Photos
Video
RSSFighting off the Second Season Blues
I'm still mad about Mad Men.
A show where the slightest gesture (a husband looking at his repaired watch, a secretary hearing an office door being locked) is loaded with meaning and the atmosphere is so real my eyes practically water from the smell of all that smoke. I relish the pace of the series which languishes in what is unsaid -- between Don and his wife, Don and his colleagues, Peggy and her sister, Peggy and her own conscience.
I simply adored the storyline between Peggy and the new priest. The final scene where he gives her an Easter egg for the "little one" was so innocuous and such a slap in the face to Peggy at the same time. I loved being pulled into the world of Mad Men. I definitely don't want to live there, but it remains a brilliant place to visit.
I see no signs of a sophomore slump and fear that perhaps the show is suffering from the high expectations set by all that critical acclaim and all those Emmy nominations (even when the Emmys do the right thing, they cause trouble). Because practically every day I receive an email from a reader who doesn't like this season, thinks the show is focusing too much on one character and not enough on another, is moving too slowly and not advancing enough of the plot, and a myriad of other complaints.
But I think we, as television viewers, are on high alert for a second season slump. We've been burned too many times before. Most recently by Heroes, Ugly Betty (which just wasn't the same after returning from the writers' strike) and previously by shows including The O.C. (which shipped its bad storyline ideas back to Chicago), Prison Break (which never was the same once they accomplished to goal of the title), and perhaps the most famous one of all Twin Peaks, a series that spectacularly fell apart once we figured out who killed Laura Palmer.
So today's topic is -- which show do you think had a bad second season after a strong first season? How do you think Mad Men is doing this season? Talk about it below.
Ask TV Gal
I'm curious as to how you got your current job? Where did you start out? I would love to write something similar and am just curious about the path you took to get there. Thanks. Amy
Well Amy (great name by the way) I get this question from time to time and I always wish I had a better answer and a surefire plan I could give to people. But my path was circuitous. As I think you all know by now, I was an accounting major in college (about as far away from writing about television as one can get) and was working as an Operations Manager when I decided to take a writing course at a local Adult Education center. I had always loved television and talking about it but it never really occurred to me I could make a career out of it. So I took a class on writing film reviews (because alas they didn't have a class on writing TV reviews). And any chance I could I wrote a review of TV instead of movies (I think at times the teacher thought I had forgotten what class I had signed up for) --- my first one was Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The other student in the class were really encouraging and what I found was that I wrote like I talked and that people told me they could hear my voice in my writing. So I took another class. And then another. And then another after that. The classes got me writing and provided me with deadlines. I had to have the assignment done by the time class started. One day (and this was when the internet was in its nascent stages) I was visiting a website that had a movie critic called Movie Guy but no one writing about television. To this day I don't know what possessed me but I emailed the editor and told him that he needed a TV Gal to go along with his Movie Guy. He agreed and invited me to meet with him to talk about my ideas. I was in complete shock. I don't think I really thought I would ever hear from him. I distinctly remember thinking "It's bad right if I pass out during our meeting?" I'm so fortunate that he gave me, an unknown writer, a chance. That led to other opportunities including writing for the Boston Herald and the Washington Post and, of course, Zap2it. So my best advice is to start writing -- take a class where others can give you feedback, try writing for your school paper, community newspaper or college newsletter. Once you start writing and start receiving feedback (both good and bad) you'll be a writer. I wish I had a clearer course to send you on but it's a combination of right place, right time, luck and perseverance. But always feel free to write me with any questions you may have. I'm always happy to provide you with whatever small advice I may have.
Best. Link. Ever.
Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty are together again. I'm downright giddy. Check it out by clicking here.
Highlights of the Week Ahead
All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for August 18-24
The ratings for the Olympics certainly seem to indicate that people are really excited about the Olympics this year. And it makes a huge difference that NBC is airing so much of the coverage live. You can beat the built in drama and utter thrill of the men's swim team coming from behind to win the gold medal in the freestyle relay. But I'm still not glued to the TV watching the coverage. How about you? One of my favorite parts of the summer Olympics -- Gymnastics Gala Exhibition --- happens this Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC. I love watching the gymnast perform without the pressure of competition.
So I haven't heard too much talk from you all about Flashpoint (Thursday, CBS, 10 p.m.). I've checked back in on the show from time to time and I continue to think that it's biggest challenge is that it's just not that special. It's a watch while you fold your laundry and do the dishes kind of show. Do you agree? Or have you been enjoying it more since the premiere?
Jane Seymour stars as Prudence McCoy in the new Hallmark movie Dear Prudence premiering Saturday at 9 p.m. The show is a fun throwback to a different kind of TV show (think Murder, She Wrote) and after watching the first one, I definitely think the Hallmark Channel will be making more.
