When Shows go Bad

On my way to work while reading the Hearld am I noticed that the new season of scrubs is starting tonight on Rte 2. It used to be great in the early days but when they started to settle down I think it got worse. Just want to know when other shows reached their peak and started to go bad. My friend who likes Lost said the new season is pure tripe now. That kind of thing.

Is Zach Braff still there?

Stargate SG-1 went a bit wobbly towards the end. After McGuyver decided to become a producer exclusively and ditch his on screen role it was never the same. Hate to say this but I think the last 2 seasons of Seinfeld(apart from the finale) weren’t up to the standard of the others.

Seinfelds last 2 seasons is usually blamed on Larry David leaving the show. I will have to start watching Seinfeld as I enjoy Cye so much.

Yeah Zach Braff is still in it. Its just that after 7 seasons it is getting stale. This is the last season so hopefully Jd and Elliott finally hook up for good.

I know yeah and it’s obvious when watching it that he’s not around keeping a watchful eye over things.

Saved by the Bell after they left Bayside. Wasnt the same for me after that.In fact any show where they would change location or setting. It dosent usually work.

The likes of Fawlty towers and Fr Ted had it right, only do a few series and then quit while you’re ahead. That 70’s show is another one which seems to be endless.

Its always the case with american shows. Look at all the brit comedys and you’ll notice they stop when the writers/producers feel its run its course. Black Books, Mighty Boosh, Spaced etc. The Americans bleed shows dry by continuing on until the show dies

True enough Flano but in fairness to the Yanks they do make far more episodes. Look at how many excellent Seinfelds there were before it started to fade. You’ve loads of series and 20 or so episodes in every series. There’s only 12 or 18 episodes of some classic British/Irish comedies like Fawlty Towers/Father Ted.

Really enjoying the US Office at the moment. While I’d say they were right to end the British series when they did, the Americans have made 40 or 50 episodes already and still going very well with it.

[quote=“therock67”]

Really enjoying the US Office at the moment. While I’d say they were right to end the British series when they did, the Americans have made 40 or 50 episodes already and still going very well with it.[/quote]

Have to agree there Rock. Its getting better with each episode. Its starting back up in April after the Writers stike. Gervais and Merchant seem to have a formula of 2 series and a Christmas special to wrap things up. The one thing I will say is I dont think the same jokes over and over that they tend to do would work in a 20 episode season.

Obviously Seinfeld is still a classic, love the show.

I think Lost is a prime example of a show going on too long.

I was thinking about this the other day actually when the lads in the gaff were watching the finale to season 3 of Prison Break. I watched most of the first 2 seasons and it looked like all the loose ends were tied up near the end of the second season and then there was a mad, dramatic twist and they found themselves in a prison in Panama and so season 3 was born.

Judging by the writers’ strike and the way shows in the US have been disrupted in the past few months it appears that they write the episodes parallel to filming almost. So they’re going along and planning on ending the show and then the network realises what a money spinner it is and offer them huge cash to make another series so then the writers have to quickly shelve whatever preliminary plans they had to end it and come up with a new angle to keep it going. In that sense I thought the parts to season 3 that I saw were rubbish and I stopped watching it.

The same thing more or less happened to me with ‘24’ too. I had read about it in advance on the 'net and told all the lads that it’d be worth a watch and I thought it was fairly good and novel for the first few seasons (helped in particular by Elisha Cuthbert / Kim Bauer running around in skimpy tops). But there was an episode where the enemy were bringing biological warfare to LA and Jack was on their tails as usual. Anyway, one of them rang up and said they were going to attack LA and kill thousands of people unless Jack executed the then head of CTU. So Jack brought this guy (William Chapel?) to some disused yard and told him to kneel down. Before he shot him yer man turned around and said if he was going to die then it was a honour for him to be shot by a man serving his country like Bauer. What a load of balls - I couldn’t watch it any more after that.

No they wouldn’t. The US guys created a bit more depth to the characters and added a few more people to flesh it out. It’s excellent at the moment but by the time they’ve finished the fourth series they’ll have done pretty much every office scenario imaginable so I’d say it might only have one more series in it.

[quote=“therock67”]True enough Flano but in fairness to the Yanks they do make far more episodes. Look at how many excellent Seinfelds there were before it started to fade. You’ve loads of series and 20 or so episodes in every series. There’s only 12 or 18 episodes of some classic British/Irish comedies like Fawlty Towers/Father Ted.

Really enjoying the US Office at the moment. While I’d say they were right to end the British series when they did, the Americans have made 40 or 50 episodes already and still going very well with it.[/quote]

In fairness though the British classics will always beat anything from the States. For every Seinfeld, Frasier or US Office brought out there is also tons of US shit produced, Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, Everybody Hates Chris are just some of the crap comedies churned out at the moment. It has to be said that very seldom a shambles of a comedy comes out of Britain.

Although part of the reason why British/Irish comedy is better is because we have a much superior sense of humour to our US counterparts. One thing that pisses me off bigtime about US comedies is that sarcasm “has to” be put forward in a sarcastic voice, this is not the case in British comedy.

I don’t know about that Shan. Have you ever seen a good comedy on ITV for example?

Shows that ran their course: Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, 24, Star Trek Deep Space 9 (after episode 1) Star Trek Enterprise (only kept going cos of the hot Volken).

Agree about comments re: An American Office. Class, class show. Another one I tout a lot is Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I find it hilarious. Entourage is another class show.

I never knew ITV showed comedy!

[quote=“Locke”]Shows that ran their course: Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, 24, Star Trek Deep Space 9 (after episode 1) Star Trek Enterprise (only kept going cos of the hot Volken).

Agree about comments re: An American Office. Class, class show. Another one I tout a lot is Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I find it hilarious. Entourage is another class show.[/quote]

Have never watched Entourage and have only watched 2 or 3 episodes of Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Channel 6. In one of them the 3 lads were trying to pi$$ each other off by scoring each other’s mothers. It was very, very funny.

nip/tuck has officially ran its course despie being very watchable the plot has become ludacris with stalkers killing people, half brothers and sisters riding and amnesia all affecting the main characters…its unfortunate really as i think its a great show…at least it means i can watch all of questions and answers on a monday night

Never watched that either. Does it show random lady bits? If so, I’ll start tuning in.

[quote=“Locke”]Shows that ran their course: Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, 24, Star Trek Deep Space 9 (after episode 1) Star Trek Enterprise (only kept going cos of the hot Volken).

Agree about comments re: An American Office. Class, class show. Another one I tout a lot is Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I find it hilarious. Entourage is another class show.[/quote]

DS9 is the best of all the Star Treks imo. Amazing work done on that show.