Everything Can’t Be Number One

On the ride home, a friend and I were discussing television series. We both showed our age when asked, “What happened to the good old days when cable networks aired full seasons without repeats and two-year waiting periods in between? As some may have guessed, this conversation came on the heels of the alleged announcement that the next season of Bridgerton won’t air for approximately two years. This is said to be an industry standard. My question is, “Since when?”

Now, I realize I may be getting up there in years as I’m beginning to ache when I roll out of bed, but that’s not how I recalled things working when I was a child. Unless my memory has gone plain wonky, I remember the cable network having an evening to present their fall lineup. Actors from the series hosted it and gave a brief overview of each show’s premise. Clips from each series followed. If I’m not mistaken, new series were given more discussion time to entice viewers to watch. The dates and times of the premiers were made clear, and once the season began, there were rarely any reruns or missed days. And there definitely weren’t two-year breaks in between seasons. It was a summer break…three months, four max.

I understand that technology has advanced since I was young—which one would think advancement equals improvement. When I think of improvement, I think of better quality and faster production. If elaborate sets had to be built or a great deal of special effects or stunts had to be performed, I would understand. But let’s face it. Some of these modern sets are, at best, basic with CGI which is pure trash. Instead of dozens of people performing manual labor to design and construct elaborate sets, there are one or two people in an air-conditioned room piecing together images that look straight out of The Beginning of the End (1954).

However, that wasn’t the heart of the discussion. Despite the disappointment of having to wait for releases, the discussion centered on the criticism of the latest installment of the Bridgerton Netflix series. Here’s the thing. Most book-to-movie adaptations are going to have changes to the source material. Often, books have the time go into detail where movies do not. It may be difficult to find actors who look like the characters in the book. Advancements in technology from the time the book was written and the movie produced may have changed. For example, Superman today would be hard-pressed to find a public telephone booth to change in. How far directors and screenwriters stray from the source material is another issue.

Audiences enjoy a certain amount of predictability. However, they also enjoy surprises. Sometimes, watching a strict adaptation can be boring. What works on paper doesn’t necessarily translate well to screen. There needs to be a little switch-a-roo. But the thing is, when one change is made, it can cause a chain effect. For example, (SPOILER ALERT), in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Harry doesn’t snap the elder wand. So, if a J.K. were to pen another book to the original book series that uses the elder wand, an adaptive movie would have some explaining to do—not saying it couldn’t be done.

One of the criticisms I heard about Bridgeton was that Queen Charlotte was “made Black for no reason.” In real life, there is controversy about the Queen’s race. I’m not going to dive into any of that because that is far beyond my scope. What is known is that Queen Charlotte is not a character in the books, therefore, the author does not identify her race. And she was “made Black” for a reason in the series. The series creators use the Queen as an explanation for the diversity in the ton which never existed in reality. Because the King married a person of color, other persons of color were accepted into the fictional ton. This is one of the main deviations from the books that made the Netflix series so popular with viewers. No hate or shade towards the author, but she doesn’t much describe race in her books, and when she does, the characteristics described are more often associated with someone who is Caucasian. And there’s nothing wrong with the author writing that. The point is the Queen Charolette character added something unique and complex to the Netflix series that wasn’t in the books. This is an example of how straying from the source material can have positive outcomes.

So, when there were some changes made at the end of season three, I had to pause with some of my thoughts. There were lots of negative speculations, but here are some of my thoughts.

