BBC One is set to commission longer-running drama series, in the mould of American shows such as The Wire and Mad Men, after its new controller Danny Cohen said that they are “something to aspire to”.*sigh*
Because it's the fact that they are 'long running' that makes them such a hit, right? Not the quality of the writing, the quality of the acting, or the high production values?
The corporation’s flagship dramas at 9pm, such as Spooks and New Tricks, are commissioned for a maximum of eight or 10 episodes - compared to the standard annual run of 22 or 24 episodes for American dramas such as CSI, House or 24.Fantastic! Now we'll get 22 episodes of 'Bonekickers' and 'Outcasts', and Beeb executives will hemorrhage even more taxpayer money whilst wondering why no-one's watching...
“Yes, if you could do it, it would be something to aspire to,” said Mr Cohen. “We’re not brilliantly set up as an industry in the UK to do it in the way the American industry is with more of a team writing model. So there’s some quite big structural changes that we’d have to make to deliver that, and I think we should, but you can’t force creatives into it very easily.”Well, no. Not if their livelihoods don't depend on them coming up with a winner. Why should they, after all?
'A team writing model' means episodes produced by a stable of hired writers to a set template - no wonder the 'creatives' aren't too enthusiastic.
ReplyDeleteAmerican TV is the equivalent of Starbucks or Macdonalds - you know exactly what you are getting at a set time with no foreseeable end in sight; here in GB, we call that soap opera.
I stopped watching 'Lost' when I heard that thre would be seven series of 26 episodes each - I didn't want to spend three and a half years of my allotted span watching an interminable saga designed by a comittee.
Maybe the BBC should get rid of the political correctness that ruins so many TV shows.
ReplyDeleteHave they forgotten real talents such as Roy Clarke? (Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours etc) Clarke seemed able to produce very high quality material,reliably, over very long periods of time, without any 'team writing model.' Or is it just that talent such as his is very rare?
ReplyDeleteWhat's creative about the BBC's output? The same dreary multiculturalism. The same cartoon villains (businessmen, white males, Americans). The same 'ishooz'.
ReplyDeleteBeing limited to only 10 installments is a blessing.
The BBC's determination to compete with everyone, everywhere regardless of cost to the license payer pissed me off long before the bias got unbearable.
ReplyDeleteThe producers of US series are producing material for far richer customers than the BBC is and can afford to spend more money.
Furthermore, US producers are not crippled by political correctness to the same stifling extent as the BBC. I recall one House episode where he banters with a dwarf. It would have been unthinkable on the BBC.
Why don't we just close down the BBC?
ReplyDeleteJudging from his inane remark about male detectives, Cohen is the very last person the BBC should allow to commission more drama. All we will get as a result is more of the same PC dross that makes BBC unwatchable to anyone but Guardian readers.
ReplyDeleteSix episodes of Black Adder or 6x24 episodes of Friends? No contest, is it? Still, it has to be said that the US makes some very very good TV that knocks much of the Brit and Oz competition into a cocked hat. Not seen Mad Men but The Wire was a personal favourite of mine, as was The Sopranos and the rebooted Battlestar Galactica. They're about to start Sons of Anarchy here and I'm really looking forward to that too. And what nearly all of those shows, including the first two that Danny Cohen specifically mentioned, have in common is that they do not in fact run for the 22-24 episodes per season that he claims but only about a dozen. Even BSG had a short first and final season if I recall. They still used writing teams but I suspect they're probably smaller than most and the head writer(s) probably have greater control, so what Danny Cohen says the Beeb now aspires to is a lot closer to what's typical of British productions than it is other American shows. What I suspect the Beeb will actually end up producing if it tries this is stuff like an even longer and more tedious series of Merlin, except with shittier effects and episodes that contradict each other.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the problem with longer-running series with an unspecified life is they often descend into drivel - Last of the Summer Wine being a prime example, though sticking to the US, you could easily point to the X-files which badly lost its way.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the better examples are those that had a given time-limited story arc. The prime example being Babylon 5, which was conceived as a 5 series story from the beginning, even if the exact timings got messed around when it looked like it wouldn't get the fifth series.
Similarly, though it became increasing clear that they were making it up as they went along, I think Battlestar Galactica benefited from not being allowed to wander the stars infinitely into the future (or through the past....)
"American TV is the equivalent of Starbucks or Macdonalds - you know exactly what you are getting at a set time with no foreseeable end in sight..."
ReplyDeleteFor most of the main channels output, that's true.
But within the last 15 years or so, the output has got significantly better, with the HBO and Fox networks producing some really excellent stuff.
I stopped watching 'Lost' when I realised the creative team had no more clue than I did how it was all going to end! :)
"Have they forgotten real talents such as Roy Clarke?"
No, I think he's just a rare talent.
"Furthermore, US producers are not crippled by political correctness to the same stifling extent as the BBC."
Well, the main channels may well be, to a lesser degree. But certainly not the likes of HBO or Fox!
" And what nearly all of those shows, including the first two that Danny Cohen specifically mentioned, have in common is that they do not in fact run for the 22-24 episodes per season that he claims but only about a dozen."
Yup, the 'half season' model can backfire, though. Will your audience still be watching when it resumes or will they have moved on to other things? The sheer volume of the US stuff can make that a risky proposition.
"For me, the better examples are those that had a given time-limited story arc. The prime example being Babylon 5, which was conceived as a 5 series story from the beginning.."
Agreed. A lot of problems may stem from the 'Give us 12 episodes and hope you get renewed' model the US uses..
Yup, the 'half season' model can backfire, though. Will your audience still be watching when it resumes or will they have moved on to other things?
ReplyDeleteThat's true enough, but the ones I was thinking of were not using the half season model (except for BSG's final season). It's be more accurate to say The Sopranos and The Wire and the rest were using a half-length season model: a dozen or so good quality episodes. Mrs Exile reminds me that her current favourite, True Blood, has also been doing things that way since the outset. No doubt they could pad these shows to 22+ episodes but the padding would probably be pretty noticeable and turn a good show into a shark jumper.
Was it just me or did 'Shadowline' just suck harder than Miss Lewinsky?
ReplyDeleteYet another 'Outcasts'.
Funny how everyone wants what the other guy has. Here in Canada, (and to an extent in the US) Brit TV shows are quite popular.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately copying them for "local consumption" doesn't work. The Yanks tried an American version of Cracker, and it was arse. They currently have an American version of Top Gear running, and it is REALLY arse! Luckily I can get the BBC version and my daily dose of Clarkson on BBC Canada.