is helping a young boy to cope with seeing dead people (forgot name of the movie) and trying to protect him, however, he did not realize that he was dead and appearing and talking to the boy (Bruce was a Psychologist ... think Child Therapist). Now I did not see that coming in that movie until the end.
Now... since I have aged, watched a lot of junk / good programs, movies and anime, my senses are dulled to new programs / movies & anime.
I can not talk about what others think/want to entertain them, however I believe we have become complacent as we have gotten older and watch too much.
Once you taste food made by a chef that knows what he is doing it's hard to go back to prison slop. It becomes night and day when you watch a great movie as opposed to mediocrity. There are people who have a very low bar and never tasted exceptional movies. I wouldn't call it complacent I would call it poor taste buds or pure ignorance. I either have to dig up an old classic or rewatch something rather than forcing myself watching unimaginative woke shit they spit out these days.