The Lifespan of a TV show: The Buffy Paradigm
The Lifespan of a TV Series
A friend sent this to me and I am thinking how this could apply to Buffy...
First Season: I would definitely say that it took a little while for Buffy to find its legs...the characters and actors took a little while to adapt and mesh with one another, although there were a number of great episodes, I do think the first season, as with the first seasons of other TV shows, I think it had a decent amount of clunkers as well and needed time to find its groove.
Second Season:
**Elements getting removed**? No, not really...I can't think of an element that was present in the first season get removed in the second. Someone else who has watched the second season more than I have may be able to think of some.
**Writers and performers settling into their roles**: Definitely. I think in the second season, most of the actors started meshing better together and the acting got a lot better (David Boreanaz, I am looking at you!)
**The show is finding its identity**: Check
Third Season:
**Show falls into a nice groove via trial and error** - Obviously, mileage varies, but I do believe this is true....especially of Season Three, which is one of my favorites...
**Nice simple storylines can still be used without the writers appearing ambitious** Definitely true...
**Classic episodes are many** - Check..."The Wish", "Doppelgangland", "Graduation Day 1 and 2". "Choices", "Lover's Walk*, and "Earshot" anyone? At least these are some of my favorites...
Fourth Season:
Sadly, I think this is where we have some deviation from the basic premise because I do think the Fourth Season was a bit weak and had some trouble finding its way. A weak Big Bad and poor character development (Xander and Giles) some of the lowlights of this season.
**Mid point of the golden period, equidistant from the show's shaky beginnings and its eventual crashing decline** - Okay, maybe somewhat true...although I would never say that Buffy had a "crashing decline" nor would I describe the fourth season as a golden period...although there were some standout episodes and the season did get better as it went along, certainly.
**Storylines build on previous templates and raise the stakes without becoming ridiculous** - Check...here, I think most readily of Spike's whose storyline certainly built on previous templates and yet the stakes were raised (Spike's chip), without becoming ridiculous...some people may disagree, but I don't think Spike's storyline became ridiculous at all...he was still trying desperately to be the Big Bad he used to be within the constraints of the chip...this to me, is definitely building on a previous template, without becoming ridiculous.
**Writers still have a good supply of original ideas** - I think the inclusion of Anya's character, Spike's storyline, and the Willow/Oz/Tara storyline fit this bill pretty well.
Okay, so maybe there wasn't as much deviation from the premise as I thought...
Fifth Season
**Writers go for broke and use up every winning idea they've ever had in their lives** - Okay, so Dawn wasn't a "winning idea" in my opinion, but it certainly led to some interesting storylines later on. Honestly, I would say this would be more descriptive of Season 6 than Season 5, but mileage may vary. There were some pretty curious storylines in this season...although I would say Joyce's character arc was definitely a winning idea as it led to some amazing episodes.
**The show's original creative team is still intact and still has something to prove, hasn't grown bored yet, has yet to take the show's success for granted (but soon will, fatally)** - For the most part, check. I do think that the inclusion of Dawn may be evidence of taking the show's success for granted, unfortunately...
Sixth Season (Woot! The one I know the best!)
I think this is where my feelings about Season Six likely deviate from theirs....we'll see...
**Members of the original creative team start leaving to helm various doomed vanity projects** - Joss, anyone?
**Writers begin falling into patterns and repeating themselves** - Here, I disagree. I honestly can't think of a single Season 6 episode that would fit this description, although some may disagree. I admit I am biased as Season Six is one of my favorite seasons...
**The characters crest the hill of natural evolution and are eased into the tar pits of self parody for fear of disrupting the show's successful (and lucrative) rhythm** - In some cases, true... (Giles and to a point, Willow, I am looking at you). However, I think this season marked the most interesting character arcs for Tara, Spike, Xander, and Buffy...which is what made this season so fascinating to me...
**The last season where good episodes outnumber bad ones** - Definitely true...while there were some clunkers...I do think the good episodes outnumbered the bad ones...there are few episodes that I outright skip in this season.
Seventh Season
**The writers are now out of good ideas and the show compensates by upping production values**_ Honestly, don't think this is true for Buffy, for the most part. As I was saying to a friend the other day, I think the First as an idea was a good one...I just think the execution was poor.
**The characters now bend and twist to accommodate increasingly harebrained plots, as opposed to the plots being shaped by the characters** - Okay true for some characters (Giles, again, I'm looking at you, as you became a shadow of your former self in this season), but not for others (Spike definitely shaped his own plots in the last two seasons...as to a point, did Buffy, and even Dawn)
**Whatever originally motivated the show is now too distant for the creators to recall** - Somewhat true, but again, not completely...although some may disagree in terms of some characters' development. I liked Buffy's character in the seventh season, but some may think that Buffy's character arc is a good example of this idea.
**One or two great episodes squeak through but this is purely due to the law of averages** - I somewhat disagree...I think there were a number of very good episodes (LMPTM, Sleeper, CWDP, Never Leave Me" , etc) and some great episodes...
**The Show can still wrap up and head solemnly into the sunset with its dignity intact at this point, but this is its last opportunity to do so** Well, Buffy did, for the most part, so I think this is true. "Chosen" as an episode, is at times, poorly executed, but I do think its still a quality episode and allowed the show to enter into the sunset with its "dignity intact"
All my opinion...others who watched the show and its episodes more than I did may have different and more developed opinions than my own...