My favorite television show at the moment is the BBC spy drama Spooks, which has been aired in the US under the title MI-5. I’m up to season six out of nine right now, with promise of Richard Armitage yet to come. Yum!
(I tend to glom onto a series and watch everything in one go. Does anyone else do that?)
Other than the most recent Mr. Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, who helped launch the show, I was attracted to it nearly from the outset by a very, very surprising sequence in its debut run. A spy was killed. FLAT OUT. Just like that! Thus from the series’ origins, the creators provided a rather firm warning that no character was safe. How terrifying! And how…interesting. For a happy-ever-after sort of gal, I found a little thrill walking on the wild side, where the conclusion is never foregone.
Think about how many TV dramas offer genuine surprises. Not many. Celebrity culture has made it difficult to avoid talk of actors’ contract negotiations and their plans to leave a long-standing role. So if Matthew Fox, for example, had decided to leave “Lost” before its finale, the public would’ve known about it weeks in advance. No surprises! Now, as long as I avoid the internet, I can be genuinely surprised by characters’ fates on Spooks. I have survived shocking deaths, bittersweet conclusions, and one very touching happy ending.
It’s almost like life.
But look back to my title… In search of consistency.
Season six has started off badly for me. Characters who had been developing significant personal storylines have seen those threads dropped. A stone-cold bitch I was just beginning to admire has suddenly gone touchy-feely. An affair with a nanny has been completely mislaid. A character who started as a wide-eyed journalist is now a seasoned spy equipped with martial arts training and advance computer skills. However, without seeing proof of the work she’s put into becoming that sort of human being, she comes across as a mouthpiece to advance the plot. Frustrating.
Worse than character inconsistencies, the show overall has some of its charm. One of the early strong points dealt with spy politics between MI-5 (Britain’s home security), MI-6 (its security abroad), and various government bodies. Hugh Laurie in his pre-House days would show up to give the head of MI-5 some extremely snarky hassle. Brilliant! But season six has seen MI-5 agents blithely heading off to Iran on missions. Really? What happened to all the subtle, very British turf wars?
If the show doesn’t turn it around soon, I’ll be watching merely to admire Richard Armitage (never, ever a bad thing) and to see who gets killed off next. But it’s certainly not what caught my eye initially.
This got me thinking about why I generally dislike reading series of books. Sustaining plot threads and consistent characters can be incredibly tricky even within the pages of a single novel, let alone across a long-running series. Actual growth is difficult to portray, while running the risk of making characters appear inconsistent for the purposes of the plot–or, more ominously, for the purposes of sustaining sales and ratings!
So let’s dish about series! What favorite written and televised series really work for you? When did they jump the shark? Do you, like me, find character and thematic inconsistencies difficult to overcome, or does their potential for long-term growth grab you?
Because I feel like spreading the word about Spooks–at least the excellent, addicting early seasons–I’m giving away a complete DVD set of Season One! US residents only, please. I’ll draw the winner tomorrow morning. Good luck!
My favorite book series is very odd indeed. Dick Francis had only two series during his 40+ book career. One was two books long – the other, four, spread over 20+years. That one starred Sid Halley, a former champion jockey forced to leave racing because of a hand horribly damaged during a racing fall (it was eventually amputated & replaced by an electronic prosthesis). Sid became a well-known and respected detective within the racing community, and the books that star him (ODDS AGAINST, WHIP HAND, COME TO GRIEF, UNDER ORDERS) are terrific in their consistency and development of characters, despite the enormous time span between the first two and the third.
A friend of mine in college read Dick Francis! He loved them, swore by how good they were. Perhaps because of the reasons you mentioned
I LOVE Dick Francis. Absolutely love him. One of my all-time favourite books of his is THE DANGER. But they are really all good.
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I admit I became a huge Lost fan, but towards the end as all my fave characters were being killed off it became a game of “I have to watch just to see if it gets better!”. And yes it seemed like the remaining characters suddenly got more interesting back stories and talents. I was kinda disappointed in the end of the series, I felt it could of went out better.
