By Matt Burke
A lot of people are calling this new TV season the beginning of the end of the second era of great television. The first era being before our time, surely includes M*A*S*H, Magnum PI, Miami Vice, The Wonder Years, and all that good stuff. The latest includes shows such as The Shield, Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica, 24, Freaks and Geeks, The Sopranos, and Entourage, as well as many others.
There’s a smooth transition into TV’s downfall that comes in the form of “has-been-but-kinda-still-are” shows. These shows were formed in the second great TV era and are really pushing it. They’re pushing it straight down your throat (or up their own asses). But the best part? I keep watching and I keep loving it.
Fox’s 24 was ground breaking when it debuted in late 2001 with it’s first 13 episodes (the next 11 episodes ordered later). Everyone was on board, and when the next season started, everyone and their mom’s were waiting. The cliffhangers kept getting better and the technology kept getting more ridiculous. But then it got real ridiculous, and the writers seemed desperate for situations to put Jack and the rest of the world in.
Ring Ring
Jack: Hello?
Bill: Jack, it’s Bill.
Jack: Oh, go ahead Bill, I didn’t know it was you, I don’t have caller ID. But could you upload the real time satellite images to my phone so I can see where the terrorists are scattered around this compound?
Bill: The Russians have the nuke that the Arabs high jacked from the Chinese after they double-crossed our double-double-agent, they’re storing it in the Canadian Embassy.
Etc. etc.
The problem is that the above statement is an actual synopsis of the latest season. Not really, but it’s close! The fan base has fallen and it might be because people are getting tired of this. But even with the significant viewer decline, 24 is still near the top and will be as long as it’s on, however crazy the decline in quality.
In 2004, J.J. Abrams exploded all over your face with Lost. Everyone was addicted to the craziness: Where is this Island? How did they survive? Who are “the others?” Will I ever get to see Matthew Fox naked? Are there such things as horse socks? Is anybody even listening to me?
The first season ended with a mind-blowing discovery, and that’s where you were left for an entire year. This got everyone to come back. Then the second season did the same. And then the third. But at some point, people stopped coming back because they grew tired of no answers. If you watched HBO’s John From Cincinnati, you know the feeling.
Then there was Heroes. It was critically acclaimed in its first season, followed quickly by a critically reviled second season. Normally the critics have a hard time swaying the public ( I.e. Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks, talk about that in a minute), but the audience agreed and the ratings dropped. This looks like the problem with television recently. Writers and producers seem to think that absurd plot twists and year-long cliffhangers are interchangeable with good story telling and dialogue. It’s almost like M. Night Shyamalan becoming head writer of everyone’s favorite TV shows.
As injustice exists all over the world, it’s just as evident in TV. Freaks and Geeks, and Arrested Development: two of the most awarded television shows maybe ever. But they got axed after only one season and three seasons, respectively. They had smart writers, solid, plausible storylines, and realistic characters that people could feel for. The comedy was ingenious but no one was noticing, so they got the boot and Paris Hilton got her new BFF. The Shield was an amazing show that was in danger of going haywire. So by some miracle, Shawn Ryan, the creator and executive producer, decided it was time to end the show with dignity.
Keep watching your Shot at Loves and your Bromances and all that other crap. Soon enough, all the real shows that you love and follow will be forced to do something crazy to keep their numbers up. That, my friends, will be their downfall. And then, they will be gone.
to each their own 