Character Flaws

Thank God for reruns on cable!

Of course, most shows tend to wear thin after a while because there is the inevitable sequence of bad episodes when they replace characters and try to continue as if nothing happened. On Cosby, I watch every episode from the beginning through the "Cockroach years", but after that, in season 6 when Olivia shows up, I lose interest. On A Different World, I can do without the first season, but I love seasons 2-5, the "Walter years." After that, the show falls apart in season 5 and the only thing that saves it is the wedding at the end. On Living Single, I liked it from the beginning, but as soon the "Kyle era" ends, the show becomes whack.

OK, so I have character preferences when it comes to repeats...but don't we all? Plenty of folks can watch Good Times reruns for days, but as soon as they kill James, the show loses some of its spark. All of a sudden, Michael starts to act gay, JJ becomes even more corny, and Wilona becomes this over-bearing mother superior. By the time they bring Florida back and Thelma gets married, the thrill is gone. On Sanford and Son, once Grady disappears, Aunt Esther and Woodrow adopt that kid, Lamont's fro gets curly, and Fred opens the Sanford Arms. On Cheers everyone knows the show was much better with Diane. While there were some good episodes during the Rebecca years (the Kelly Kelly song), the show never fully recovers, and all hope is lost when Sam decides to have a kid.

And this is why most shows jump the shark. Richie left Happy Days around the time of the infamous shark jump, and the show was never any good after that (did anyone think that the Fonz was the real star of that show?) The Fresh Prince tried to pull one over on us when they replaced the mother, but did anyone buy that? The same thing happened on Roseanne with the Becky switch. Remember how bad Married with Children became after Steve left? Even a pretty bad show like In Da House got worse after Debbie Allen left.

Message to all sitcom writers: You can't shed crucial characters and expect the show to continue unharmed. It's like sticking your finger in a dike to plug a leak.

I say that we follow the example of the Brit-coms and HBO. If we limit the number of episodes per season, then the writers can invest time in developing their characters and good solid storylines. And then the shows should have a definite life span, say no more than five years. Once a show reaches that point, viewers generally lose interest and then shows go into syndication anyway. We end up watching more reruns than original episodes--think Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, Raymond.

Look, nothing lasts forever, except for perpetual syndication on cable...