filler
noun
creative material (as a movie, song, or episode) which serves to extend or lengthen the series or form
What does filler mean?
Filler refers to a piece of entertainment media (as a movie in a franchise, TV episode, or song) used to fill extra space or to reach a standard, full-length runtime (as for an album, scheduled radio program, or TV season). Filler is often considered unsubstantial within a collection of related works.
Examples of filler
The best way to define filler, for those who wish to bother with the word, is “songs you skip every time.”
—Stephen Thompson, NPR, 13 June 2014
But even if the previous gala hadn’t happened so recently, last night’s show was still a subdued affair, a filler episode that struggled to deliver something fresh—until the very end.
—Many have called Dead Man’s Chest a filler movie that complements the trilogy ending rather than being an independent second movie.
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Where does filler come from?
The word filler has been used to refer to many things that fill since the 15th century, including material used to fill extra space in a column or page of a written work (such as a newspaper or magazine). Usage referring to visual or auditory media likely emerged around the 1950s-70s with the phrases “a filler track” and “filler episode.”
“Last Dance” is a less than two-minute acoustic filler track in which [Paul] Roberts’ vocals are delivered in a Dylanesque spoken word fashion with sparse instrumentation.
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The term was also picked up in the late 90s by fans/creators of Japanese anime, who used it to refer to less important, “padding” episodes focusing on background information, side stories, or character development in order to buy time for the producers to write more material.
“I’ll bet the studio was running behind schedule and they needed a quick filler episode.”
—Genesis 0:7 is an interesting volume in that it contains the final Angel combat filler episode in the series, 13, as well as the beginning of the true drama in Episode 14.
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How is filler used?
Filler is often used attributively (like an adjective) to describe such episodes, musical tracks, or scenes. Some people may use filler disapprovingly, as they consider fillers to be slower-paced, lower-quality, and even skippable. Others, however, may welcome fillers as light-hearted, comedic interludes that set up more climatic or serious narrative arcs.
Before plunging into the long, action-packed, and dreary war arc, the series focused on an extensive filler arc that is light-hearted and fun.
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When not used attributively, filler is most often encountered as a noncount noun:
How many albums have a couple of hot songs and an hour of filler?
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In other words, “that song is filler” and “those songs are filler” are both correct; filler can refer to a single thing or multiple things considered extraneous, superfluous, etc.
Filler can, however, also be used as a count noun.
... a filler meant to wrap up the first season.
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