There was a UK series called HEX that I loved when it started then it got really bizarre and they removed the main character and added a bunch of new ones, that totally threw it for me. Once I like characters and Im comfortable with them I dont want new ones to take their place. It just never works for me- I guess Im loyal. LOL
I certainly understand that! I like sticking with favorite actors and actresses, plus the characters they bring to life. I think what worked for me with SPOOKS is that they introduced new people fairly regularly. You can’t ever tell which ones will stick around! It makes me extra protective of the ones I like, which only ratchets up the tension when they’re in trouble. I’m not usually one for that level of suspense!
My favorite tv serie is Charmed, Supernatural, L&O: SUV, … I’ve got so much ! The thing is that I will get attract to any serie I can also follow online. Because I can’t always watch TV (I have a couch-sport-loving husband), I will go online during the day to watch my shows.
Oh, I’m the same way! If I have to sit on the couch and watch on my old TV, I generally don’t. But I love to watch shows online because my computer monitor is SO much better! Plus with my tendency to glom onto a show, I enjoy just spending a Saturday afternoon indulging in several episodes at a time.
I’m a huge “Alias” fan, but I love it as urban fantasy, not as a chronicle of the life of a CIA officer.
One thing I adore about “Alias,” besides the acting skills of the distinguished cast, is that there aren’t clearly defined heroes and villains (except Sydney, of course). Each character is richly detailed and deeply motivated, even if you don’t always know what those true motivations are. A great deal of tension comes from wondering whether or not each character will help Sydney or hurt her, and even if they choose to help her, you can’t help but suspect that there’s some ulterior motive behind the apparent altruism. And no one is safe from pain, not even Syd. The writers tortured that poor girl, and us along with her. Very compelling stuff!
Also, there’s amazing sensual tension between the heroine and her gorgeous men, Michael Vartan and Bradley Cooper. David Anders, too! I think that if you don’t love Sydney Bristow, you can’t like Alias, but I’m a huge Sydney fan, so it works for me.
I never watched ALIAS when it was on, but I’ve been considering a glom because of a serious crush on Bradley Cooper. I only discovered him with THE HANGOVER and A-TEAM, and now I’m hooked. The boy is just *lovely*.
I really enjoyed Charmed and McGyver. I have most of the seasons on DVD and I do watch them. I’d probably buy NCIS too if it wasn’t for the fact I’ve re-watched them so many times on USA network. I haven’t tried Spooks yet, it does sound like something I would enjoy watching.
Ooh, MacGyver! So much fun! I used to look forward to watching it each week. I haven’t seen them in years, but I wonder if that’s a good thing. Sometimes 80s TV doesn’t hold up
Carrie, yep hubby and I have been known to gulp series in one long run too. We got hooked on 24, and enjoyed watching Jack nab the bad guys. The Unit is another series we watched together. Now for me, Gillmore Girls continues to be my fav. I love the brilliant dialogue and interaction between characters. But too, toward the end, they switched writers and I did notice. Guess it was a great run while it lasted! I just wish they’d come up with more series like that; small communities and all that comes with it. I remember watching the Waltons when I was growing up and getting a close-up look at the great depression, and how it affected everyone. The family core was the strength that survived the best. I love seeing character growth, and that aces everything imo. Oh, Charmed is a great series too, since I love the Magical out there.
Great post!
Ooh, “The Waltons” reminds me so much of my mom. She loved those family shows, like “Little House on the Prairie.” I was named after the character Carrie, plus Lindsey (one of the twins who played her). I think that really family-based programming like that must’ve been in response to how crazy the 70s were, as if there remained a segment of the population that really wanted a simpler, more stable time. “Happy Days” was sort of like that too, I think.
Love, love, love MI-5 from its first airing on A&E channel years ago. PBS is running them from season one (again) and hopefully will end with season 8 this time. Fortunately I just finished watching season 8 – the first Richard Armitage season – thanks to NetFlix streaming. I have many of the same complaints you do re: plot lines dropped, characters changing, sudden expertise of journalist turned spy, etc. Not surprisingly, the screen actually crackles when he’s on it. I think Season 8 redeems a lot of these, so keep plugging on through!
