The Critic
Limited Series: Why Can’t We Leave Them Alone?
According to Netflix, a limited series is described as a “one season show that is not intended to get renewed for further seasons.” The phenomenon has exploded in the past several years, as we have allowed characters like Madeline Mackenzie from Big Little Lies to enter our homes and lull us into a fantasy about Monterey, California. Some limited series are adapted from best selling novels, as Hulu’s newest releases Little Fires Everywhere and Normal People recreate the words we once saw in the books and visualize it on screen. Other limited series are figments of imagination, like Ryan Murphy’s latest mini series Hollywood that was just released on Netflix last week. It is easy to consume seven short episodes on a rainy day in quarantine, all too quickly and hoping for a second season to come soon. But with a hunger to figure out what happens next, we are often left forgetting the promise of a limited series: it isn’t intended to be renewed. Nonetheless, we can’t seem to leave them alone and unfortunately are too blind to see a second season as their downfall.
The most obvious example I could give is HBO’s Big Little Lies. Adapted from a book of the same name, we follow three mothers in their trails and tribulations in high end California. The first season aligns with the outline of the book, as viewers are introduced to a start studded cast who have amazing performances left and right. The whole seven episodes are heading towards a murder and once we find out what exactly happened in the finale…audiences still wanted more! The second season failed on several accounts and new comer Meryl Strep couldn’t even hold the reins. But back by popular demand, Big Little Lies did indeed have a season two. The second season was more mellow, more character driven, letting the stars have long monologues about their inner feelings that audiences didn’t need to know. Once we saw the murder, the aftermath was a hard thing to follow. Anyone who has seen both will agree, and admit that while they might have wanted a second season, myself included, it ultimately tarnished the efforts of the first. Other critically acclaimed mini series like True Detective received similar criticism, as the Philadelphia Inquirer referred the difference between seasons one and two as ranging from extraordinary to just ordinary. We as audience members, truly, don’t know how to leave a good thing alone.
Selfishly, of course, we want to know what happens after Bonnie kills Celeste’s husband (Big Little Lies) and if Izzy ever returns home (Little Fires Everywhere) but we again neglect the saying that sometimes less is more. Sure, a limited series’ second season might not always fail, but we often find ourselves comparing it too much to the original seven or eight episode arc that was intended for us. Leaving audiences with a cliff hanger or interpretation can sometimes be a show’s greatest achievement, as we are left to imagine the ending all on our own. Letting viewers know exactly what happened can often times reverse the magic of television and pull the curtain up to things we didn’t want to know. And once that magic is gone, what honestly will be left?
The Hype of the Anthology Series
An anthology series, sometimes confused with its similar limited series, tells a different story with a different set of characters every episode, season or segment. Anthology’s appeal to our short minded attention spans, allowing audiences to pick up with a new story every episode or season that has nothing to do with the last. The series are often thought provoking, eye opening and critically acclaimed just as much as any regular drama piece. But why, in fact, are audiences now drawn to them more than ever?
The true king of the anthology series is none other than Ryan Murphy, whose span of shows ranges far and wide from dramas to comedies to limited series. But to date his biggest contribution to television has to be American Horror Story. When the show first premiered in 2011, its odd ball and supernatural nature shocked audiences and left them wondering how it was humanly possible to get a second season when most of the main cast was killed! Murphy’s announcement that the show would instead create a new 10 episode story separate of season 1’s “Murder House,” left viewers more than intrigued. Now through nine seasons of the show, Murphy’s explored the subjects of political debates to a coven of witches to a creepy hotel and so on. One major appeal Murphy has going for him is the reintroduction of the same actors that viewers have come to love. Actors like Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange have all taken on new characters every season to give audiences a range of their talents. Similar with Murphy’s American Crime Story series, he captures timeless cases like O.J. Simpson and Gianni Versace. Murphy is the end of all to end all…the true architect of the anthology series and the reason audiences feel so comfortable watching it.
If you’re squeamish about blood and two headed monsters, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror might be more up your alley. This anthology series changes every episode to tell captivating satirical tales of the effects of technology, ranging in journeys about spaceships to interactive video games. The appeal of this series is that there is truly something for everyone, whether it is love, comedy, horror, or anything else beyond your wildest dreams…I promise it’s in there. Even having sex with a pig. Changing up the characters every episode allows for viewers to become invested in a wide range of stories, never getting bored with characters like Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy who have ticked on for sixteen years. The allure of the anthology takes all of that away and instead instills a promise for new stories at every turn. Shows similar like Amazon’s Modern Love is based off New York Time’s column of the same name, that follows people of all ages searching for love. Other notable series to name are The Sinner, Fargo and Castle Rock.
