tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8522110560686650651..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: "Now what do we do?" By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90445943098455806492019-10-03T11:18:27.818-07:002019-10-03T11:18:27.818-07:00For me the best example is "Heroes"; thr...For me the best example is "Heroes"; throughout thr first season, I couldn't wait to see the next episode because it was so compelling & fun. But once they saved the cheerleader/saved the world, it seemed like no one quite knew what to do next -- plus a succession of showrunners -- and it kind of collapsed into chaos.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13775430353810840374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7872921395586826012019-08-31T11:13:35.103-07:002019-08-31T11:13:35.103-07:00On a side topic, also count me among those for who...On a side topic, also count me among those for whom "The Shield" is his favorite series. No diss to Breaking Bad, which is a classic itself, and against which The Shield always seems to be directly compared... <br /><br />https://slate.com/culture/2013/09/breaking-bad-finale-is-poised-to-echo-the-great-fx-show-the-shield.html<br /><br />I would agree that, watched as a whole, The Shield has some pacing problems (I would have compacted everything from Season 6 episode 6 to Season 7 episode 6, for one example). But one of the things I love about The Shield in comparison to Breaking Bad is that, for better or worse, Breaking Bad was always forthright about exactly where, thematically speaking, the series was going to go. With The Shield, and particularly with having four distinct members of the Strike Team, no one member had a course that was thematically "set" (absolution, punishment, impunity, etc.), except in retrospect, which is exactly what you want as a writer and an audience.James Blightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45884823213858069102019-08-31T10:43:04.154-07:002019-08-31T10:43:04.154-07:00In our household, we even have a name for extendin...In our household, we even have a name for extending the TV series beyond the organic ending suggested by the series concept. We call it "Jenga Storytelling." You have no heft beyond the story already told, so you have to undermine your own foundation just to keep building (what you think is) up. Eventually, the entire tower crumbles.<br /><br />Think of Alias after the fall of SD6 in season 2. Veronica Mars resolving Lily's murder and her own family dynamic in Season 1. Not to mention so many of the examples previously mentioned above.James Blightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49779764065206421782019-08-31T10:28:47.688-07:002019-08-31T10:28:47.688-07:00Isn't that the difference between drama and me...Isn't that the difference between drama and melodrama? The whole point of Breaking Bad, as VG stated many times, was that Walter White's character was going to change from "Mr. Chips to Scarface"; not that "a middle-aged chemistry teacher was going to cook meth for a Mexican cartel" for five seasons. That's a comedy scenario.<br /><br />Killing Eve's protagonists are a circus-trained psychopath and a cop who secretly loves her. That's a characterization dead end from the start, and no amount of traveloguery and shock twists can alter the unresolvable outcome.blogwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07362291687463326731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11415753608754609612019-08-29T19:35:30.949-07:002019-08-29T19:35:30.949-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.joseph shehatahttps://www.worldofexploration.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22945414168294643832019-08-29T19:31:04.259-07:002019-08-29T19:31:04.259-07:00Then the show was all "whatevs" about hi...Then the show was all "whatevs" about him.<br /><a href="https://www.worldofexploration.com/" rel="nofollow">worldofexploration </a>joseph shehatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14987032891492946404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11571727219738532742019-08-29T11:52:50.687-07:002019-08-29T11:52:50.687-07:00Totally nailed it, Ken.
