Anthony Strand (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} zeppomarxist) wrote,@ 2007-03-13 12:46:00 |
|
Short and Oh So Sweet
Lately, I've been watching a lot of short-lived TV shows through the miracle of DVD. Things like this are the reason I'm happy to be alive right now, rather than any time in the past. In junior high, I used to sit around paging through my Brooks & Marsh, thinking certain failed shows sounded interesting. Now I can actually see them without any effort at all. You can't beat that.
Anyway, this morning I finished the 13th and final episode of Wonderfalls, which got me thinking. Specifically, I started thinking about the series in relation to Joss Whedon's Firefly. Despite being totally different in tone and style, the two shows have a lot in common - they were produced by Tim Minear, feature actress Jewel Staite in fairly important roles, have extremely catchy original theme songs, and were pulled by FOX before they could even finish their abbreviated runs, to name just a few superficial similarities.
The thing that struck me, however, was this - both shows manage to tell a satisfying story in a limited number of episodes (15 for Firefly, 13 for Wonderfalls) and are, perhaps, better for having been pulled when they were. I haven't rewatched Wonderfalls yet, of course. But I imagine that, like Firefly, Freaks and Geeks (18 episodes), and Police Squad! (6 episodes), it will only get better when I do.
Since these shows have such a small running time, every moment can be savored. With a long-running hit, there simply isn't time to watch every episode multiple times. Even with my favorite shows, such as Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and All in the Family, seasons tend to blend together in my memory, making the parts less than the whole. This doesn't happen with "one-season wonders". As with a favorite movie, I gain new appreciation for the subtleties with each trip through a short-lived series. Every line becomes burned in my brain. Unlike a movie, I still get the expanded characterization that only series TV allows. It's the best of both worlds.
Also, most long-running TV shows eventually see a decline in quality, even the best ones. The three shows I mentioned in the previous paragraph, for example, all saw a major decline in their sixth seasons. Shows that die young don't suffer that indignity. They can go out in a blaze of glory, leaving us wanting more while treasuring forever what we did get.
Now, shows like this don't come along very often. Most cancelled shows don't get the chance to tie up loose ends and seem like finished works of art. But when they do, it's truly something special. Also, this all makes me wonder when the day will come when more shows are specifically created for a one-season story arc. I look forward to that.
Lately, I've been watching a lot of short-lived TV shows through the miracle of DVD. Things like this are the reason I'm happy to be alive right now, rather than any time in the past. In junior high, I used to sit around paging through my Brooks & Marsh, thinking certain failed shows sounded interesting. Now I can actually see them without any effort at all. You can't beat that.
Anyway, this morning I finished the 13th and final episode of Wonderfalls, which got me thinking. Specifically, I started thinking about the series in relation to Joss Whedon's Firefly. Despite being totally different in tone and style, the two shows have a lot in common - they were produced by Tim Minear, feature actress Jewel Staite in fairly important roles, have extremely catchy original theme songs, and were pulled by FOX before they could even finish their abbreviated runs, to name just a few superficial similarities.
The thing that struck me, however, was this - both shows manage to tell a satisfying story in a limited number of episodes (15 for Firefly, 13 for Wonderfalls) and are, perhaps, better for having been pulled when they were. I haven't rewatched Wonderfalls yet, of course. But I imagine that, like Firefly, Freaks and Geeks (18 episodes), and Police Squad! (6 episodes), it will only get better when I do.
Since these shows have such a small running time, every moment can be savored. With a long-running hit, there simply isn't time to watch every episode multiple times. Even with my favorite shows, such as Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and All in the Family, seasons tend to blend together in my memory, making the parts less than the whole. This doesn't happen with "one-season wonders". As with a favorite movie, I gain new appreciation for the subtleties with each trip through a short-lived series. Every line becomes burned in my brain. Unlike a movie, I still get the expanded characterization that only series TV allows. It's the best of both worlds.
Also, most long-running TV shows eventually see a decline in quality, even the best ones. The three shows I mentioned in the previous paragraph, for example, all saw a major decline in their sixth seasons. Shows that die young don't suffer that indignity. They can go out in a blaze of glory, leaving us wanting more while treasuring forever what we did get.
Now, shows like this don't come along very often. Most cancelled shows don't get the chance to tie up loose ends and seem like finished works of art. But when they do, it's truly something special. Also, this all makes me wonder when the day will come when more shows are specifically created for a one-season story arc. I look forward to that.
