Over the past few years, some of my favourite TV shows (particularly animated ones and those with deep story) have come to an end – by complete choice. Especially animated ones like Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, etc. I've been thinking about this for a while but especially as the approaching end of my absolute favourite animated series, Adventure Time, nears ever closer. Whilst this angers dedicated audiences, many others, just as loving of a show, are happy and in support of studios' choice. This topic has a lot to it and fascinates me. For example; Why do shows end by choice even though their rankings or following is not decreasing at all? How SHOULD a show end? How do producers bring justice to a show before it disappears from our screens? Most of all, I believe audiences who look deeper, like ourselves, as well as the regular every-day audience should understand the multitude of factors that bring a show to an end. There's a multitude of answers and questions regarding this broader topic and I would love to see people's opinions and comments on it!
I really like this question that you ask: Why do shows end by choice even though their rankings or following is not decreasing at all?
My sense is that if someone is set on telling a truly compelling story, that storyteller would want to be able to determine when and how the story ends, not leave the story's telling time up to something as arbitrary as whether or not the series will be continued or cancelled. – JamesBKelley7 years ago
Absolutely, I agree. I have such high respect for shows that end to complete the story etc rather than dragging it out for profit. Even though AT is my favourite show and I’ll be very sad to see it go, I’m glad they’re bringing it to an end due to story ☺️ I wish more audiences could understand these things – inkski7 years ago
I suggest you take a look at how Babylon 5 was planned out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Writing (for many references).
J. Michael Straczynski had the whole story planned in advance, but always kept "failsafes" in place. And then there was the whole mess with it being renewed at the last minute for a fifth season.
Also, sometimes you can't plan for everything. I an actor wants to/has to leave, there is only so much you can do. Especially if it is the main character or one of the main characters. – tanaod7 years ago
Discuss and analyze how many tv series adapt a sense of nostalgia. Many hit tv shows present an underlying sense of nostalgia. For instance, Hulu's This is Us intertwines plot events that take place in not only the present but also the past. In Netflix's Stranger Things, the series takes place in the 1980s. Aside from these examples, there have also been many older shows that have gotten modern day spinoffs: Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, Full House and Fuller House, and That's So Raven and Raven's House. How does nostalgia function in tv and what does it say about our society?
A fruitful avenue might be comparing our contemporary nostalgia for the 80's with the swell of nostalgia for the 50's in the late 70's and 80's (e.g., Grease, Back to the Future, Happy Days), maybe asking how and why three decades seem to be the magic number for these intense waves of nostalgia.
– Allie Dawson7 years ago
Nostalgia can be a way to understand change on a personal level. We all look back and the older you get the farther you look back. Looking back can include nostalgia as in not really seeing that past as it really was but in distorted ways. So being aware of nostalgia helps to provide a grounding that looking back and trying to draw some lessons or observations needs to be done with care because what we are basing our insight on may be a distorted image of the past. When people say "Kids today," or "In my day," then go off on a rant about what they don't like, they are often doing so based on a distorted or embellished image of the past. – Joseph Cernik7 years ago
I get that there's a secret ingredient in the Krabby Patties, but for some reason, this show has remained a consistent, entertaining favourite to a majority of adults who watched it even as children. It would be interesting to take a look at some of the long-standing, rustproof, and robust comedic techniques used in the show that make it appeal to people of all ages.
Maybe expound on this a little bit. What is it about those techniques that we love? Compare it to other cartoons of the day; did those other shows achieve the same effect? Also discuss how those tactics are being employed by cartoons and other shows today. – EmskitheNerd7 years ago
I remember watching Spongebob with my kids. We were all excited when his movie came out, naturally I had to take them. The series is silly but not in an annoying way. The cast of characters is more than just a select few. The storylines are amusing. At times there is wit. I think those things keep it going. – Joseph Cernik7 years ago
What would be interesting to analyze is how the growing trend of killing off major characters in TV seemingly out of nowhere in TV season finales makes a TV show "amazing" and "unexpected". What also might be intriguing is the buzz that comes about when a TV finale is about to air and, more specifically, the fans' speculation on "who's going to die" instead of "what's going to happen". Game of Thrones depicts this perfectly; the countless deaths of its beloved characters has made the show extremely popular, where the high death rate in its season finales brings in many viewers and, subsequently, many dazzling reviews.
