When Shows End
Last week I went and got my flu shot. There were six people waiting when I got there. By the time the nurse came, there were nine. This was one of those random gatherings of strangers that make up the latest slew of television dramas. “The Lottery” (the Luke Perry show – what happened to that show?) drew together people who all won the lottery. I guess most knew each other and bought tickets together, but not everyone did. “The Nine” brings together people who survived a bank robbery/hostage situation. The characters on “Lost” all happened to be on the same flight together when it crashed on a random island.
So this formula that worked for “Lost” is being tried on other shows. Some will work, some won’t. This brings to mind a couple of questions that intrigue me (though perhaps nobody else).
1) If the Aussie guy really did cause the plane crash by not pushing the button, then couldn’t the survivors bring along more supplies and company by purposefully not pushing the button when a plane comes near? Of course, is there even still a button?
2) What happens to all those characters from shows that don’t make it? Many successful shows take efforts in the finale to show what will be happening to the characters when the cameras stop rolling. In “Charmed”, we got to see how each of the sisters’ lives would turn out. Reunion shows pop up every now and again for “Growing Pains”, “Gilligan’s Island”, and “The Brady Bunch”, letting us know that these characters are still the same after all these years.
So I watched “The Class” on Monday, and I watch it with the assumption that the show will be cancelled. Pretty much every character there is overacting (which I just don’t understand in this day and age – aren’t actors a dime a dozen, and haven’t there been ample examples of good acting that bad acting shouldn’t ever make it on screen?). Seriously, each character is more a caricature, though perhaps, if given the chance, the show will improve. But will it get the chance?
So these characters from short-lived shows, what are they doing now? Not the actors – the best friend from “Caroline In the City” became the wife’s sister on “Rodney”. Courtney Thorne-Smith went from “Day By Day” to “Melrose Place” to “According to Jim” (and probably other shows along the way). So many shows are set in the same cities. Wouldn’t these characters bump into each other? (I thought the “Mad About You”-“Friends” crossover was great). For example, when Monica was working in a restaurant, she probably left the restaurant late at times. Couldn’t she have passed by some crime scene that Cisco and Green were working for “Law and Order”? Or, could you imagine if the girl from “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place” met Eugene Young from “The Practice”? He would hate her. Or if Berg applied for a job with the Practice. Then again, I bet Berg would get along with Marshall from “How I Met Your Mother.” Of course, Pete (the third roommate from “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place”) might have ended up dating Elliot Reed from “Scrubs”. We all hear about what a small world it is, why not show it on television. Of course, I hear that’s what the show “Six Degrees” is all about.
And now I’m listening to “Enola Gay” by OMD at the coffee shop, and along with reminding me of high school, when I owned this tape (or at least a mix tape with this song on it, I can’t remember which), I’m reminded of many more sitcoms. I mean, who would have though that Zack Morris would join the NYPD Blue and A.C. Slater would be Dancing With the Stars along with Joey, brother of Blossom? I should have suspected, I suppose, that Shaun Hunter could be swayed to convert his religion and almost be willing to sacrifice himself as a suicide bomber (Law and Order: Criminal Intent). But, see, that’s not what I mean. These again are the actors doing different roles. I want the characters reprised, and not just as Doc and Isaac from “The Love Boat” being hired out as entertainers for a party on “Boy Meets World”.
Perhaps, really, what this is all about, is that in some subconscious way, I am trying to motivate myself to write more. I have started about three or four novels, and these characters are all stagnating, sitting around waiting to be more fully developed, waiting to find out where their futures lie. But instead, they are held captive. I am a jailor. I am nothing more than a cruel, insensitive jailor who hold these characters for no cause – they have committed no crimes (at least none that I have even written for them yet) – and for an indefinite period of time. I do them a great injustice in not writing their stories. Shame on me.
Oh, that the guilt would suffice to getting me to let them free. There we go, I have a goal. I shall now be the liberator. I am a freedom fighter. My five-year-old is interested in Gandhi (who he sees as a real-life superhero). Perhaps my mission will not be as noble as his, seeing as those that I wish to save do not actually exist, but it is no less important a mission. I must succeed. Well, I am off (okay, my mission will have to wait for now; I have to go to the grocery store. But maybe I’ll think about my character while I’m there).
Tell you what. I’ll keep you updated. You keep me honest. The first character I wish to liberate is Uma. My story “Uma, Usha, Urmila” is at a standstill. It is my best shot at a completed novel. Basically, if I can give Uma a life – and write Urmila’s story – then Usha too will be freed. If you don’t recall their story so far, I posted the first three chapters back in June. Here are the links:
Well, I’m off to groce. Oh yeah, that’s a verb I’d like to coin. Help me out with that.