The Michael/Michaela gender swap. So many people hate this because they say it negates Francesca’s storyline. Now, I can be a little clueless at times; so, when this scene occurred, I didn’t put two and two together to realize Michaela was Michael. Why? Although Michaela was introduced as John’s cousin, doesn’t mean she is Michael. She could be his fraternal twin sister. And how many twins share similar names—Don and Donna, Louis and Louisia, Samuel and Samantha?Francesca’s infertility storyline. I agree this one is a bit more problematic but not if my twin theory is true. Additionally, it appears that if the next season focuses on Francesca, there will be a time jump. (SPOILER ALERT!) At the end of season three, Pen and Colin have a baby. That means at least 9 months have passed. My guess is Francesca’s story will begin after John’s death. After all, Bridgeton is a romance. And with only eight measly episodes they have been giving us, they aren’t going to want to waste the majority of it with Francesca mourning. They are going to want to get to where she falls for Michael or Michaela. So, in that, they could write that she and John’s baby didn’t die. Or perhaps a storyline is developed that Francesca adopted a child—maybe John’s lovechild from a past discretion that he never knew existed and whose mother has passed away. Granted, this would add another complication to the original plot.Benedict’s exploration of his sexuality. Ben, Ben, Ben. This didn’t come as a shocker to me. In season one, I thought that was where Ben’s character was headed then and was surprised when it didn’t. (When he attended Henry Granville’s party put this notion into my head.) My biggest problem with Benedict’s arc was that it all seemed jammed, crammed, and crushed into a handful of scenes like an afterthought. They had plenty of time to build this.In the Netflix series, Penelope seemed like a hypocrite. In the first season, she was all about protecting Colin from deception. Yet, she was willing to marry him with a deception between them. Her apology to Marina Thompson hardly seemed sufficient, seeing how Lady Whistledown leaking gossip of her pregnancy could have destroyed her and drove Maria to the point of almost wanting to unalive herself. But Penelope exposing half the town (including those closest to her) was forgiven in a blink. And I don’t care that her family gave off all the icks. They were still family, and good folks don’t air their family’s dirty laundry no matter what. To be honest, I didn’t like Pen or Colin, and although it was their season, each time they were on the screen, my fingers hit the FF button. Thus, the criticism that there were too many side plots and not enough focus on PenLin, suited me fine. Of course, it wasn’t anything like this in the book.

But I digress. None of the previous was the point of the conversation with my friend. The main issue was that many cable networks and streaming services have developed a habit of yanking shows off the air if they are mega hits. These networks seem to think that if a show doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of followers that it’s not successful. So, they pull it off the air. But not every show can have that type of following. Not all can be number one.

Several years ago, it was announced in the paper that many of the town’s employees were being given a raise. Within days of the announcement—before the raise even hit the employees’ paycheck—prices of goods started increasing. Insurance went up. Rents and mortgages were increased. The raise didn’t help most employees because the cost of living increased to double the amount of their raises. When all is equal, the bar gets moved to maintain a hierarchy. There’s a balance in life. There can’t be an up without a down, an east without a west, or a left without a right.

Randomly, select ten shows on television and rank each one with one being at the top and ten being at the bottom. Now, take number ten away. Nine has become the new bottom slot. Take away number nine, and number eight is now the bottom. The bottom will never go away until there is only one choice remaining. And if there is only one choice, it is neither the top nor the bottom. It is the only. Thus, television shows that people enjoy are being labeled as poor viewership because the numbers aren’t as high as the networks “think” they should be. As a result, there is a string of one or two seasoners despite the shows having a loyal following.

Now, compile this with long breaks between seasons.

One show that I enjoyed suffered this tragic fate. It aired during the writer’s guild strike. During that time, not only were writers not working and many shows went on hiatus, but actors did not actively promote programs. There was no making the rounds of late-night and daytime talk shows or other publicity activities. It’s difficult to be successful if no one knows a thing exists. Then, after the first season of only eight episodes, there was more than a year before the second season aired. The return (another measly eight episodes) had little fanfare. I don’t know the specifics, but some say that viewership increased in the second season. I thought season two ran circles around season one, and part of this had to do with the writer’s strike ending. Then there was some studio administration switching gobbly-goo, and swoosh! Season three was canceled just like that. The show never stood a chance.

Granted, the show wasn’t what I would consider “mainstream.” However, television needs variety. One reason I love reading is because it gives me a variety that television does not. Television seems to want to dictate what is being watched, and perhaps that is one of the reasons people are turning away from cable networks. I know after the show I mentioned was canceled, I stopped watching the network. I was tired of becoming invested only to have the show snatched without a wrap-up. This “everything must be number one” attitude is ridiculous and frustrating. At least with streaming services, viewers can binge-watch complete seasons. They aren’t left waiting for more.

So, that’s all I got. Do you agree or disagree? Was this post helpful? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. If you like this post, please click the like button and share. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read.

If Brokeback Mountain, 8 Seconds, Poltergeist, and Supernatural all had an orgy, Demon Rodeo would be the lovechild.

My contemporary M/M paranormal sports romance, Demon Rodeo, is releasing on September 5, 2024, and is available now for preorder on Amazon. For video book trailers, visit my TikTok page. The full blurb is on my Instagram and Amazon.

Demon Rodeo is the first book in the Chasing the Buckle series but can be read as a standalone. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance set in the rodeo world. These are not your typical cowboys. It’s a widely diverse cast of characters and a mashup of genres that aren’t always seen together. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser, this may be a book for you. Also, expect a lot of goodies and giveaways.

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Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

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