(Spoiler alert for Riverdale, Avengers Infinity War, the Divergent series, and the 5th Wave series) While I'm not too familiar with GoT, Riverdale just recently left their viewers on a cliff with the possibility of Jughead being dead. And, of course, if you've seen A:IW, you know that half of the main characters are "dead" at the end of the movie. I've always been a person to respect this choice--like, a lot! In the concluding book to the Divergent trilogy, the main character dies, and the same happens in the last installment of the 5th Wave series. As long as the deaths are dealt with in a realistic way for those universes, I always thought it was great. This would be a really fun analysis to read. Like, why do I like it so much? I don't even really know. – mkkeane977 years ago
I think the expectation of who is going to die might and its popularity might leave any other events as less impactful as they become overshadowed by the deaths. Something to consider. – ZanderTJ7 years ago
This is a very interesting topic. I think with finales of any kind, we're primed to expect a culmination of a character's arc, one whose significance is ultimately encapsulated in how they die, why they die, etc. Death has a finality to it. I think, in expecting death, we become more inclined to appreciate whatever happens in the moments prior to it. Also, I think fan speculation on 'who's going to die' is a preemptive coping mechanism. Again, speculation might prompt extra awareness on how characters act in the finale, thus greater appreciation for their martyr's death, tragic death, etc. I'd argue that the 'who's going to die' and 'what's going to happen' are mutually linked—what really gets lost in the death-hype is how the finale's events will affect future seasons (if any). We'd become so focused on the 'dying' that the 'mourning' aspect of the story, the 'what'll happen after', doesn't immediately come to mind. Especially when there's a break between the finale and the next season. (I think The Walking Dead's S6 finale and S7EP1 is worth examining. Spoilers tho) – Starfire7 years ago
There have been a lot of changes to the adaption/re-make of the classic series Lost In Space. The women now hold the most power, including a female version of "Dr Smith" and it has also introduced multiculturalism into it's episodes, by re-creating the eldest daughter as a mixed race child, from a previous marriage. I would be very interested in reading an article based on the changes and how they represent the positive changes in societal and individual perception.
Addressing the success and failings of the FX series "Legion" regarding its representation of mental illness. While it is an exceptional psychological thrill ride, is its representation of mental illness accurate and respectful?
I think this sounds like an excellent topic! As designers and creators of media such as TV shows and comics, we have the power to help influence society at large. This means that creators have a responsibility to portray topics like mental illness in a way that is respectful and accurate, helping society to begin to develop an understanding of how life is experienced by those experiencing these conditions. – susannah7 years ago
One of my biggest issues with "Legion" is that, in the comics, David genuinely has schizophrenia, and his powers are just an extension of that. In the show, it's just, "No, he doesn't have a mental illness. He's just a mutant." – JaredTaylor947 years ago
In Season 2, we get to hear some of the voices in David's head. They sound like David, they argue with each other, and they convince him of things. He's still clearly unhinged, in addition to his mind-reading powers. But it's also clear that after fighting the Shadow King, he isn't that debilitated by mental illness, so far anyway. – noahspud7 years ago
Altered Carbon is an American dystopian science fiction television series created by Laeta Kalogridis and based on the 2002 novel of the same title by English author Richard K. Morgan.
The premise of the show centers on a society that has been transformed by the invent of a new technology that allows for the transfer of the mind into a clone or another persons body. This has effectively created a wealthy class of near-immortals. A warrior, Takeshi Kovacs, who fought against this very intention is brought back to solve the "murder" of Laurens Bancroft by Bancroft himself.
What makes the show so interesting is the inclusion of a number of key philosophical questions about how we define humanity, the role of the body, the value of mortality, and more. All of which would make an interesting discussion.
Perhaps, the writer can add some reference to the film Cloud Atlas, (2010) it has the same premise of one soul, reincarnating into different 'sleeves' - just a thought. – Jacque Venus Tobias7 years ago
Season One of Wynonna Earp was an interesting reversal of traditional gender depictions. Not only is the main character a kick-ass girl who wields an epic gun, she is also a stereotypical gunslinger, which is normally a man. She drinks (a lot), she swears, she is a sexual being, but she also is about family. However, this was not the only interesting diversion, rather it was the depiction and sexualisation of men in the show. The sidekick character of Doc Holliday is just that, a sidekick who does not diminish Wynonna's strength, the main villain Bobo delivers his epic bad-guy monologue shirtless, there are a series of other men-in-skimpy clothing moments throughout. The show is comedic and very tongue-in-cheek of its treatment of the gender roles, but it is also a great example of how very stereotypical most TV shows are when contrasted to this.
An interesting discussion would be to break down Wynonna Earp and compare it to other female lead shows such as Tru Blood, or even to other popular male shows such as Supernatural that deal in the same genre. Otherwise another comparison is to what happened in Season Two where suddenly we are seeing strongly sexualised portrayals of women, but in a largely lesbian manner – is this for the male gaze, or is it actually continuing to subvert gender portrayals?