And the corollary to this...Totally nailed it, Ken.<br /><br />And the corollary to this: shows that pad the middle episodes of a season - kinda tread water - because the story arc (even when it's a great one) just isn't "deep" enough for X number of episodes. And so we get not just somewhat needless complications, but ones that often "break" the show a little.<br /><br />I'm always a little surprised when this happens to shows that only have ten... or even SIX episodes a season.<br /><br />Good TV is hard. Which is why it's so good when it's good.David Arnottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50619326074320272032019-08-27T15:47:18.458-07:002019-08-27T15:47:18.458-07:00Here's a Friday Question - who (persons of wha...<br />Here's a Friday Question - who (persons of what profession) puts forth Emmy nominees for drama writing?<br /><br /><br />IMO Mad Men was consistently strong in it's first four seasons - and this is borne out by getting fully one-half (10 of 20) Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series".<br /><br />Add 3/5 for Season Five and Mad Men got an actual majority of nominees for writing over five seasons. <br /><br />This has less power if non-writers put up writing nominations. <br /><br />For certain fans, the stars aligned for Mad Men - the Basket of Kisses blog fanned the flames even for the greater than nine months (on average) that Mad Men did not air. <br /><br />This presents an opportunity for the uninitiated - one may watch the series in order (on Netflix, though the DVD's are better for Weiner and select writer and director's commentaries) and go the the Basket of Kisses blog for some rarely-trivial commentary - so unusual - I've seen nothing like it. Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32037895570692659022019-08-27T13:19:34.875-07:002019-08-27T13:19:34.875-07:00Hell, "True Detective" got lost midway t...Hell, "True Detective" got lost midway through Season ONE. Remember the crooked child-molesting sheriff on the boat? Then the show was all "whatevs" about him.McTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672101599685031569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74929826282540865982019-08-27T11:47:23.805-07:002019-08-27T11:47:23.805-07:00The X-Files was the first thing that came to my mi...The X-Files was the first thing that came to my mind. Their "monster of the week" episodes were usually outstanding. They had a bit of an overarching, conspiracy-laden story line going on that was really intriguing at first. But after a few seasons it became clear that the writers didn't really have a plan for resolving it, so it just dragged on and got more and more convoluted to the point where nothing made any sense anymore. Even in the recent revival, the stand-alone episodes were fun, but the ones tied to the show's mythology were just...*shrug*Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17540162876296654215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9140608322144178542019-08-27T09:26:11.864-07:002019-08-27T09:26:11.864-07:00Hat tip to those already mentioning BABYLON 5 so I...Hat tip to those already mentioning BABYLON 5 so I'll move onto mention GLEE, which had a great first season that ended on a note that suggested they were never anticipating a pickup for a second season. And then the show did get picked up and they spent a year and a half trying to figure out what to do next...Rich Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04883386588727303782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56870642067280939322019-08-27T08:21:16.088-07:002019-08-27T08:21:16.088-07:00As the resident Israeli, a few notes on Homeland. ...As the resident Israeli, a few notes on Homeland. I agree the first season was the best by far, but it's not because they stopped following the Israeli original, as they never really followed it to begin with. Other than the basic premise, it was a completely different show. I've noticed this is what Hollywood usually does when adapting Israeli series (and other foreign series, I imagine). I usually prefer the original, but in this case I think the Americans did a better job. My only gripe was that they kept calling Abu-Nazir "Nazir" for short. You can't do that - Abu-Nazir means "father of Nazir", Nazir is his (presumably oldest) son.<br /><br />Pumpkin - you make a great point about Palestinians being more sympathetic, but they weren't the captors in the original series either. They were Syrian, so their ability to turn an Israeli soldier is just as unlikely. Which is why - SPOILER ALERT for the second season of Prisoners of War - it eventually turns out that he wasn't turned, but acting as a double agent, and his capture had actually been deliberate. It made no sense, but as long as we have a twist who cares, right? Anyway, I wish they'd gone with your idea, it would have made for a far more interesting, nuanced show.Tammynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33540006985083984852019-08-27T04:20:04.631-07:002019-08-27T04:20:04.631-07:00BBC's The Office was 13 episodes of brilliance...BBC's The Office was 13 episodes of brilliance. The shameless money-grab US version was so far below it in quality. But they did trump it in quantity.<br /><br />Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had an excellent first season. Season 2 practically oozed self-awareness that I could not stand to watch it any longer.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00649167883771433740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13045130854158721122019-08-27T03:05:05.935-07:002019-08-27T03:05:05.935-07:00LOST is the program that really annoyed me. After ...LOST is the program that really annoyed me. After sticking with it for 6 seasons they came up with the lamest ending.