Why is it that after a fantastic first season, (once) favourite shows succumb to a second season slip, or a third season slide?
Watching the premiere season of a new show is similar to the first three months of dating someone. You're enamoured. Every experience is wonderful, every habit intriguing, every flaw an adorable quirk.
Suddenly, SNAP! The allure is gone. You can't help thinking, what the hell was all that about?
Scenes from the X-Files episode Anasazi pop into your head, the one where Mulder went loopy and it turned out someone was slipping hallucinogens into the water supply...!... Infatuation is kind of like that (minus the hallucinogens excuse).
"It's not you, it's me" is a standard, the gloss-is-gone, relationship line. When it comes to ditching television programs, a more accurate version would be "It's not me, it's them".
Television writers occasionally wander so far off-course, there should a scriptwriting version of search and rescue that can be called in to aid with narrative recovery.
To be fair, production company politics, network interference, staff changes to the writing team, too much creative input from someone further up the chain... there's a plethora of reasons television shows succumb to disastrous narrative direction. (Three words: Buffy Season Seven!).
Sadly, great shows inadvertently shoot themselves in the foot when they deliver a kick-ass premiere season. Having set the standard so high, audiences balk at (what they consider) mediocre follow-up seasons. In truth, badly received year two and three offerings of great shows are often equal in quality to other less lauded but popular television programs.
Here's half a dozen prime examples of recent hardcore sliders:
The Good Wife
In The Beginning... it surprised me that I liked a legal procedural so much. The show's premise relies on the audience empathising with the protagonist Alecia. Poor woman has to deal with the personal and professional fallout resulting from the public exposure of her husband's wicked ways (major summary). Also, the multi-facted mob at the law firm made for fascinating supporting characters.
Unfortunately, Later On... it all went haywire. By season two, the writers have inspired such a deep and irrational dislike of Alecia's troglodyte husband and children, it's no longer possible to empathise with her quandaries. Frankly, any episode that doesn't revolve around Alecia assuming a new identity and escaping to Mexico is a disappointment.
True Blood
In The Beginning... True Blood was a wild ride. Vamps merging with modern culture. A telepathic Southern barmaid named Sookie. So much fun! I'll concede the books are better, but enough of the supernatural core of the story survived the small screen transition to guarantee cult success.
Unfortunately, Later On... True Blood went seriously AWOL. The second year suffered at the hands of a terrible season arc, The Maenad Fiasco. (Now, whenever I catch a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode with Ensign Ro in it, I get flashes of Marianne. Bleh!). Rather than being written out, annoying character Tara was granted more storylines and a love interest named Eggs. Worst of all? They cut off Eric's hair.
Gossip Girl
In The Beginning... this glam soapie was so much fun, following the lives of a group of spoilt rich kids from Upper Manhattan (yes, I'm ignoring the Humphreys). Decadent teen lifestyles, fuelled by a parenting deficit, made for endless dramatic fodder. Gossip Girl was an instant guilty pleasure, wrapped in sumptuous high-end fashion.
Unfortunately, Later On... like many teen-oriented predecessors, the show stumbled during that treacherous high school to college transition. The characters remained as self-absorbed as ever, but some storylines floundered outside the secular confines of a high school setting. Don't get me wrong, GG's still fun, but the first and second season were by far the strongest. Luckily, the fashion remains hypnotic.
Parenthood
In The Beginning... this show bedazzled with a standout ensemble cast and a sassy, family-driven script. The return of Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham was also a major plus in my book. I cared about the Bravermans when they first hit the small screen (I've even got a blog to prove it).
Unfortunately, Later On... this one wandered right off the map. Family dramas walk a fine line between being lovably outrageous/emotionally difficult, and plain aggravating. The Bravermans have now become so incredibly annoying, I flick to another network whenever they appear onscreen. Yes, they're the tv version of neighbours you try to hide from!
Glee
In The Beginning... this quirky little musical drama about a school teacher and his obsession with Glee club was heartwarming, funny, inspiring and sweet. The writing in the first season, upon occasion, was also quite witty. (Maybe someone should send the writers the first season dvd to rewatch? Screening party in the green room or something?).
Unfortunately, Later On... the creators began to repeatedly abuse the concept of a thematic tangent. As a friend pointed out to me, the tie-ins for theme episodes are generally lame and lazy. As for the writing, season two is often bizarre, heavy-handed, preachy, and even downright insulting at times.
Sons of Anarchy
In The Beginning... this show about a motorcycle gang was brilliant, and there's no denying S of A showcased some of the best casting I've seen on the small screen in a long while. The writing was thoughtful in terms of content, the episodes well structured. There's a reason everyone got so excited about this one.
Unfortunately, Later On... I hate to say it, but every now and again the third season of Sons of Anarchy gets a little... Aaron Spelling. You know, interpersonal 'drama, drama'. Don't get me wrong- there's still thoughtful storylines, but they seem occasionally buried under flashier narrative options. (Although I'll forgive Sons of Anarchy anything because Jax is SO PRETTY).
*In the interest of not coming across too narky, I would like to add an addendum. I still watch a number of these programs, and there are moments when they shine with their original gleam. Of course, too often that light is hidden under the accumulated grime of lazy and/or repetitive scripting, but there's always a chance they could return to their former glory, which is why I'm hanging in there...
...AND there's the (albeit) slim outside chance a program could up and Supernatural it, ie come straight out of left field and stride confidently toward a pinnacle of television writing, hitting us with seasons four and five that are so mindblowingly entertaining it makes wading through the mediocre years absolutely worth it!
