I love anthology television series. This is a format that seems to have been left by the wayside, but I wish it would come back. An anthology series would usually belong to a genre (science fiction, horror, and Western were especially popular), and each week's episode would be an independent story with a cast just for that episode. Most anthology series were essentially all guest star affairs. It is a type of programming that lends itself well to adapting short stories, or giving new writers and actors a break.
I think the best argument I could make for bringing back anthology series is, strangely enough, the sense of unevenness they seem to always carry. When I look back at The Twilight Zone, Science Fiction Theater, Thriller, or Death Valley Days, they were all shows were some episodes were great, some were okay, and usually a few were pretty bad. But they were shows worth watching every week because of that promise that the next episode might be one of the great ones. I did not have to tag along with characters I did not find interesting--or try to puzzle out a plot that was too convoluted--because nothing in the narrative carried over. Granted, this also meant I could not pick a favorite recurring character (unless Rod Serling himself counts), and maybe this is part of why anthology TV seems not to get made any more. But assuming I liked the overall genre of a show and its general tone, I always had a reason to watch another episode. Even as syndicated shows, I still love to watch anthology TV, and I find I am more likely to sit through an entire run of something like Thriller on DVD, where the mediocre crime episodes surround the horror gems.
Two valiant, if not entirely successful, horror programs in this format did appear relatively recently--Masters of Horror and Fear Itself. Each had its moments, but sadly did not stick around. I keep hoping for an anthology hit, a Twilight Zone for the 2010s.
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