Like Jamie – big Alias fan, more of the first 2 or 3 seasons though I stuck with it to the end. I watched LOST from start to finish too. What keeps me attached to these shows with deep, long-stretched mythologies is first and foremost the characters. Long after I’d had enough of Sydney crying b/c of her screwed-up family, I stuck around for Vartan and Spy Daddy and Spy Mommy b/c they were so compelling (though JJ Abrams totally trashed 6 years of Spy Mommy complexity for the easy out in the finale). And long after the tease without pay out got old on LOST, it was Sawyer and Juliet, and Hugo, and Ben Linus, and John Locke and Desmond and Penny who kept me riveted to the screen.
Once again, when crafting resounding stories that keep a reader/viewer coming back for more it’s character first and foremost. Or at least it is for me.
It really must be hard to sustain the same level of complexity and consistency when the studios and TV corporations demand BIGGER and BETTER. Sometimes “more of the same” really suits a core audience, but that probably isn’t good enough for the money involved. *sigh* Most times I’m just tickled pink when a series or two proves satisfying, and then stick to those
My favorite series is the Harry Potter books. Just brilliant. Harry and his friends were in great peril in each book, yet they managed to survive, giving readers a happy ending, while still not solving the main problem until the last book–killing Lord Voldemort for good.
And I think JK Rowling was brilliant in ending the books when she did. If she kept on going forever, the readers might have gotten tired of it.
The other series I’ve been reading are stand-alones by Jayne Ann Krentz of the Winter/Jones/Arcane society books that she writes through her historicals under Amanda Quick and her futuristics as Jayne Castle. I think I really like her voice, and I know I’m not alone.
I think a series with a definitive end must work better, in some ways, than an open-ended on. Think about the difference between a soap opera and a closed series. A soap opera happy ending lasts for all of two minutes! Then it’s on to the next catastrophe. But a closed series has the luxury of promising readers that, yes, one day it’ll all be concluded. It must make for a very different means of storytelling.
I was a big Soprano’s fan and made sure to tune in for all the new episodes. I loved how the writers made Tony Soprano likable when there weren’t a lot of reasons to like him. I have to admit, I started to feel disappointed toward the end of the series and the last episode left me perplexed. All in all, I thought the writing on that series was fabulous.
I never watched “The Sopranos” but I’ve heard that from a good friend of mine, that the initial series was just astonishing. But whenever I get tempted to go find out what he’s talking about, I wind up watching the first two Godfather movies instead
I think the key to series consistency, whether in print or visual media, is for the writer(s) to have an idea of where they are going right from the start–the story arc, in present writing terminology.
In retrospect the TV series whose arcs work best for me, of the ones I collect on DVD (yes, I do like going through them quickly and *sans* the advertising annoyances), are Star Trek:Deep Space Nine and the similar but humorously self-advertised “not-another-deep-space-franchise,” Babylon 5. Of the latter, it was made clear from the beginning that its creator & primary writer was working from a master arc, though unfortunately it had to be altered due to the vagaries of network changes & politics while preparing for its 5th and final season. (Originally they were going to cancel it after season 4–pfft.) I would have loved to have seen JMS’s original vision for season 5; as it was, I didn’t care for the first few last-minute-retooled season 5 episodes and only watched the rest of them on DVD years after their original airing.
I am currently re-watching ST:DS9 and continue to be impressed at how they set up the major story lines right from the beginning. Yes they felt they had to jack up the series’ popularity among the fans (most of Trek fandom, alas) who couldn’t understand that this was never intended to be yet another Planet-of-the-Week Star Trek incarnation, by adding the Michael Dorn/Worf crossover character mid-series, but they did it in such an intelligent way that someone not familiar with the series’ development probably cannot tell the difference.
Of the current TV series I am currently collecting, the ones that are demonstrating similar arc-promises are Burn Notice (and I am curious how Spooks compares in terms of character likability), White Collar, Haven (which I didn’t think I would like at first because the only Stephen King book I like is one he co-wrote with another author), and Warehouse 13. My “jury” is still out regarding those shows (and others), but I certainly am enjoying the rides they offer!
Kim Headlee, author
I really enjoyed ST:DS9, and I’m not a big Trekkie (my husband is). I think it’s because of the family dynamic to the show, where things happened to them in an almost everyday sense rather than as they went traipsing into the unknown. That the writers could still find sci-fi drama in that more staid setting was entertaining to me.
