Staying power
Certain TV series that endure seem to have a magic ingredient. But what is it?
THERE always seems to be something wrong with our favourite TV series. Many shows get cancelled ahead of its time (Firefly, Dead Like Me) or they start off fabulously only to lose steam after a season or two (Grey’s Anatomy, Prison Break, Heroes and all reality shows).
Jack Bauer
(Kiefer
Sutherland) is
back to save
the day in 24.
A few series, however, have stood the test of time.
This may have something to do with story arcs that run over several seasons. Three great examples from the past, with story arcs, are The X-Files, Friends and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.
Today, we don’t need to look further than the recently concluded Battlestar Galactica. The sci-fi television programme – a reboot of a 1978 TV programme – took the audience on a journey from the time a planet was destroyed until when its survivors reached a new habitable planet. Driven by its characters, the story took form beautifully from the start to finish. Yes, we were sad to see it end after just four seasons, but they were four consistently good seasons.
Lost was not as consistent. The series – set on a deserted island where a planeload of passengers are stranded – floundered somewhere in the second season and its early third season. It increasingly infuriated viewers by refusing to provide much-needed answers to the questions it was constantly posing. But when it was decided that Lost would end in 2010 after six seasons, the plot development picked up its pace.
At the end of Season Three, the series had completely rerouted itself, when it revealed Jack (Matthew Fox) and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) had left the island with four others and they’d done so three years ago. That really made a lot of viewers sit up and take notice. Since then, the series hasn’t looked back, and it delivers one amazing episode after another.
Admittedly, there are questions (this is Lost, after all) but the series has been providing some answers as well, especially in Season Five. And the characters have grown so much.
With Lost, there are a host of characters and their stories that keep us intrigued, week after week – such as Daniel Faraday (introduced in Season Four) and the elusive, mystical Jacob.
This is the direct opposite of a series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It doesn’t matter if we follow every episode of the CSI franchise or not. Arguably, there is a slight character development for the characters but when this involves Gil Grissom (William Petersen) getting it on with Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) or Horatio (David Caruso) doing something or other with the mob, do we even care? Personally, I feel since this a procedural show, it is not important to see every episode. Hence, while it is great that there is still a large audience for all the three CSIs, we are not too upset about a cast change or even if a character makes an exit.
Talking about cast changes, Season Seven of 24 only had two or three of the actors that were originally featured in Season One. The show still works, however, because 24 is all about Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland).
It’s always good that Chloe O’Brien (Mary Lynn Rajskub) remains as his right wing partner but the series can go on without her as long as Bauer is in the picture. With its weakest season – Season Six – out of our minds, we can continue to be amazed at how Bauer puts his life at risk once again only to end up paying a very high price for it in the current season.
Those who have not watched the show may argue that it’s ridiculous how this one guy has so many bad days in his life.
Even if it is true that many of the scenarios in 24 are overly dramatic, viewers are still drawn into the series countdown (each episode highlights 24 hours of impending doom usually caused by terrorists) because Bauer is such an enigmatic character.
At each other’s throats: In the current season of Supernatural, Dean (Jensen Ackles,
left) and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) find themselves on opposing sides.
Over the years, the series has receive a lot of flak from the US government because it allegedly depicts an unjust picture of how the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) members work on the field. So in Season Seven, Bauer is court-martialled for his “crimes” – he has to answer for all the rules he has broken and the torture he has carried out in the course of serving his country, and saving the day. Meanwhile, a new terrorist has already been lined up for Bauer to take down. And apparently that guy is going to be played by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.
Another series with staying power is Supernatural, which has been upping the risk factor for its plot every season.
Season One was about two brothers – the Winchester brothers – the younger who reluctantly goes down the path of his older brother, becoming a hunter of all things that go bump in the night.
While the series still deals with supernatural goings-on, Season Two and Three became more focused on the brothers and how their job affects their lives. In Season Four, the brothers became players on the opposing sides of angels and demons, and the story keeps getting better.
Sure, Jared Padalecki is not getting any better at expressing his character’s emotions other than doing something with his nose, but thankfully, he is partnered with Jensen Ackles, who makes sure viewers care deeply for both siblings on the show.
The writing and the action also keep the audience on the edge of their seats every week. It’s been reported that Supernatural will end with its fifth season. I can’t wait to see what the Winchester brothers have up their sleeves in solving their latest devil of a problem.
Other series like Medium, House MD and Desperate Housewives have just finished their fifth seasons and still have something interesting to offer fans. So, although there is a crop of new and good shows including The Mentalist, Fringe, Dollhouse and True Blood that offer us couch potatoes whole new worlds, don’t write off the old guard just yet.