Shows Such As Stranger Things and The Survival Drama Are Growing Bloated. I Advocate For the Limited Show
Many viewers know this disappointment. The follow-up season of your top TV show premieres online, and you're brimming with anticipation. The initial run ended so perfectly: future plotlines were teased tantalisingly, and a main character had – cliffhanger! – been offed (or had they?). After the season wrapped, you delved into fan discussions with other hardcores to decode subtle references pointing toward upcoming twists.
But the new season opener falls flat. The writing appears robotic and uninspired. In episode two, your favorite cast member has done something that viewers recognize as jarringly uncharacteristic. Halfway through the season, it becomes obvious the creators forgot around the storylines aggressively signposted in season one. And by the disappointing finale, you silently wish that the show had just been cancelled.
The Pitfall of Too Many Seasons
Wanting a series to end early is often late realization; viewers usually oppose premature cancellations. Take Kaos, an amusing Greek myth parody starring Jeff Goldblum, which was binned by Netflix due to low viewing figures. However, supporters might find comfort knowing the program avoided a disappointing second season.
Looking back at the horror-mystery show Yellowjackets, I currently desire it was a one-season story. The first season boasted an inventive concept, and its 10 episodes were note-perfect. In 1996, a plane carrying an all-girl high school football team crashes in the middle of nowhere. Top-notch cast members (featuring Juliette Lewis, Lauren Ambrose and Sophie Thatcher) portrayed the team then and now. There were multiple award nominations, and the showrunners proudly announced there would be five seasons to develop the plot thoroughly. But last week, it was announced that it would end with season four. This news brought me relief.
Young actors prepare for Stranger Things' next chapter.
The show has made narrative choices that have undermined its heart. Rather than leading with the girls’ return home, and their struggle with traumatic memories, we were taken in directions that bloated the original premise. A fatiguing tendency emerged of introducing peripheral figures (such as Shauna’s two-dimensional daughter Callie) who added little to the overarching plot. It's disappointing, and witnessing a great series decline into annoyance is disheartening.
An Increasing Pattern
However, Yellowjackets isn't alone. Series like Emily in Paris, House of the Dragon, Squid Game and Stranger Things have lost the shock of the new, and settled into familiar patterns. At times, programs must stop while successful.
The thing is, there are joys to be had in a limited, “one-and-done” series. Considering Sharp Objects, I May Destroy You, and Adolescence, producers recognize appropriate conclusion points. But the game is over when shows such as Big Little Lies, first conceived as self-contained, return repeatedly with declining quality. Hopefully, Adolescence’s producers have thought twice about that rumoured season two.
The Ideal Model
I desired Yellowjackets as a single-season show, residing permanently in our thoughts, unresolved threads included. My top series ever followed this pattern. This beloved 90s drama, the ideal adolescent show, ran for just one year but was cinematic in its scope: its characters were difficult and contradictory, the filming captured a fall aesthetic, and the conversations avoided cliched adolescent writing. Its final episode was bitterly unresolved, but this reflects truth appropriately of youth queries staying forever open. Following 18 excellent installments (plus one weak one), I felt devastated and created my own continuation to address unfinished business. It might only live on an old hard drive, it demonstrates television's powerful connection.
The Unique Connection
When producers honor the special viewer-program bond, more series can conclude appropriately.
- Priya Elan writes about the arts, music and fashion.
