One of the three ingredients for making a hit is familiarity (along with freshness and distribution). A full discussion of the concept is available here, and embedded benchmarks baked into the fabric of a show are a charming way to create familiarity while surprising your audience.
Before going into the details, let’s establish an understanding of terms. For many, the word benchmark is used interchangeably with features, but there is a difference. Benchmarks are anticipated things the audience comes to expect, like a catchphrase or predictable event. For example, on Family Matters, you just waited for Urkle to say, “Did I do that?” on almost every episode. On Brooklyn 99, Sergeant Terry Jeffords refers to himself in the third person at least once an episode. It’s not content, per se, but it’s baked into the content.
A feature is something you do regularly that contains entertainment. It’s SNL’s Weekend Update, Letterman’s classic Top 10 List, etc.
With that out of the way, embedded benchmarks are valuable because they increase familiarity.
