Brilliant Because Canceled?
I love Bryan Fuller's shows; I think he's brilliant as a show-runner.
However, I have a theory.
Part of the reason that he's so brilliant is that his shows always get canceled too early. Wonderfalls was 13 episodes, 4 aired. Dead Like Me was two short seasons and a movie. Pushing Daisies is two short seasons.
And as tragic as that is, and as much as I'd love to see his shows last longer, they never have the chance to jump the shark. The plot devices don't have time to get old; the premises don't get worn out; the original, fresh storylines that are the impetus for the beginning of the show aren't played out; the characters don't have the chance to become something different than what they were in the beginning.
In that short a time--30 episodes or less, basically--the shows can remain these encapsulated moments of brilliance, and the showrunner is never faced with the challenge of sustaining the world created in the show for a long period of time. I mean, any show that runs for more than a season faces a weak season; a show, no matter how brilliant, can't sustain the same level forever. Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Heroes, Ugly Betty, Everwood, Joan of Arcadia -- those are just the ones off the top of my head that I've watched recently, but each of them has strong seasons and weak ones, and each of them has storylines that are generally considered to be weaker than the others. (And, incidentally, each of those shows had first seasons that were widely considered to be exceptionally strong.) Individual fans' favorites may differ, of course, but the fact is, when a show runs past the initial premise, there are going to be developments that don't work as well as others.
So, as much as I think it's tragic that Pushing Daisies is being canceled early, and as much as I would have loved to see some of these shows go on and live longer, maybe it's not completely a bad thing. I'd love to see how Bryan Fuller would do as a long-term showrunner, and how he would carry a show through multiple seasons, but at the same time, the circumstances a) allow his reputation as an excellent showrunner to be preserved, and b) allow the various ideas floating around in his head to see the light of day, in one way or another.
What do you think?
However, I have a theory.
Part of the reason that he's so brilliant is that his shows always get canceled too early. Wonderfalls was 13 episodes, 4 aired. Dead Like Me was two short seasons and a movie. Pushing Daisies is two short seasons.
And as tragic as that is, and as much as I'd love to see his shows last longer, they never have the chance to jump the shark. The plot devices don't have time to get old; the premises don't get worn out; the original, fresh storylines that are the impetus for the beginning of the show aren't played out; the characters don't have the chance to become something different than what they were in the beginning.
In that short a time--30 episodes or less, basically--the shows can remain these encapsulated moments of brilliance, and the showrunner is never faced with the challenge of sustaining the world created in the show for a long period of time. I mean, any show that runs for more than a season faces a weak season; a show, no matter how brilliant, can't sustain the same level forever. Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Heroes, Ugly Betty, Everwood, Joan of Arcadia -- those are just the ones off the top of my head that I've watched recently, but each of them has strong seasons and weak ones, and each of them has storylines that are generally considered to be weaker than the others. (And, incidentally, each of those shows had first seasons that were widely considered to be exceptionally strong.) Individual fans' favorites may differ, of course, but the fact is, when a show runs past the initial premise, there are going to be developments that don't work as well as others.
So, as much as I think it's tragic that Pushing Daisies is being canceled early, and as much as I would have loved to see some of these shows go on and live longer, maybe it's not completely a bad thing. I'd love to see how Bryan Fuller would do as a long-term showrunner, and how he would carry a show through multiple seasons, but at the same time, the circumstances a) allow his reputation as an excellent showrunner to be preserved, and b) allow the various ideas floating around in his head to see the light of day, in one way or another.
What do you think?