A common ‘lazy-day’ issue:
Scrolling through our pick of a streaming service, trying to find a new show to binge-watch for the rest of the rainy afternoon. We find a show that interests us and that we can tell will have us sucked in instantly. Before clicking play, we see how many episodes and seasons have been made. The description reads: 20+ seasons, over 300 episodes.
That lazy day turns into lazy years attempting to get through every single episode produced. Who has time for that! Shockingly, there are avid TV fans everywhere who devote masses of time to completing these series. Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, and Law & Order were born before many of us were and are still producing new episodes today.
These shows were able to build these legacies for a reason–they are lovable, re-watchable, and steal the hearts and minds of their viewers. Episode after episode, season after season, an audience is still sitting on the edge of their seats despite being run for decades. A major contributor is TV networks consistently showing reruns throughout the day and night, and streaming services picking up the shows to make them available at any time. Actors within these series have built their lives around these series, as some of these shows are the most memorable work they have been a part of.
Though these shows are household names and major players in Hollywood, many argue that the extended lengths of these series are actually damaging to the storyline. Producing a high amount of episodes and stretching the show for long periods of time means writers need to figure out ways to keep the audience captivated. New characters need to be introduced, plot twists need to occur, and the overall trajectory of the plot often needs to be altered. An audience will not watch the same storyline over and over, so writers need to ensure they are making changes to keep the show running.
A problem usually is triggered when writers need to drastically change the show–we lose original elements of the show. Grey’s Anatomy is a perfect example of this, as it is currently on its 21st season. The number of original characters that have been either killed off the show or ‘left the hospital’ is extremely high, and new characters are constantly being introduced. Most of the original cast from the first season of the show that aired in 2005 is no longer associated with the series. Furthermore, the plot is ever-changing, and the focus of the show changes with each season produced. It is arguable that the show is a completely different show than it was when audiences first tuned in. It is also arguable that Meredith Grey is a superhero with the number of crazy events she has somehow survived.
This is not exclusive to Grey’s Anatomy, as many series are completely different from the original story. Look at Law & Order: SVU. On its 27th season, the current cast hardly resembles the original detectives from 2005, and the overall format has been completely altered.
While having a multitude of seasons can be wonderful, we lose the original quality of the show as the number of seasons increases. There is less excitement surrounding the series as we do not recognize many of the events happening on the show. Rather than eagerly waiting for the next episode to drop, many fans stick to rewatching the older episodes in order to gain that same sense of originality. Interest can be lost by the audience over time as well, and with less support towards the show, the writers have less motivation to produce the quality of work from the beginning.
Beloved as they might be, sometimes we need to realize when a series is ready to end. Instead of killing off every character and finding new ones to replace them, maybe we should see a series where everyone finally gets their happy ending, and we can all ride off into the sunset together! Because, seriously, who has time to watch all 20+ seasons!