The overall schtick of the anthology series is the charm of always meeting new complex characters who are in compromising situations that they need to get out of. We get to go into the minds of several stories and characters whose tales effortlessly change after the end of those 45 minutes or ten episode run. But the truly best thing about the anthology is that the viewer is in charge of the rules. There is no order like in a serialized drama, but instead you can watch “San Jurpiero” in Black Mirror’s season three before the “White Bear” season two episode. So if you are one who often gets bored and loosing their attention span after three seasons of the same show, then maybe the anthology path is the right one for you.
The Race to Stream: Covering the Best Streaming Services
It seems truly troubling to remember a time when there was no Netflix. When shows like Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black were just ideas swarming around in writers’ heads. I remember when I had to have The O.C. shipped to my house season after season on a little disk I had to return once I was done. But the shift to finally making Netflix a well oiled machine was like the shot heard around the world, and suddenly…the race was on.
Netflix was indeed the first streaming service to make its presence known. The appeal of watching all 10 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy seemed like a dream come true and thus birthed the age of binge-watching, which many viewers have become prone to. The comfort of sitting in your own living room and watching shows on end was suddenly too appealing not to do. When Netflix first started out, no original content was produced, and its main competition was Hulu who was striving to promote the same video via demand service. The introduction of Netflix’s House of Cards, its first original series, in 2013 opened the game up to a whole new playing field. Now the streaming services themselves could create their own content only accessible on their service. The additions of Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO GO now producing their own content became televisions’ most drastic transformation, as the landscape of content extended and race for most subscribers became more vital than ever. Not only were these streaming services dominating people’s televisions, but also bringing home awards. And it wasn’t just one streaming service but all getting recognition, from Netflix’s The Crown to Hulu’s Handmaids Tale to Amazon’s Fleabag. Movies weren’t excluded out of the bunch either, as Netflix’s Roma was up for Academy Awards. With these four staples, we as viewers often never wondered if there could be more out there.
But the race still isn’t over. In the past year and a half, the introductions of Disney Plus and Apple TV Plusand the up and coming HBO MAXand NBC’s Peacock are allowing more players to get into the game. Disney has finally opened their vault, allowing viewers to see extended versions of princess sequels, the wide array of Marvel movies and even adding original series as well. Disney’s audience is indeed more geared towards children, but it has become the first streaming service that targets a specific audience. Apple TV Plusdebuted with hard hitter The Morning Show, that stared power players like Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell, even having the capability to bring Jennifer Aniston back to television. It truly seems like the power of these streaming services knows no end.
You could look at the facts. You could look at the figures. You could look at the awards. Most would probably say that Netflix takes first place, with Hulu and HBO GO trailing just on its heels. But if the last ten years has taught us anything, it is that the landscape of television is truly changing and opening up even more platforms for creative content. I myself often flip between all of these streaming services when looking for a new show, endlessly amazed by the constant stream of new releases. Bringing in characters like Midge Maisel, Eleven, Jon Snow and many more into my home is a far better prize than having to choose just one. I truly believe that this race might not ever be over. We haven’t reached the moon just yet!
Shondaworld: TV’s Reigning Queen Shonda Rhimes
Meredith Grey. Olivia Pope. Annalise Keating.
If these names mean nothing to you, then you are surely living under a rock as far as I’m concerned. But if you’re just coming out of hibernation, let me reel you in: Shonda Rhimes is the queen of television and Meredith Grey, Olivia Pope, and Annalise Keating are Rhime’s most prized trophies. Shonda’s writing truly became a hit when she pitched Grey’s Anatomy, which at the time followed surgical resident Meredith Grey through the drama that happens in and out of the operating room. For its time, it was sexy and fun, and gave audiences that comforting feeling you get when you cuddle up with a blanket on a warm winter’s night. And it still has that feeling, as it is now the longest running medical drama on television, starting its 17th season this upcoming fall. Shonda’s plot lines still have interest after all this time whether it is a person who swallowed doll heads or is attached to a door. Grey’s introduced us to characters like Derek Shepard and Lexi Grey, who fans have always come to love. And while we’ve had to say goodbye to one too many of these characters, the love and the familial bond this cast has proves to be Rhime’s crowning achievement.
