The Trouble with Ensemble Casts
When I discovered this show was on YouTube, I was so excited, I watched the first few seasons straight through.
I also watched the first five seasons of this show on Netflix.
Both shows' storylines tanked after the first few years. That happens about 90 percent of the time with serial TV series, I've found. They usually linger on for years before someone finally puts them out of their misery.
I started wondering, though... Why can I watch old shows about teens and 20-somethings, but not new ones? So I decided to try out the newer version of the above two shows. I started with this one:
I barely made it through the first half of one episode. They introduced us to no less than eight people in the first ten minutes. I couldn't figure out who any of them were. There was nothing to grab onto.
I decided to try out 90210 before I gave up forever. From scene one, I was hooked. We were introduced to a family. We got to know the two teens in that family before we started meeting all the other generically beautiful people.
Because we were introduced to a central character (the female in front of that picture^) first, we cared. We could get to know the others through her. That was exactly what Melrose Place did in 1992 (Allison) and Beverly Hills 90210 did in 1990 (Brandon and Brenda).
Wiewers need a hero. We need someone to root for. I've personally found the same goes for literary fiction. When a book throws too many characters at me in the first chapter, I tend to get lost.
I don't think I'm the only one. After all, the new Melrose Place lasted one season, while 90210 stuck around for five seasons and had high ratings and good reviews for first couple of those.
What TV shows do you watch?
I also watched the first five seasons of this show on Netflix.
Both shows' storylines tanked after the first few years. That happens about 90 percent of the time with serial TV series, I've found. They usually linger on for years before someone finally puts them out of their misery.
I started wondering, though... Why can I watch old shows about teens and 20-somethings, but not new ones? So I decided to try out the newer version of the above two shows. I started with this one:
I barely made it through the first half of one episode. They introduced us to no less than eight people in the first ten minutes. I couldn't figure out who any of them were. There was nothing to grab onto.
I decided to try out 90210 before I gave up forever. From scene one, I was hooked. We were introduced to a family. We got to know the two teens in that family before we started meeting all the other generically beautiful people.
Because we were introduced to a central character (the female in front of that picture^) first, we cared. We could get to know the others through her. That was exactly what Melrose Place did in 1992 (Allison) and Beverly Hills 90210 did in 1990 (Brandon and Brenda).
Wiewers need a hero. We need someone to root for. I've personally found the same goes for literary fiction. When a book throws too many characters at me in the first chapter, I tend to get lost.
I don't think I'm the only one. After all, the new Melrose Place lasted one season, while 90210 stuck around for five seasons and had high ratings and good reviews for first couple of those.
What TV shows do you watch?
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