Repairing the Fall Television Season

Last updated on: October 13, 2008 at 6:11 pm by DeWayne Hamby

Repairing the Fall Television Season 2008-10-13T18:11:00-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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The first step is always admitting the problem. The ratings are in for the fall television season and they are less than spectacular. According to this article from the Wall Street Journal, Neilson ratings report a first week drop of 4.3% from last season. Some speculate the drop has something to do with the writer’s strike which ended the last season prematurely and viewers found other things to do with their time. Others cite an increasing competitive market from video games, video download services and the movie industry in general.

It’s not Christmas but since I’m in the mood to be generous, I thought I’d share my thoughts on a few shows that could use a little tune-up to help them attract new viewers and keep people like me interested.

Heroes – This is the show I’m the most invested in. Being a superhero geek since childbirth, it had me at hello. For the first season, I was glued to the screen every week, enjoying it as a nice companion to other Monday night powerhouse shows 24 and Prison Break. We all know what happened with the second season. They brought Sylar back and all of us pretty much wondered what the point of the entire first season was. Here, in season three, the writers have once again been afraid to lose characters, so we have a mirror image of the cast from the first season, alternating personalities to keep it interesting. But it’s not enough.

We want to see heroes team up, not just in fantasy or future sequences. Take a cue from 24, too. When you finish storylines, let them stay done. Let villains stay buried (literally, Adam Monroe). Introduce new ones, just not annoying twins from Mexico. Also, us comic book geeks know season one borrowed heavily from the classic Watchmen graphic novel, to the point of angering the upcoming film’s director. Looks like they’ve been reading Kingdom Come this time around.

Survivor – I love Survivor, but here in its seventeenth season, it needs another “Exile Island” type shot in the arm suprise. I personally think stronger players need a better footing in the game, because in the last few seasons, they’ve been easily targeted and disposed of while the lazy bums connive toward the finish line. In the end, you have people who you relucantly root for (sounds familiar). One solution could be the addition of individual immunity via some type of MVP status during the challenges, especially with the losing tribe. Oddly enough, the strongest players have needed a little more help in recent seasons.

The Office – This season has been great but it’s not without its weaknesses, one of which to me has been characters going out of character. Last week, Dwight isn’t quite the nerd we all know and love if he bypasses correcting a science fiction conversation only to unapologetically walk away from his job for a dalliance with Angela. And what is this? Peyton Place? When it’s funny, go for it, but this whole love triangle has become too soap-operish. Ditto for Jan and Michael. We love Holly. She’s the perfect girl for Michael. Not sure how long she’ll be around but she’s been a nice change of pace. Also for Michael, he’s best when he’s awkward, not full-blown unrealistically mentally challenged. I’m glad he hasn’t driven his car into another lake this season. More Jim and Pam tormenting Dwight, too, please!

Prison Break – This show is suffering from the same heavy baggage that plagues Heroes. Producers are most likely reluctant to lose long-time characters Bellick, T-Bag and Sucre but no such loyalties were evident in season one or even when Sara was written out last year. It’s great to see her back in but now she’s part of a Scooby gang that’s converted from a group on the run to undercover agents exposing the company. Kudos to the writers for inventing a new lease on life for this initially-planned one season storyline. But lose a few periphreal characters; not Scofield or Sara, but the rest are disposable. Mix it up. Oh yeah, how about letting them finally have revenge on the company? At least throw them (and us) a bone or two!

If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening. Agree or disagree? What other shows need a tune-up? We’ll address them in part two.

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