That's all for today. I'm back on Wednesday with familiar faces ? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com. Talk to you on Wednesday.
Don't forget that site also had a Bill Simmons Sports Guy. Wonder what ever happened to him?
Knots landing had a second season surge thanks to Donna Mills coming on and it getting glitzed up. Heros had a second season dip last year but it is not beyond salvaging.
Bill Simmons writes for ESPN Page 2. And I despise him. I emailed him once about something hockey related (he's not a fan) and he said something to the effect that all female hockey fans are loud, obnoxious and weigh 300 lbs. Not the lovely replies Amy sends when she has time. So, I spend my days hoping Bill Simmons gets hit and smushed by a runaway zamboni.
Second season blues... How I Met Your Mother. Still love it, but it wasn't fantastic in its second season.
I know where Simmons is thanks.
I am not a fan either. I did like him in his Digital city days.
I would say that most (but not all) TV shows that have an excellent first season do suffer from a sop****re slump. I think it's partly because it is more difficult for TV writers to sustain a high amount of suspense for more than 20+ episodes, whereas a film writer has to fill only 2 hours of screentime. Another reason is that sometimes television viewers get bored with the show's formula after one season, as some people have complained about this year's Burn Notice.
I agree with you 100% about Prison Break. Their first season was some of the best American television I had ever watched, but I hated that the Fox network essentially wanted the writers to stretch out the premise over 4-5 seasons, which would be about 100 hour-long episodes. If the network had allowed the writers to wrap up the initial conspiracy storyline in two seasons, I would have said that PB was a masterpiece. :-( I really wish that more American TV shows had less episodes per season, like the shows on the BBC. Then there wouldn't be so many filler episodes!
I think that Heroes suffered a sop****re slump because the fans wanted to see the main characters from the first season working TOGETHER, like best friends Ando and Hiro. Instead, they had an amnesiac Peter off in Ireland, Hiro in feudal JAPAN (which a lot of viewers incorrectly said was China), Claire had moved to California, etc. Also, a lot of viewers hated the new characters that were introduced, like Maya and Alejandro.
I know that a lot of people have been complaining about Army Wives' second season as well. I agree because I think that each of the Army wives has been in isolated storylines for most of this season. The first season had CJ, Pamela, Denise, Roxy and Roland interacting more often and having drinks with each other at the bar every week, etc.
Also, some fans didn't like the second season of Kyle XY as much as the first because of all the focus on the troubled newcomer, Jessi. They wanted more screentime spent on Kyle and the Tragers, his adopted family.
I think that HBO's Rome was a lot better in their first season. I think the second season was rushed, and the writers had to scramble to wrap up the characters' storylines when HBO decided it was too expensive to co-produce with the BBC. The whole series would have benefited if only HBO had approved a third season.
Second Season Slump - Brothers and Sisters. They made me want to be a Walker in season 1, but with Sarah's husband doing a 180, Tommy (and Justin) going for that oh-so-obvious homewrecker Lena, and the de-Walkering of Rebecca, I think it's safe to call it a slump.
I agree that Mad Men is still a great show even though they are now in the 1960s. The pacing is pitch perfect. No need to pack a bunch of dramatic events into one hour or have every little feeling and nuance spelled out in dialogue. It all keeps me guessing about the motivations of these characters. Also loved (i believe that was tom hanks son) the priest. I could just sense his surprise and disappointment in the confessional.
Thanks Amy for the insight into the path you took to get where you are today. I've always been curious about how one gets such a great job. You were one of the first to realize that television needs just as much, if not more, critique than movies do!
Oh, and let's not forget yet ANOTHER illegitimate Walker sib.
Tracee, as a fellow female hockey fan (who is not even half of 300 pounds), I would be happy to "borrow" a zamboni and help you run down Bill Simmons. What a jerk! Why is it some men are so threatened by women who have some knowledge of sports?
Dead Like Me was a great fun show on Showtime. I told all my friends about it and even bought the first season on dvd as a gift for a few.
But then the second season arrived... and it just became clownish, particularly Callum Blue's character. It became painful to watch and I wasn't surprised they put it out of its misery after season two.
However, it is where I found Mandy Patinkin to be a wonderful actor and fun to watch as Rube. (not to mention The Princess Bride, of course).
Well, of course, David Lynch and Mark Frost didn't want to reveal who killed Laura Palmer (and didn't actually solve that mystery until more than halfway through the second season), but they were forced to by network execs.
Even so, I don't know if that should qualify as a second season slump, because the second season doesn't really get bad until Wyndham Earle enters. The episode where we find out Leland is BOB is riveting, and could possibly be the best episode of the series. And don't forget the terrific series finale.