Term Limits

I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. . . . This post will not discuss politics. I'm more interested in television.

I propose to limit the number of seasons allowed for good shows. Most shows should not go past three seasons, and some should be forced off the air after one or two. Let me be clear: I'm not talking about terrible shows whose pilots should never have been greenlighted. I'm talking about great, compelling shows that lose steam after a while and fizzle out, ruining what could be a great memory. Two examples come to mind: "House, M.D." and "Monk." These shows demonstrate the common flaw of television producers: they think viewers care about character development. The shows have just gotten depressing, and my memory of them is ruined. I miss the days when Monk was quirky, not pathetic. I like House as a jerk, not an addict.

As a corollary to this, I think serial dramas should be banned, or at least limited. I don't have time to devote to a show every week for three years to find out what is going on (I'm talking to you, "Lost"). Personally, I prefer shows that have self-contained episodes (like "Law and Order"), but if producers insist on making serial dramas, then I think they should be forced to wrap it up in a single season. Every once in a while I'll catch an episode of "Lost" and think, "What the hell just happened?" It reminds me that I really don't care, so I don't watch it again. I will say that while I don't like "24," at least they have a new adventure every season.

Don't even get me started on "reality" television.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome!
If I could convince my Hubby to get on board that'd be pretty cool.

I couldn't agree with you more on the whole TV schtuff. (including reality tv...that just pisses me off)

I do like er love 24 though...

:)

turtar said...

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you keep enjoying the blog.

I know a lot of people (including my brother) who love 24, and I do respect that it wraps things up every season, mostly. I'm still waiting for the episode where he spends the entire hour stuck in LA traffic. That would be awesome!

Anonymous said...

having Jack Bauer stuck in traffic would def. be more realistic. But then again I hate reality t.v. so it's ok.

turtar said...

I agree. Reality is very overrated when it comes to entertainment. Just ask the people who produce the "reality" they show us. Nothing could be further from it.

Also, I should confess that I didn't actually come up with the traffic comment on my own. I think I heard it on Leno. I didn't even know the show was set in LA. . . .