With the continued success of anthology series like Fargo, American Crime Story and many more, do TV shows have more of a chance if they remain with the same formula that found them success? Or by changing the cast and locale and telling a similar story once more. This could be particularly interesting with the re-emergence of True Detective after a couple of years. Would it have had its season 3 much earlier if it remained with Rust and Marty?
I think this may not be as extended a discussion as you would like, perhaps reconsider the wording of what you really want to examine. The issue is that formulaic TV is a norm, an accepted format that most TV is structured on - it is either considered serialised or procedural - this means it is either like Fargo, where it is has one long running story arc (serialised) or it is like NCIS where there is a clear formula to every episode (procedural). Perhaps have a listen to the Nerdist Writer's podcast to consider more fully the manner in which TV is written.
The second question you have raised considering the use of ongoing characters versus the break from original characters, such in the Fargo and True Detective series, could actually be a more interesting discussion as this is a contentious area. – SaraiMW7 years ago