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11573676759671639342019-08-27T01:11:57.849-07:002019-08-27T01:11:57.849-07:00Stranger Things. First season was beautiful, exci...Stranger Things. First season was beautiful, exciting and kinda original, apart from being an homage to 80s movies of the same ilk. It was absolutely no reason to continue the show after this. But like the "horror" movies of the 80s that they are mimicking, they just don't know when to stop. <br /><br />And yeah, 13 Reasons Why, as mentioned above, is another example. The story was told in the first season. Finished. NEXT! <br /><br />Which brings up something I will hereby post as a Friday Question: What do you think about authors/directors/creators/writers that just can't leave their franchise alone? Take Rowlings, the author of Harry Potter. She keeps on posting new stuff that she claims is canon inside the HP universe, but which we saw no hint of in the books ie: Dumbledore is gay and such stuff. Have you ever been asked something about Frasier that wasn't really touched upon in the show, and then sold it as being in universe (canon)? Why can't the creators just let go? Another example is George Lucas, but let's not go there...Hogne B. Pettersenhttps://domino.elfworld.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22881999827043916362019-08-26T19:00:19.640-07:002019-08-26T19:00:19.640-07:00Green Luthor, I heard at the time that the writer ...Green Luthor, I heard at the time that the writer all along planned to switch out the main actor after the first season. However, it was not part of the plan, and the story changed in a major way. Three was originally supposed to be two. In the original plan, The one who was is the same as the one who will be. It would have required War Without End to be later in the series, presumably penultimate episode, but everything else matches up. Just look at the similarities of profile. The wife/fiance goes on a similar mission as the new guy's wife did some time in the past. MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18996716379051599322019-08-26T18:23:53.998-07:002019-08-26T18:23:53.998-07:00What you said about "Frank's Place" ...What you said about "Frank's Place" applies as well to "The Slap Maxwell Story," an excellent single-camera, no laugh track Dabney Coleman vehicle that also aired during the 1987-88 season.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47924002745455675872019-08-26T18:16:04.781-07:002019-08-26T18:16:04.781-07:00I must have the opposite opinion to most of Americ...I must have the opposite opinion to most of America, the Brody arc never made much sense to me, because it was trying to fit a story about sympathy for Palestinian groups onto Al Qaeda - which never really seemed to work. They're just too wholly unsympathetic to think that Brody could turn.<br /><br />Season 4 of Homeland (Carrie as a station chief in Pakistan) is a different show entirely, but seemed to work a lot better than seasons 1-3 for me.Pumpkinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47628652621833858522019-08-26T15:59:34.454-07:002019-08-26T15:59:34.454-07:00A great article. Agree wholeheartedly with your as...A great article. Agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of "Homeland". I thought the first season was one of the best things I ever saw. I didn't get past the first episode of the second season, though. It turned into WTFTV pretty fast.<br /><br />I also agree with Green Luthor about Babylon 5...a great show that just kept getting better, well, until the last few episodes.kitano0https://www.blogger.com/profile/06824983309821731821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33827820395734233912019-08-26T15:53:10.478-07:002019-08-26T15:53:10.478-07:00I'm reminded of "The Prisoner"- and ... I'm reminded of "The Prisoner"- and our reaction to the final episode when it originally aired on CBS back in 1968 (as the summer replacement for Jackie Gleason!) which was to shrug our shoulders and go "That's it? Well, gee I guess he escaped"... I remember letters in TV Guide wanting to know why CBS cancelled such a good show- the idea of a TV series being designed to run for only a handful of episodes was so bizarre. <br /> I saw that Patrick McGoohan interview on Youtube where he says he envisioned the Prisoner running for 7 episodes, but CBS asked for 26 shows (and without CBS's money there was no show). They compromised on 17, which McGoohan thought was stretching things.Jeff Boicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14600946876122022978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51890596688271196062019-08-26T14:50:34.876-07:002019-08-26T14:50:34.876-07:00Totally agree with you, Ken. I can't wait to ...Totally agree with you, Ken. I can't wait to see what they do with season 2 of "Chernobyl". Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70728744225696614392019-08-26T14:08:02.510-07:002019-08-26T14:08:02.510-07:00"Dark Shadows" is still a unique, even ..."Dark Shadows" is still a unique, even extreme example of "now what do we do?" broadcast television. Extreme, in that this was a daily soap opera, on air five times a week. No breaks, no reruns, no television "season" to speak of, once it was off and continuously running year 'round, there was no stopping. Certainly a testament to the resiliency of human creativity and the human spirit, if nothing else. Overworked writers, directors, actors kept this show going daily over a five year period, under constant deadline pressure, over and over asking "now what do we do?" as storylines ebbed and flowed. Dedicated as cast and crew were to love of their profession, this very unusual broadcast production must have seemed at the least a little masochistic here and there.<br /><br />If these hardworking, dedicated people left any kind of example, it would probably be that the human spirit, creativity, imagination, should never be dismissed. Amazing what people can do, when something absolutely has to be done.<br /><br />And, another example these people would be happy to provide: with today's advances in technology, don't EVER allow oneself to even THINK of going through such a pressure cooker broadcasting schedule, ever, ever, again.<br /><br />John Hammesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6885676395365161942019-08-26T14:06:24.904-07:002019-08-26T14:06:24.904-07:00Let's think of another scripted medium: comics...Let's think of another scripted medium: comics. Comics have this problem, too, but with a difference. Comics are, at their best, character-driven stories. Not really concept-driven. <br /><br />Take Superman, the concept is 81 years old (or older), and they are still writing stories about the guy? It's not the concept of the all-powerful alien driving the stories, it's exploration of the character of the man. Plot-driven arcs exist but are never paramount. What was the chief comics fan's complaint about Man of Steel? Superman would never kill someone or let someone die when he could save them.<br /><br />Part of it is that comics, being relatively cheap, have a higher tolerance for mediocrity than can a medium like television which involves hundreds of people and millions of dollars in production. Comics cost a few thousand to produce and a dozen or so people involved. Makes it possible to jump a lot of sharks and keep going. :)Joyce Meltonhttp://invisblegalleries.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37849028443582333472019-08-26T13:54:47.283-07:002019-08-26T13:54:47.283-07:00I would add 13 Reasons Why from Netflix to this li...I would add 13 Reasons Why from Netflix to this list. The first season adapted the novel that the show was based on fully, and was terrific. The second season (entirely original) was INTERMINABLE! Every episode was at least 15 minutes longer than it needed to be. Absolutely soured me on the show.Robert Brauerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07533085154192402741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40927373602606889442019-08-26T13:51:06.941-07:002019-08-26T13:51:06.941-07:00A few random thoughts.
Blackadder is a great ex...A few random thoughts. <br /><br />Blackadder is a great example of how you take your shot and that's it. Four series set in widely disparate time periods, each of which brings with it the baggage of English history so you don't have to explain too much, and you kill everyone off in the last episode. The movie they made for the Millennium Dome was awful and there's talk of another series which scares me (Rowan Atkinson is my age and didn't look too spry in the last Johnny English sequel). <br /><br />Another one, which I'm sure fewer of you watched, was Srugim (Hebrew for woven, which invoked the kippot worn by modern Orthodox men), an Israeli show that followed young modern Orthodox in Jerusalem. After three seasons, they just killed the show, saying they had said what they wanted to say. <br /><br />I will say that Mad Men had one thing going for it in terms of making it fresh as it went along; it was "about" the Sixties, so you could see the transformations in clothing, music, attitudes towards women and African-Americans, rebellions of the young, etc., as it went along. I found some of the later episodes brilliant because of this (I'm Bobby's age), but I think there were bits that Matthew Weiner didn't get right and, as someone else pointed out, not knowing exactly how many episodes you get (in his case, being pressured to stretch) can hurt the arcs. I still don't understand how you give the series a character from Montreal in 1967 and never do a damn thing with Expo. <br /><br />Breadbakernoreply@blogger.com