This week on "You can fancy it up, but it's still shitty television"...

Watching modern TV dramas, like Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Trueblood, Mad Men, or any number of others, reminds of something Tex Avery once said: "Give me an opening and a closing and thirty gags and I'll make you a cartoon". These new shows seem to follow a similar formula. Opening, they set up a vague motif, then follow with a series of expository fluff, and finally close with a cliffhanger. Every episode as structurally satisfying as an earth worm: A beginning, a series of equally portioned middle parts, and an end. straightforward. Whole seasons can open and close with nothing more dramatic happening than a few "I can't believe he/she did/said that!". What do I want instead? Well I'm not sure. The alternative seems to be the tried and true crisis of the week with rising action and final conclusion. At least it has some dramatic meat, and is not all tease, but they can definitely be just as repetitively meted out.

well, I'm just going to leave you with that broad handful of statements and cop out with a "I had an idea, but I'm coming down sick, and it's 1am"

contradict me, and maybe we can find out together if my thought holds water.


2 comments:

  1. I just found your blog and I think you have excellent taste in links! I wish you would post more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Don,

    I take a little pride in my collection of links, so thanks for the compliment. I hope to post more soon, but school leaves me pretty tired and shagged out.

    The more comments I get though, the more I'm liable to post! Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete