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May. 8th, 2007
The Future of Television?
May. 8th, 2007 01:02 pmLOST has an end-date.
Forget that giving them a guaranteed three more seasons is extremely generous given the way the show's been not performing for most of its second and third seasons. This is actually a brilliant idea.
Because this is exactly what I like about the way serials are done in other genres, mediums, and (thank you BBC!) countries. There's more you can do when you have the end in sight to set it up and get yourself there without wasting time. For a show like 24, obviously you can do that season-by-season because the plot specifically binds characters in a set time. The action and the seasonal closure of it offset and obscure the fact that this is an endless drama (although not lately, from what I've heard). Having the end game planned means no convoluted who's-really-spying-on-whom shit like Alias devolved into. Means no impossible it's-aliens-except-where-it's-the-government-but-everyone's-really-crazy-anyway X-Files muck.
I think every pitch session to networks should include the span of the show as part of it. Sitcoms obviously bend this rule, but for serialized dramas? Having a distinct, discreet package should be more attractive to studios, not less. Yes, you lose the sure thing if it's a hit and you want to keep it going forever, but on the other hand, if it's a hit and you know you've got three-four seasons max to it, think of how much you can blackmail advertisers for. Imagine if the LOST guys had stated their optimal seasons-long deadline as six years two-three years ago when they pitched it. By the time it was the hot thing of the season, advertisers would probably have paid Super Bowl-worthy prices for ad time. When they were then told (on the down low, of course; deniability is key) that such ad space would be a limited thing, maaaaaaan, the monies! The monies!
But really, I like this for the necessary improvements to pacing that it would require of television shows. Fewer wasted episodes or filler with the way that specific plot developments could be then fixed into the schedule and then the rest built around them. This would make flexibility difficult, but that's what these stupid-ass, useless hiatuses are good for, right?
Forget that giving them a guaranteed three more seasons is extremely generous given the way the show's been not performing for most of its second and third seasons. This is actually a brilliant idea.
Because this is exactly what I like about the way serials are done in other genres, mediums, and (thank you BBC!) countries. There's more you can do when you have the end in sight to set it up and get yourself there without wasting time. For a show like 24, obviously you can do that season-by-season because the plot specifically binds characters in a set time. The action and the seasonal closure of it offset and obscure the fact that this is an endless drama (although not lately, from what I've heard). Having the end game planned means no convoluted who's-really-spying-on-whom shit like Alias devolved into. Means no impossible it's-aliens-except-where-it's-the-government-but-everyone's-really-crazy-anyway X-Files muck.
I think every pitch session to networks should include the span of the show as part of it. Sitcoms obviously bend this rule, but for serialized dramas? Having a distinct, discreet package should be more attractive to studios, not less. Yes, you lose the sure thing if it's a hit and you want to keep it going forever, but on the other hand, if it's a hit and you know you've got three-four seasons max to it, think of how much you can blackmail advertisers for. Imagine if the LOST guys had stated their optimal seasons-long deadline as six years two-three years ago when they pitched it. By the time it was the hot thing of the season, advertisers would probably have paid Super Bowl-worthy prices for ad time. When they were then told (on the down low, of course; deniability is key) that such ad space would be a limited thing, maaaaaaan, the monies! The monies!
But really, I like this for the necessary improvements to pacing that it would require of television shows. Fewer wasted episodes or filler with the way that specific plot developments could be then fixed into the schedule and then the rest built around them. This would make flexibility difficult, but that's what these stupid-ass, useless hiatuses are good for, right?