'They' Really Know How To Ruin A Good Thing...

The peeps who make most American TV shows really know how to ruin a good thing. Anytime the public finds something funny on one of these shows, 'The Powers That Be' think they need to take that one funny thing and build the show around that - Do I have some examples? Yes.

First, let's take American Idol. During the first few seasons, during the audition round, we got to see a lot of the good singers, and once in awhile they showed someone who truly thought they can sing, but really could not...and that was pretty funny. This format went along just fine until William Hung came along and actually made some $$ off of his bad singing and persona and suddenly the AI people thought all America wanted to see was a bunch of jackasses who think they can sing, but can't. But, is this what we want to see on AI? NO! We do not...watching people cry because they thought they could sing but were given a dose of reality by the judges (or Simon) was only funny because sometimes we saw some pretty bad singing, and were amazed when these people were surprised to find out they don't have a voice. Today when they show us the 'bad' singers, it just boarders on sad because most of these people are actually real life crazy people, and it just doesn't feel right to laugh at someone who has really got a problem, and not being treated with the proper medication.

Example #2: The Office / Flight of the Conchords (Turning quirky characters into retards). Ugg. Yes, these shows used to be funny because of the quirky characters and different personalities...but since viewers responded to these things 'TPTB' have obviously demanded MORE MORE MORE quirky-ness and character-ness and now most of the characters come off as mentally handicapped because the lines they are given to say and the objectives they are given to achieve are just now longer believable anymore. And if it's not believable, I'm out. On the Office the horse is beat with a stick over and over again as Jim 'plays a joke' on Dwight that anyone with half a brain would pick up on immediately, but Dwight just forges ahead blindly never thinking a rational thought like...eh, it's probably just Jim again!

A character like Dwight needs to be ahead of the game for his quirkiness to come through, not behind (much like Kramer on Seinfeld) or it just doesn't work. Watch the UK office to see how the dynamic between the 'Jim and Dwight' characters is supposed to work. One is confident and one is cocky, and they will both go to any lengths to prove their point, but both are aware of the bigger picture.

OK- On Flight of the Conchords season 2 premier last week it was almost impossible to watch (After a great first season) because the 3 lead characters were suddenly A) Caricatures of their former selves (Murray) and B) A Shell of their former selves (Bret and Jemaine), trying to play the one note of what I assume 'TPTB' thought was funny from the first season.

The last example comes from (my personal favorite) 30 Rock- here, the show was ruined when someone noticed after the first (and best) season that the show was original and funny, and quickly getting a lot of attention, therefore deciding to stick any celeb trying to hock their latest book or stoke their own failing career onto the show, taking all of the focus away from the characters that were being developed on the show. After two seasons of this, the original concept is now almost completely lost. Sure we get a glimmer of it's old self here and there - but I'm not sure they will ever fully get it back. So sad. Don't even get me started on Lost....

Anyway, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Leave comments if you agree to any of this or have your own take. ~SCS