Current Events > Do you hate it when TV shows don't have a story arc?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like, it starts out like there's a nice unfolding story, but then soon enough the show just reaches a point where every episode is its own little story and can be watched in any order because everything just goes back to the way it was at the end

IMO the best shows should have a continuing narrative from episode to episode
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Eh, idk, it can work for some shows. Black Mirror for example is a good case for this, as it deals with a wide range of modern societal issues with technology, some of which might be incompatible with the others. Every episode can construct an entirely new universe with different social rules and technological innovations.
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sellerdore posted...

Eh, idk, it can work for some shows. Black Mirror for example is a good case for this, as it deals with a wide range of modern societal issues with technology, some of which might be incompatible with the others. Every episode can construct an entirely new universe with different social rules and technological innovations.

Black Mirror was always an anthology series though. I actually don't know if I've seen what TC is talking about.
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On one hand TC is describing an episodic show. On the other hand, TC is describing a show that starts out with a narrative that then becomes an episodic.

I have no clue what TC is talking about.

dave_is_slick posted...

I actually don't know if I've seen what TC is talking about.

Most, like CBS shows fall into that format. You don't have to have seen the previous CSI: Miami episode to know what's going on in this one. Or Big Bang Theory or etc. There are overarching elements, but these are secondary.
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I like how they do it like how burn notice and a lot if shows do.

Develope a plot and then go every other episode random adventure/plot with a bit of both mixed in each episode.
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Antifar posted...

dave_is_slick posted...

I actually don't know if I've seen what TC is talking about.

Most, like CBS shows fall into that format. You don't have to have seen the previous CSI: Miami episode to know what's going on in this one. Or Big Bang Theory or etc. There are overarching elements, but these are secondary.

I think he's talking about dropping all overarching plot elements though.
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fuck no.

if anything it seems like every TV show today needs to have some type of arc instead of just people getting into day to day stuff.

the reason why it doesn't really work is because TV shows in america(and many other places probably) never seem to have a proper "endgame".

they non-literally follow the money and if something is popular enough, it'll be stretched through 10+ years only for it to be half-assedly wrapped up after tying 100 loose ends together within the last 2 episodes, if they even bother to tie them up to begin with.

this is pretty much in straight contrast to shows in something like south korea... their TV blockbusters for the most part have a finite amount of episodes which is usually less than a typical american TV season at 24~ episodes.
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dave_is_slick posted...

I think he's talking about dropping all overarching plot elements though.

Exactly

Basically, a series that starts by building a story, but then drops it completely after 5-6 episodes and after that every single episode just finishes with the status quo being restored.
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Not really. While overarching stories are nice, they don't necessarily always add something and it's often handled poorly, particularly when it's a mix of continuity and episodic (ie, Supernatural has episodes where they pay lip service to the continuing story while killing a monster of the week).

Honestly, if anything, larger story arcs often feel overused and completely unnecessary. It works and makes sense when you have something like a Netflix exclusive, but too much continuity and longer story arcs just get hard to follow on a week-to-week basis. Plus a lot of them handle longer stories badly.

frozenshock posted...

IMO the best shows should have a continuing narrative from episode to episode

idk, many of the best shows including my personal favorites -- Columbo, Poirot, etc -- work just fine without it.
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Depends on the show. South Park is one that's suffered from a whole season arc.
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frozenshock posted...

Like, it starts out like there's a nice unfolding story, but then soon enough the show just reaches a point where every episode is its own little story and can be watched in any order because everything just goes back to the way it was at the end

IMO the best shows should have a continuing narrative from episode to episode

Usually it happens the other way around, in my experience. Most shows start out with a fairly innocent "monster of the week" vibe, but as the characters develop you start getting these more complex overarching plots that consume the entire season.

Examples: Buffy, Supernatural, HIMYM, Friends, Star Trek - to name a few.
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frozenshock posted...

every episode is its own little story and can be watched in any order

the way it should be.
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