And when audiences thought Grey’s Anatomy was enough, Shonda decided to pitch Scandal, which follows a D.C. fixer who ends up having an affair with the President of the United States. I truly think the biggest thing this show brought into my life was the acting excellence of Kerry Washington as she played Olivia Pope. Scandal is fast paced, rough tongued and has symbolism coming out of it’s ears. You often hear the sayings “white hat” and “gladiator” so much you want to become a gladiator yourself. Rhimes finally got to have a black woman playing the lead role, versus having to make Meredith white in Grey’s. This allowed for Shonda to explore new plot lines and roles that better identity with herself as well. Shonda created her own production company, Shondaland, around the time that Scandal had become successful. Rhimes trademark had now become shows that had the most compelling characters, crazy plot twists, and independent female leads.
The last show in Shonda’s triple threat is How to Get Away with Murder. Co-created with Peter Novak, Rhimes wanted to share the life of a law professor and their students, who often need to bury bodies along the way to hide secrets. The show is full of law, love, promise, and yes, murder. Rhimes again introduced another memorable character to our repertoire—Annalise Keating. Keating, played by the fabulous Viola Davis, brought something new to television. Here was this black woman so strong and done up in wigs and make up and fake eyelashes, that when Davis became her most vulnerable during the first season, wiping off the make up and showing her natural hair…this was the moment most fans will remember for How to Get Away with Murder. It showed that the great Annalise Keating was indeed vulnerable and human. And we loved her anyway!
Rhimes now has landed a deal with Netflix, where she will begin to exclusively create shows for them that go straight to stream. Shonda had always commented that network television had always held her back from really writing what she wanted, and now we finally get to see that. Is there truly anything greater than creating Grey, Pope, and Keating? Well, here’s to hoping!
The True Difference between Writing T.V. and Movies
If you’re not enrolled in film school, write scripts religiously, or just randomly know, then you probably don’t know that the writing process for film and television differs dramatically. Because yes, it’s a real thing we care about and here’s why: we can’t follow Italian mobsters from The Godfather through a five act structure but instead the hero’s journey, can’t follow SVU’s procedural element for only one hundred minutes, and we certainly can’t only see Jon Snow on our screens for one movie instead of eight seasons. So let’s get to it shall we?
Most movies follow through the arc of the hero’s journey: where a character wants something, gets presented an opportunity and decides to go through with the adventure. A hero can either fail, succeed, or not do the journey at all. But if you ever see the character deny a journey, then that movie will never be made. Movies, as we know, can be up to three hours in the modern days—thanks Quentin Tarantino—and in that time we need to get introduced to a character, its world, and feel somewhat that the journey has completed. This is the linear way movies are written, but there are always rule breakers. Some movies are character driven, some are plot, some really don’t follow a journey at all and are still successful. Easy examples of a hero’s journey is any superhero movie, in where the superhero is presented with a villain who he goes on an adventure to defeat. We’ve all seen ones where they fail, they succeed, and end all the same.
Television is quite different. If it’s a network show, the script needs to work in commercials, which is the biggest difference in writing for movies versus television. Television follows a five act structure, where we are first introduced to the world and the following obstacles to get to the end of the episode. Before every commercial, characters must reach a turning point in their story. If Meredith Grey didn’t have a few complications in her operating room, I think we’d all be a little bored! This also ensures that the audiences are willing to wait through the break and are counting down the minutes until the show comes back on screen. Most television shows also follow an ensemble of characters, who each get their own story, which are either A, B, C, or so on. And if you are a truly talented screen writer, then you’ll be able to weave all of these stories together for a huge climax. Television also relies on character development, unlike a movie. We get to follow a character through episodes and seasons of a show, unlike a movie. Some episodes can be a small development, others can be huge. Movies don’t give writers that opportunity, but instead make the character learn something instantly.
Television shows that are not network have a unique set of laws. Shows like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones have episodes that are often movies within themselves, with huge production costs to shoot battle scenes in Winterfell one episode and storm Kingslanding the next. They have no commercial breaks, no need to write towards a break, but if they are talented, should still have act turns. Imagine being stuck with 50 minutes of a show with no plot turns? Me either.
To a modern person, this isn’t such a big deal. But to the moviemaker, the television writer, this is the cornerstone to screenwriting. All things we put on the screen need to follow structure and if they don’t we need to understand that structure in order to break it. But in its generalist terms, a movie follows a hero’s journey, and in television we get to see several journeys. Now which sounds good to you?