I'll add one more reason -- TV shows often require you to pay attention to every word now.
Thirty years ago, if you missed a line of dialog, it wasn't usually a big deal.
Now if you're watching Westworld? If you misunderstand a single line that might be the entire difference between "solving" the episode or not.
TV has gone from a "casual" experience you can tune in and out of, to a kind of literary-precision experience that demands your undivided attention, for many shows. CC makes sure you understand every word, which just wasn't usually that important previously.
I’ve had the same experience. Watching shows like that with the captions on makes me realize how much I miss with them off.
I’ve had a few instances where I didn’t “get” what had happened; I thought maybe it was just over my head. Turns out, I just missed some key dialogue is all.
Agreed. There's still older shows, or even new simple "popcorn-flick" movies that I can watch without subtitles just fine, because of a simpler plot line and cast of characters.
For example, compare a show like Lost against Westworld. With Lost each scene was so drawn out, that even if you missed a line, you'd be able to figure out what's going on from the general context.
Thirty years ago, if you missed a line of dialog, it wasn't usually a big deal.
Now if you're watching Westworld? If you misunderstand a single line that might be the entire difference between "solving" the episode or not.
TV has gone from a "casual" experience you can tune in and out of, to a kind of literary-precision experience that demands your undivided attention, for many shows. CC makes sure you understand every word, which just wasn't usually that important previously.