So this formula that worked for “Lost” is being tried on other shows. Some will work, some won’t. This brings to mind a couple of questions that intrigue me (though perhaps nobody else).
1) If the Aussie guy really did cause the plane crash by not pushing the button, then couldn’t the survivors bring along more supplies and company by purposefully not pushing the button when a plane comes near? Of course, is there even still a button?
2) What happens to all those characters from shows that don’t make it? Many successful shows take efforts in the finale to show what will be happening to the characters when the cameras stop rolling. In “Charmed”, we got to see how each of the sisters’ lives would turn out. Reunion shows pop up every now and again for “Growing Pains”, “Gilligan’s Island”, and “The Brady Bunch”, letting us know that these characters are still the same after all these years.
So I watched “The Class” on Monday, and I watch it with the assumption that the show will be cancelled. Pretty much every character there is overacting (which I just don’t understand in this day and age – aren’t actors a dime a dozen, and haven’t there been ample examples of good acting that bad acting shouldn’t ever make it on screen?). Seriously, each character is more a caricature, though perhaps, if given the chance, the show will improve. But will it get the chance?
So these characters from short-lived shows, what are they doing now? Not the actors – the best friend from “Caroline In the City” became the wife’s sister on “Rodney”. Courtney Thorne-Smith went from “Day By Day” to “Melrose Place” to “According to Jim” (and probably other shows along the way). So many shows are set in the same cities. Wouldn’t these characters bump into each other? (I thought the “Mad About You”-“Friends” crossover was great). For example, when Monica was working in a restaurant, she probably left the restaurant late at times. Couldn’t she have passed by some crime scene that Cisco and Green were working for “Law and Order”? Or, could you imagine if the girl from “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place” met Eugene Young from “The Practice”? He would hate her. Or if Berg applied for a job with the Practice. Then again, I bet Berg would get along with Marshall from “How I Met Your Mother.” Of course, Pete (the third roommate from “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place”) might have ended up dating Elliot Reed from “Scrubs”. We all hear about what a small world it is, why not show it on television. Of course, I hear that’s what the show “Six Degrees” is all about.
And now I’m listening to “Enola Gay” by OMD at the coffee shop, and along with reminding me of high school, when I owned this tape (or at least a mix tape with this song on it, I can’t remember which), I’m reminded of many more sitcoms. I mean, who would have though that Zack Morris would join the NYPD Blue and A.C. Slater would be Dancing With the Stars along with Joey, brother of Blossom? I should have suspected, I suppose, that Shaun Hunter could be swayed to convert his religion and almost be willing to sacrifice himself as a suicide bomber (Law and Order: Criminal Intent). But, see, that’s not what I mean. These again are the actors doing different roles. I want the characters reprised, and not just as Doc and Isaac from “The Love Boat” being hired out as entertainers for a party on “Boy Meets World”.
Perhaps, really, what this is all about, is that in some subconscious way, I am trying to motivate myself to write more. I have started about three or four novels, and these characters are all stagnating, sitting around waiting to be more fully developed, waiting to find out where their futures lie. But instead, they are held captive. I am a jailor. I am nothing more than a cruel, insensitive jailor who hold these characters for no cause – they have committed no crimes (at least none that I have even written for them yet) – and for an indefinite period of time. I do them a great injustice in not writing their stories. Shame on me.
Oh, that the guilt would suffice to getting me to let them free. There we go, I have a goal. I shall now be the liberator. I am a freedom fighter. My five-year-old is interested in Gandhi (who he sees as a real-life superhero). Perhaps my mission will not be as noble as his, seeing as those that I wish to save do not actually exist, but it is no less important a mission. I must succeed. Well, I am off (okay, my mission will have to wait for now; I have to go to the grocery store. But maybe I’ll think about my character while I’m there).
Tell you what. I’ll keep you updated. You keep me honest. The first character I wish to liberate is Uma. My story “Uma, Usha, Urmila” is at a standstill. It is my best shot at a completed novel. Basically, if I can give Uma a life – and write Urmila’s story – then Usha too will be freed. If you don’t recall their story so far, I posted the first three chapters back in June. Here are the links:
Well, I’m off to groce. Oh yeah, that’s a verb I’d like to coin. Help me out with that.
posted by BrainHickey | 2:28 PM
1 Comments:
Watch a lot of TV?
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