I’ve addressed the short-lived series ripped from your TV too soon, but what about the ones that go on forever, far past any interest you once held in them?
All shows have their ups and downs. Even the often flawless THE GOOD WIFE had that storyline with Kalinda’s husband, and the damn near perfect FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS strayed into weird during season two. (plus it had Julie Taylor - I mean, the girl got mad at a baby) At the end of the day, despite a few missteps, both of those series continued to be pretty awesome throughout their runs.* That is not always the case.
I rarely quit shows even when they become nearly unwatchable because, like many SFF fans, I’m a completionist. I get very invested in the characters and the world, and I’m often unwilling to give up hope that the series will manage to right the ship.
SLEEPY HOLLOW had a creatively exciting first season, but it became loaded down with a larger episode order, unnecessary love stories, convoluted plotting, and an unexpectedly dour Orlando Jones. They’ve since gutted the cast and pledged to return to the first season’s tighter pacing and Ichabbie-focused stories. With the casting of a love interest for Ichabod and a crossover with BONES (whaaaa?), I’m not totally convinced that this once promising series will be able to rebuild what it lost last season – both in audience and quality – but I will still give SH one more chance.
Sometimes you fall for shows that you know will never be great, but you stick with them anyway. Despite numerous dropped storylines and too many magic baby plotlines
(FYI 1 is usually too many), I still believe that GRIMM can be as fun as season 1, even though season 1 had just as many issues. My roommate, however, has deleted it from the DVR and is
threatening to call psychological services if I continue to lie to
myself about its potential to actually stick with a coherent season-long
arc.
Then there are the rest of the shows on our apartment’s chopping block. We’ve been frustrated with the most recent season(s) of SUITS and have let it build up a long backlog in our DVR. This show started out so strong – a smart, witty law series that had complex female characters and ultra-charismatic leads. Yet in recent years, Jessica, Donna, and Rachel have been making choices that are completely out of character and, frankly, not smart. Jessica, the head of the firm, whose name has been on the wall for the entire run of the series, keeps getting battered by people interested in hurting her in order to get to Harvey, and she consequently makes reactionary decisions that tend to be born out of emotions rather than logic. It seems highly unlikely that this powerful career-driven woman got to her current position in the firm by making decisions in this way, and it seems even more unlikely that she would start now. Gina Torres’ incomparable acting skills and commanding presence are not enough to hide the cracks in the writing. And I’m still not ready to talk about what they’ve done to Ms. Gal Friday, Donna. I feel personally victimized by how the writers have treated her character. But beyond the rapid decline in the consistency and development for the characters (female and male alike), the show is leaning hard into its annoying movie quoting and overly petty internal politics that have never been why I watched the show.
There’s a certain point when a series is no longer enjoyable to watch and instead becomes a chore.
Usually, that point comes when the show no longer resembles what it started as – when the character development doesn’t align with the characters’ established backstories; when the storylines become so convoluted that you need to take notes while watching; when the least enjoyable elements (be they characters, plotlines, or an excessive reliance on spectacle) are thrust front and center. That’s when we start to wonder who is still watching.
There is something to be said for shows that go out on a high note. Many would have loved to see BREAKING BAD continue, but its 5 season run (by choice) and shorter episode orders (yay cable!) allowed the writers to craft a consistently engaging story that never had to struggle through filler or try in vain to top itself with ever twistier storylines. (yo ‘sup SCANDAL)
TV series are money-making ventures, and the studios, networks, and producers will keep them going as long as they bring in the cash. Aiming for syndication numbers can be a powerful motivator, and an inability to launch a successful replacement series can sometimes mean the old guard shows stick around until they are barely shells of what they once were. Though it is nice to see these crews (and actors, and writers, and producers) employed, it is a disservice to the story and to the audience to ask us to pretend the show hasn’t lost its spark.
That being said, SUPERNATURAL will run forever. And I’m OK with that.
*Fear not, TGW fans, THE GOOD WIFE is not over yet. It will return for a 7th (and likely final) season this fall.
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