P.S. When I refer to “story arc,” I implicitly include “character arc,” because it’s the characters who drive every good story! And the best stories feature characters across the entire moral spectrum whose differing agendas & motivations evolve throughout the course of the series based upon their experiences with each other.
~Kim
Carrie, I just started watching MI-5, got it from the library, and have only seen the first episode, but I think I’m going to like it.
Like many above, I’m an Alias fan. Supernatural (which is losing it’s pull with me), Charmed, and Buffy. I also watch Nikita and Burn Notice….love my spies!
I ususally end up watching long term because I love the characters and not because of the plot, so I’ll tolerate some junk as long as the characters remain true to their personalities.
Now you’ve got me thinking about it, tomorrow, I’m heading to the library to get the whole first season of MI-5!
Enjoy! That first season is a doozy
I’m a huge X-Files fan. The writing and acting was strong and I know some people felt the show wasn’t up to snuff during its last seasons, but I still enjoyed watching Mulder and Scully. I wasn’t excited when Mulder disappeared and Robert Patrick was brought in as Scully’s new partner.
<3 Mulder and Scully! They were me favorite show in college. Our dorm couldn't get Fox very well, so we'd pile into the lounge and claim the TV! But I did stop watching when Robert Patrick and his new partner came on. What is X-Files without Mulder and Scully? Not the same!
Carrie, I’ve been wanting to watch the MI-5/Spooks series forever! My cousin was raving about it to me a few years ago and I’ve had it on my list since then. No doubt I’ll love it. (I mean, c’mon. Interesting plot aside, there’s Matthew and Richard…
) And I do tend to glom onto a series late and watch in bunches. I didn’t see an episode of the X-Files until season 6 or 7. Then I watched them all. Same with ER. Supernatural was an unusual series for me in that I caught it midway through the first season and kept going but — like Misty said — it’s losing its pull with me, too. How many times can someone be dragged back from hell?
You know what’s fun about SPOOKS? In between Matthew and Richard, you get Rupert Penry-Jones. He was in the most recent (and sadly, inferior) adaptation of PERSUASION, but otherwise he’s a bit of an unknown to US audiences. He’s delicious. Really, really, really. So yeah, you can’t go wrong bouncing from one fabulous lead to the next
Oh, you’ve struck on a great topic here! I’m an absolute television series addict.
I was one of those people who never saw one single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on television because I had seen that original movie and was sure it would stink. Then, one day, I stumbled upon a copy of the first season and ended up getting and watching the entire 7 seasons plus 5 of spin-off Angel all in a couple months time frame.
What kills me is when I like a television series (particularly one with as good of writing as that one) and then it is over. As in, off the air, forever gone. Then you know that you’ll never be able to go back and watch it “for the first time” again. Kind of like that first kiss. Sigh.
Another thing that irritates me to no end is when you get hooked into a new series and they cancel it during mid-first season or better yet at the end of season 1 leaving you with a cliffhanger. It leaves you with that golden retriever head tilt in a “What the ?” kind of moment.
They did this with Moonlight (another vampire goodie) and a couple years ago with Tru Calling which I thought was quite a good show.
Recently, I’ve gotten addicted to In Plain Sight and if you haven’t seen the U.S. Marshalls in action on that one–you’ve just got to. Particularly fond of the clever character Marshall Marshall Mann.
Thanks for the chance to win, Carrie!
Carlie, I absolutely agree. My husband and I *adored* the “Battlestar Gallactica” reboot, as well as the BBC dramas “Life on Mars” and “Ashes to Ashes.” We glommed onto them so hard and ran through them so quickly because they were astonishingly good. And then…gone?? What?? But I suppose you could say the same about a great book. You look and look for one that’ll really stand out and be amazing. There’s the rush to finish, the finale…and then the hunt for another rush
Dang … I don’t watch much television, but I’m totally addicted to the HBO “True Blood” series. Well done. I started watching Lost but they lost me after the second series. Same with Heros. I LOVED the first couple of years, but they lost me in the third. No reason why.
I adore reading series. Keri Arthur’s Reilly, Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson … man … a whole slew of series. Sometimes its hard to keep track of them, but if the author manages to keep the world building consistent and advances the story line … I’m there.
