Is there a term to describe this plot characteristic?

Question

I've watched shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Spongebob, etc. wherein each episode feels somewhat disconnected. In shows like Arrow, The Flash, and others, each episode builds up to a series finale, and changes made in one episode are often permanent and relevant. However, in in shows like Spongebob, the titular character and his friends can all be blown up in one episode, but they never mention it (nor show evidence of it) in any future episodes. If Gary died in one episode, he would still be a main character after that episode. So again, what is it called when a show's episodes are not on one continuous timeline, and changes rarely stick?

Answer 1

Another terminology you hear a lot is anthology vs. serial.

Answer 2

What you're describing here is the difference between a show being character based vs. plot based. This also might be understood by considering shows as episodic, meaning that you could drop in on any random episode of a show and still basically understand what's going on.

When you mention shows like Spongebob or The Simpsons, these are fairly character-driven shows, meaning that the plot isn't always continuous from one episode to the next. Shows that are more plot-driven, like Game of Thrones, would be very difficult to understand if you tried to drop in on a single episode without knowing what came before it (meaning this kind of show isn't episodic).