When Good Shows Go Bad

Article first published as When Good Shows Go Bad on Blogcritics.


NBC's The Office was once one of the most praised, funniest sitcoms on network television. Community, on the same channel, was a brilliant, creative, original show that broke all the traditional bounds of what sitcoms were capable of. FOX's House was an intelligent character study wrapped in a medical procedural. What do these all have in common? They were great shows that fell apart in the end.

Although I list House, which I still enjoyed through to the end, even if I admit I see the point many make about the creative sagging of the final couple of years, this is usually more of a sitcom problem. A show that is funny and beloved will frequently age and tarnish. I think it's something about a certain type of comedy that just begins to wear thin over time. Jokes are only good for so long, and then they stop getting a laugh out of us. If a comedy series doesn't adapt and grow with its audience, rather than deliver the same thing over and over again, it begins to wither and die.

This isn't a new phenomenon. Many criticized Friends as it approached its end, frustrated with an unrealistic Joey / Rachel romance. The Seinfeld series finale is renowned for how much it disappointed fans. But it's also not going away, as The Office and Community prove. A show that once delighted can go sour.

Perhaps it's a lack of passion. A new show runner may feel edgy and their creative juices may flow, but they can get tired after awhile of working with the same characters and premises. Or new writing staffs may come in and just not understand what makes the characters tick.

The latter is definitely true for Community. Abed used to be the linchpin that made the series work. Even in the installments that could be considered filler, his keen eye and specific viewpoint always made things rise above what seemed to be happening on the surface. Now in its fourth year, with series creator Dan Harmon ousted from the project, Abed is easily the worst character in the ensemble, and the show suffers mightily for it. It may go off the air for good this week, with no fanfare and a very unsatisfying ending.


The Office, on the other hand, is taking its victory lap. It struggled to find its way after losing the star of the show, Steve Carell, and his wonderful Michael Scott. After over a year of floundering, the team threw in the towel and began gearing up to send the characters grandly off into the sunset. It's made the show seem a little better, with the players having some direction and the plot getting movement. But it's curtain call, which, while well deserved, should have come much earlier.

A series can pull itself out of a creative rut. After several strong initial seasons, CBS's How I Met Your Mother spiraled into unfunny drivel for a few years. It clawed its way back to being good by adding emotional heft. This was present in the beginning of the show, of course, before disappearing, but now it's the bread and butter of every installment, with the drama being of a far better quality than the comedy. Even as the final push begins, as next season will be its last, all the major stories are based on pathos, not gags.

But reinvention isn't always possible. Sometimes it's better just to end things, whether the show's story gets tied up or not. NBC pulled Heroes after a fourth season cliffhanger, and ABC didn't give Brothers & Sisters its due five years in. But neither of these series were worth watching anymore, and the networks decided to cut their losses and move on. This outraged fans, but most soon forgot about it.

Maybe we'll never know exactly why our favorite shows can't remain our favorite shows forever. For every Lost and Battlestar Galactica, which maintained quality through the finish line, even with polarizing swan songs, there are plenty like The X-Files or Veronica Mars, which just never recaptured what once made them so special. I'm sorry Veronica Mars fans, I've donated to the Kickstarted campaign and am greatly looking forward to the film, but it's true that each of the three seasons was weaker than the one before it. Storytelling is a tricky thing.


I do think series tend to be better if they maintain one creative vision. Gilmore Girls and The West Wing faltered after losing their guiding person (though the latter eventually found its stride again). A single voice having control allows better consistency than a production team; ask George R.R. Martin. However, if The Walking Dead can continue to thrive, even though it is now on its fourth show runner, this can't adequately explain away the phenomenon.

Taste is not only varied, it is fickle. Catching lightening in the bottle takes a high degree of skill and luck, but to cultivate that lightening and to not let it burn out for one hundred and fifty or two hundred episodes is a very rare feat. Maybe this could be solved with shorter seasons, like the cable channels tend to do, as you'll notice I've mainly talked about programs on the broadcast networks. But systems are slow to change, and there doesn't seem to be movement on that front.

Awesome television that doesn't age well will always be a part of life, sadly. For now, I guess we just enjoy what's good while it lasts.

Redefining Cancellation

Article first published as Redefining Cancellation on Blogcritics.


This week, Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell posted a call on Kickstarter soliciting donations to produce a Veronica Mars film. Within, 12 hours, they'd raised the minimum $2,000,000 needed for the project, breaking all fundraising records for the site. As I'm writing this article, the total now stands at $3,572,678, and the more they raise, the bigger scale film they can make.

Many are calling this the act that re-defines how cancelled shows can be resurrected. Veronica Mars ran for three seasons on the WB and CW, and was beloved by critics and fans. The new project came together because the studio, which had no intention of making the film itself, agreed to let the show's creator and star handle things themselves. Can other series in a similar situation, like Gilmore Girls, Party Down, Bored to Death, and Jericho follow the same path?

Well, there are a variety of obstacles to such projects. Sometimes, it may too expensive to revive with fan donations, like Dollhouse. Other times, the cast may be so busy that bringing them together would be awfully difficult, like Firefly or Freaks and Geeks.