“True Blood” seems to have a lot of people in its grasp, Liz! You’re not alone there
It must be kind of a neat comfort when reading a series, in that you get to look forward to the continuing saga–especially if the author lives up to her own previous success. Maybe I’ve only hit on series that didn’t work for me. The Mercy Thompson books have been catching my eye for a while. I should give those a shot!
Oh, series–
I very rarely read book series these days for the reasons you lay out. I just hate inconsistencies (no, I’m not a Virgo, not at all…) although I do love allowing a story to develop slowly and organically.
Which is why I’ve historically been drawn to series that are ultimately doomed in our fast-food, gimme now society. Mad Men, which is a master class in character develop and isn’t afraid to allow their characters to be absolutely deplorable.
I love Criminal Minds because I enjoy the psychological nature of the cases and the glimpses they give us into the profilers’ personal backgrounds and how that informs their work.
My new one (which is limited run, damn you, BBC) is Sherlock. Oh my, how I love the modern day interpretation of the classic character. (And I have such a soft spot for Watson as portrayed by Martin Freeman.)
Oh, and Burn Notice and Hawaii Five-O for cracktastic pretty fun.
I wanted to drag Martin Freeman’s Watson into a closet and do very dirty things to him. OMG. And just so you know, it’s been picked up for a full series by the BBC for late 2011. Bring it on!
Oh, and my editor at Pocket has demanded that I watch “Mad Men” before I talk to her again. Heh. An order’s an order…
Haven’t I been ordering you to watch Mad Men? I think I have. *nods* Your editor, despite her lack of foresight in picking up certain option books, is very, very wise in this matter.
I you and I have had Words about Martin Freeman before, so yeah, I figured you had intentions where he was concerned. Next time we get together (and seriously, I’m starting to think Chicago in Spring might not be a bad idea) we’re going to have to mainline the three eps and have some good old-fashioned discussions. I’m not crazy about Moriarty, but then again, I’m not fully convinced he actually is Moriarty. I also have wicked ideas over who I think would be a worthy Moriarty.
Spooks — I have just finished series 9.
Series 6 — yes, I know what you mean in some ways but actually series 6 gets really good. So it is uneven. I think the nanny stated that she couldn’t take it any more and left. One of the reoccurring themes is the inability to hold relationships when you have secrets.
Series seven is excellent. Series 8 has its moments. Series 9 is tired and really jumps the shark. But Richard Armitage is highly watchable and Peter Firth makes the show. Then there is the woman who plays Ruth… There are reasons to watch. And no character is safe.
With series, a lot depends on the consistency and adherence to the Bible of the series. And are things written down? Plus you do have to sometimes go — in a glaxy far far away…
Michelle, does Ruth come back???? I <3 Ruth like damn. And yes, I'm finding that Peter Firth is the genuine heart of the show, which is interesting because he's up against all these luminary male leads…
Carrie, I loved Spooks initially, too. But then I sort of stopped watching it, and then my husband and I saw it was on one night, quite a few series in, and I was aghast. A journalist and one MI5 agent are sent in to deal with a building teeming with terrorists? Huh? Sorry, they lost me right there.
Series can become too out there. I think there is pressure to always come up with something wow and it starts to become silly. I think this is especially true of television. I’m writing a series now, and man, it’s hard
. You have to balance growth with action with making it stand on its own. Nora Roberts seems to pull this off as J.D. Robb in her Dallas and Roarke series.
Eve Dallas really is the gold standard, isn’t she? But then, Nora is the gold standard
The episode you mentioned was actually a season or two ago from where I’m at, so maybe I’m slower to irk! Up until then, the “suspension of disbelief” involved had to do with plot. I seem more able to absorb that, but not radical character shifts.
Through the magic of Random.org, the winner is Carlie A.! Carlie, please email me at: contactATcarrieloftyDOTcom so I can know where to send your DVDs
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Oh my! Just happened to stop by and see this. Thank you so much. I’m dancing an absolute jig right now. Please know that this will be absorbed and loved to the fullest. Thanks.
By the way, I was just reading about your new Victorian series coming out in 2011. Huge Congrats on that!
Thanks, Carlie! I’m super excited about the new series. Monday I start work on book two, which will take place in Scotland–so I’m globehopping. Congrats again on winning. I hope you enjoy it!