The popularity of some shows staggers. Recently I was exposed to some episodes of "The Family Guy", a show that many people in my classes refer to often. That'd be the 19-23 yr old set. I guess that means that they don't have that much experience with stories, but the repetition of previous elements without significant alteration leads to ennui.
"Mad" recently ran a comparison of "The Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" with solid reasoning (go ahead, criticize that). While "The Simpsons" did repeat many of the same story elements as in the past, there was significant innovation to make it interesting to even the most jaded viewer... hence the long run of the series.
There are elements that I did like, such as the take on Death (the anthropomorphic personification), which was reasonably innovative and humorous. I'm sure the writers make an effort, and comparing them to Matt Groenig is hardly fair, but even outside of the animation field...
Let's look at Family sitcoms, such as "All In The Family". We see an intolerant, and largely ignorant father figure, a mother that tries to balance things and maintain peace, an antagonistic son(-in-law) and a daughter that sides with him and tries to enlighten the father. This has become a formula, and "formulaic" is seen as a *bad* thing. Still, even successful family sitcoms, such as "The Cosby Show" feature these elements (for the most part... the basic formula has been expanded to accomadate a 5th member, usually a very small, precocious, child).
Story elements are also pretty formulaic, and the problem becomes introducing these elements to the characters in refreshing ways, and resolving them in interesting ways. As time progresses it becomes harder to introduce these ideas in new combinations. Sometimes a new setting eleviates some of the problem. Space, a wagon train, underwater (actually, that one has never done well for some reason), and other unusual locales can allow new elements (subplots) that allow for different paths to, lets face it, the same resolution.
Many people have complained about the lack of depth for television programs, usually excerbated by the commercial nature of media.
I dislike the form, but television might see good use of the "tragicomedy". Tragicomedies start as tragedies, but end happily. Or they could invert that formula. Not that this hasn't been tried, I'm sure.
Damn stupid people, comfortable with sameness.
1 Kommentar:
I think those of us who enjoy it, over the age of like 19, like it because it is a mockery of those "family sitcom" shows. Yes, it formulaic - because they are.
Yes, it's a rip off of every other "family" show. But then most Sci-Fi movies and shows have StarWars breathing somewhere below thier surface. That doesn't make BSG bad. There's just a theme, and someone made it big.
I know a lot of people 24-40 who like Family Guy. Some even, sadly, like American Dad (which got renewed no one knows why). It's the mockery of the genre, not so much the content as a 'family' show.
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