Some have theorized that fans of other cancelled shows who don't particularly care for Veronica Mars may have donated money just because they want this to succeed. If so, their own beloved favorite might be next. While there could be some truth to this, I can't imagine most of those types would have donated a lot of money, without any guarantee their cash would help towards their own goals, so I assume the majority of the backing (including my own) came from people who actually really enjoyed and miss the series.

Also, I do think some of the backers of the Veronica Mars film might be upset if the movie makes a big profit. After all, Warner Brothers still gets to keep the money the movie makes, and Kickstarter investors are not paid back. Is it fair for a studio to force the fans to pay for such things, then keeping the profit? Shouldn't they offer some sort of return on the fans' investment if the end result a profit? Or maybe, if Warner Brothers wants to keep the fans happy, they should go ahead and greenlight a sequel, giving Veronica Mars extended life, and letting us know we've been heard.

Of course, there are some benefits to a Kickstarter campaign. Not only do fans get to take ownership and bragging rights, but the swag offered is also pretty good. For a donation of only $100, fans receive a movie poster, t-shirt, Blu-ray copy of the film, and a downloadable .pdf of the script. They will also receive a finished copy of the movie when it hits theaters. That's quite a bit of stuff thrown in for your support. Bigger donors will even get to name characters and appear on screen. These sorts of premiums and chances to be involved help fans feel even more connected and likely to support the project, though they are sort of unfairly balanced towards those who can afford to give big time.

But even should Kickstarter model not work long-term, there are other ways to resurrect a beloved series from cancellation hell. Sometimes network powers that be can be persuaded to change their minds, like AMC did for The Killing (with a little financial help from another source). Sometimes another producer or netword will come along to save the day, like Netflix did for Arrested Development or Comedy Central for Futurama. Occasionally, DVD sales are strong enough to justify another chance, like FOX did with Family Guy. Comic books can extend the show's life, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Then there are the prequels and sequels. 90210 got five more seasons with a new cast on the CW. Dallas is back on TNT, mixing old and new characters. The Carrie Diaries seeks to tell the beginning of the story for Sex and the City, eventually bringing in many familiar faces.

The point is, never has there been a time when cancelled doesn't necessarily mean cancelled. Sure, The River won't come back in any way, shape, or form. But that doesn't mean that some of those that deserve it aren't finding ways to continue.

This isn't entirely a new phenomenon. The Brady Bunch and The Waltons made TV movies long after they went off the air. Star Trek went to the big screen and produced ten films spun off of two shows, not counting the new reboot with recasts.

However, I think the newer model is more encouraging. Veronica Mars may only live for two more short hours, but many of the other examples I've listed have gotten far more screen time, and some even run for years after their resurrection. This brings them to all new fans, as well as the old ones, extending their lives exponentially.

Are we out of new ideas? Of course not. There will always be a fresh series right around the bend. But that doesn't mean there isn't still life left in those that have been put out to pasture, and for some, getting to fulfill untapped potential, playing out as they should, rather than getting an early grave, this a trend to celebrate.

Party Down parties on

     Starz's comedy from Rob Thomas (the Veronica Mars creator, not the rocker), Party Down, has returned for a second season as of this weekend.  If you do not have Starz, you can stream the show if you have a Netflix subscription, or find it in other sources online.  The premiere was called "Jackal Onassis Backstage Party", as the catering crew was working a concert, backstage.  Almost the entire cast from season one returned, saved for Jane Lynch, who is now starring on Glee, and was missed.  Word is, Lynch will return in June when the team tackles her wedding.  But she has been replaced by Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), who did a fine job.

     Things have changed since season one.  For one thing, Henry (Adam Scott, who will soon be joining Parks and Recreation) has taken over as team leader, and seems just as committed to running the business as his predecessor.  Gone are Henry's slacker ways, as well as his attitude that the job is temporary.  Former boss Ron (Ken Marino, Reaper, Veronica Mars) has seen his dream crash and burn, and by the end of the first new episode, is seeking employment once again from the catering business.  Will he be working under Henry, or will they be fighting it out for head honcho?

     Casey (Lizzy Caplan, True Blood, Cloverfield) has also returned, fresh from spending most of the past year doing her stand up comedy on a cruise ship.  The failed relationship between her and Henry made her first job back awkward, to say the least, and will surely continue to be so.  This is made worse by the fact that Henry is now dating uber-tough competitor Uda (Kristen Bell, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Heroes, who will be returning later this season).

     Kyle (Ryan Hansen, Veronica Mars) seems a little cost without Constance (Lynch), but perhaps there was just too much going on already in this episode, and so he was the one slighted.  Roman (Martin Starr, Freaks and Geeks) was not, however.  He got to dress up as the Satan-worshipping musician whose party there were catering.  And Kyle still got girls more easily than Roman, who only got Ron's semi-girlfriend.  The rocker himself, who wanted to be a normal guy for one night, hence the hijinks with Roman, was played by Jimmi Simpson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and was very funny.

     If you haven't seen Party Down, it's worth checking out.  The complete first season is still available on Netflix streaming, so that's how I recommend getting to the episodes, rather than shelling out for a DVD or a network that you may not watch otherwise.  In Lexington, both Netflix and Starz are available.  Call your cable company or subscribe at netflix.com.