The 2005/2006 TV season

[Monrozombi]

Barring any and all reality tv in this thread I've seen a new trend (at least that i've observed) with tv shows this year.

Is it me or do more and more hour long dramas seem to be interconnecting more and more on a weekly basis then before. Case #1, Lost, ok so it started last year, but I hope you see where i'm giong with this. Each week is a continuation of the story from the previous week. Case 2, Invasion, I'm actually surprised by this show, I mean they're taking an alien invasion and stretching it out over 22 episodes. I haven't caught them all but from the ones I've seen this looks like a movie plot made into a tv series. I can see Invasion going for a while if they don't mess it up. Surface on NBC is another one that starts out with a phenomenon in the pilot and the show builds around that. Even with the Law & Order shows this is happening, I saw a few weeks ago a crossover between SVU and L&O. Even CSI is getting in on it. THey had a Miami/NY crossover last week and CSI:LV had a 2 parter.

It looks like maybe tv directors are getting more indepth storywriters in the door from Hollywood maybe? I don't know but I think I like the direction that some of these new shows are taking, keeping you interested from week to week. I didn't mention 24 because i'm hoping everyone knows thats pretty much a given.

Agree? Disagree? or am i alone in my observations, could be the beer, we'll see

[tazer floyd]

I see what you're saying. If you're meaning that the shows inter-connecting as something 'new' and 'different', I don't know if I'd include shows like Lost and Invasion in that. IMHO, those shows are meant to be that way. Invasion was put on the air, I think, because of the sucess of Lost. ABC saw how a weekly, connected storyline could work, and wanted to hit paydirt once again. I like both of those shows, and am totally drawn in by their ongoing storylines. It's what keeps me tuned in week-to-week, as opposed to the standard "story of the week" that happens on most shows. This is also prevalent in Prsion Break (my favorite new show of the season).

The only problem here is does this turn away new viewers? Is someone going to tune into Prison Break or Lost if they don't know what happened in the past 10 or so episodes?

Now, as far as this trend happening in the other shows that you've mentioned. I think it's just a case of 'sweeps' coming into play. The CSI crossover and two-parter were designed to draw in viewers. The two-parter of CSI was great, but I think it was nothing more than a marketing ploy.

I think that a lot of this has to do with the sucess of Lost, as well as the continuing sucess pf 24. The powers that be look at those shows, and they're staying power, and think "hey, we can create something like that!!". It's all about ratings.

And you know, I'd definitely include Arrested Development in the interconnecting group of TV shows... but we all know now that Fox has given up on that show.

[MooglePorn]

Serialized shows, which is what you're talking about, have been around for a while. They were much more rare before, of course, but they were around. Wasn't Dallas a serialized show? Melrose Place? Getting away from soaps, there's Alias (recent but before many of those you mention), Buffy the Vampire Slayer was pretty serialized, and ended on a cliffhanger pretty often. Star Trek Deep Space 9 was serialized in its later seasons. The X-Files had 8 episodes or so a season that connected, as well as the others which did not. Watching Seinfeld Season 4 I was stunned to see it was a rather serialized season, most of the episodes tied into the "pilot" story in one way or the other. Murder One was one court case for a whole season.

I could go on and on, but the point is, though it may be more popular, it is nothing new.

Personally, I LOVE serialized TV when it's done right and for the right story. I wouldn't have wanted X-Files to be completely that way, but for Buffy it worked really well. It depends on the show. Personally I think Lost is an example of how NOT to do serialization. They make it the focus of the show pretty much, what cliffhanger will it be this week? How long can we drag out this story? I didn't think it worked well for that show.

[Monrozombi]

[quote=tazer floyd]
The only problem here is does this turn away new viewers? Is someone going to tune into Prison Break or Lost if they don't know what happened in the past 10 or so episodes?

Aaahhh forgot about prison break I love that show. But yes, I think the downfall is that if someone forgets to watch the first 2 episodes they lose a lot of the backstory. Thats happened to me with prison break. I started off good watching the first 4-5 episodes but then with planning the wedding I got caught up with that and have missed most of the season so now i'm screwed until either the dvd or a marathon comes on. What they need to do is constantly remind viewers of previous happenings through showing last week's episode the hour before incase people missed it.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Serialized shows, which is what you're talking about, have been around for a while. They were much more rare before, of course, but they were around. Wasn't Dallas a serialized show? Melrose Place? Getting away from soaps, there's Alias (recent but before many of those you mention), Buffy the Vampire Slayer was pretty serialized, and ended on a cliffhanger pretty often. Star Trek Deep Space 9 was serialized in its later seasons. The X-Files had 8 episodes or so a season that connected, as well as the others which did not. Watching Seinfeld Season 4 I was stunned to see it was a rather serialized season, most of the episodes tied into the "pilot" story in one way or the other. Murder One was one court case for a whole season.

I could go on and on, but the point is, though it may be more popular, it is nothing new.

Personally, I LOVE serialized TV when it's done right and for the right story. I wouldn't have wanted X-Files to be completely that way, but for Buffy it worked really well. It depends on the show. Personally I think Lost is an example of how NOT to do serialization. They make it the focus of the show pretty much, what cliffhanger will it be this week? How long can we drag out this story? I didn't think it worked well for that show.

Moogle, I see your point that its really nothing new. Melrose wasn't so much serialized as they kept bringing up old plotlines in new seasons for a while and then going off in one direction but always kept coming back. I know the X-Files did the seralization for a while and it worked I think. Most of the shows you mentioned I didn't follow enough to catch on to the seralization. Angel season 4 did this as well with a whole arc that followed the fourth season and set up most of the 5th season as well.

I guess what i'm gearing towards is that shows aren't doing this just for a season or a mid season ratings spike, it seems that entire series of the show is based off of one plot and it runs with it.

I have to disagree with you on Lost. I notice around here that Lost is either loved or hated, thats fine. But I think taking a group of cast aways on an island and actually having 2 highly rated seasons so far is doing a good job. Now its personal preference to what is liked about each season and what isn't. I think whenever Lost starts to winddown and all the plotlines are tied up it will have made all the episodes seem a little bit better.