USCHO Fan Forum
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.
TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
- Thread starter MissThundercat
- Start date
- Status
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Dang. Oh well. I'll watch the rest of it. I mean, we all know the basic story.
Dang. Oh well. I'll watch the rest of it. I mean, we all know the basic story.
D
Deutsche Gopher Fan
Guest
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
The leftovers, six feet under, the good place, the Americans
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What’s a show whose final season/episode actually WORKED and felt like a truly satisfying end to the journey? I’ll start: Criminal Minds <a href="https://t.co/Sp0OnnUV3i">https://t.co/Sp0OnnUV3i</a></p>— Sarah Marshall (@Remember_Sarah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Remember_Sarah/status/1264995758127734784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The leftovers, six feet under, the good place, the Americans
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What’s a show whose final season/episode actually WORKED and felt like a truly satisfying end to the journey? I’ll start: Criminal Minds <a href="https://t.co/Sp0OnnUV3i">https://t.co/Sp0OnnUV3i</a></p>— Sarah Marshall (@Remember_Sarah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Remember_Sarah/status/1264995758127734784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
The Americans, Breaking Bad, Cheers, Brotherhood.
Sons Of Anarchy was beyond predictable, but they told it well, if that makes sense.
Edit: Mad Men was pretty good.
The Americans, Breaking Bad, Cheers, Brotherhood.
Sons Of Anarchy was beyond predictable, but they told it well, if that makes sense.
Edit: Mad Men was pretty good.
MinnesotaNorthStar
Minding the gap
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
The Wire, Justified, The Americans, Breaking Bad...
Good, but could have been better: Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy.
The Wire, Justified, The Americans, Breaking Bad...
Good, but could have been better: Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy.
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Justified is a good call. Forgot about that one, and I shall go to the box for two minutes and feel shame, as I own the series. To be fair (to be faiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) my parents have had that on loan for a couple years, working through it, so I forgot about it.
Justified is a good call. Forgot about that one, and I shall go to the box for two minutes and feel shame, as I own the series. To be fair (to be faiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) my parents have had that on loan for a couple years, working through it, so I forgot about it.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
The Americans, The Wire, The Sopranos, Justified.
I started rewatching HIMYM from S1 (I missed S1 and 2 when it intitially aired) and if memory serves for me the biggest disappointment was the utter lack of emotinal appeal to the meeting of the mother. Hoping I'm misremebering that or I get a different reaction this time around.
The Americans, The Wire, The Sopranos, Justified.
I started rewatching HIMYM from S1 (I missed S1 and 2 when it intitially aired) and if memory serves for me the biggest disappointment was the utter lack of emotinal appeal to the meeting of the mother. Hoping I'm misremebering that or I get a different reaction this time around.
unofan
Well-known member
No, the problem with HIMYM is that they actually made us care about the mother after introducing her at the end of the penultimate season, then the series finale turned it back to Robin despite spending 7 years telling us how they won't work.
ScoobyDoo
NPC
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Maybe Robin works after they have all that life experience (he married and had kids with someone else first) behind them? It's been known to happen.
Maybe Robin works after they have all that life experience (he married and had kids with someone else first) behind them? It's been known to happen.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
There's that too. My issue was they built up the mother all those years but because it was purely anecdotal I just didn't care who she ended up being after speding those 9 years watching the main cast. The reveal was anti-climatic.
There's that too. My issue was they built up the mother all those years but because it was purely anecdotal I just didn't care who she ended up being after speding those 9 years watching the main cast. The reveal was anti-climatic.
Kepler
Si certus es dubita
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
HIMYM was a classic case of staying too long as the party. The writing had eroded to the point where it couldn't support a finale. This has happened many times (MASH, Galactica, BoJack Horseman, Buffy, OITNB, Crazy Ex-GF, Community). Most shows stay too long.The only finale I can remember that's also one of the best episodes in the show is The Good Place.
The writing is the only thing that really matters in a show (the actors are cute but they're instruments being played). If the writers are en banc then the later years are the Peter Principle where the good ones have moved on and only the bad ones or, worse, young fans of the show, are left. If the creator is the major writer then with a long run they exhaust their ideas and/or get high on their own supply.
HIMYM was a classic case of staying too long as the party. The writing had eroded to the point where it couldn't support a finale. This has happened many times (MASH, Galactica, BoJack Horseman, Buffy, OITNB, Crazy Ex-GF, Community). Most shows stay too long.The only finale I can remember that's also one of the best episodes in the show is The Good Place.
The writing is the only thing that really matters in a show (the actors are cute but they're instruments being played). If the writers are en banc then the later years are the Peter Principle where the good ones have moved on and only the bad ones or, worse, young fans of the show, are left. If the creator is the major writer then with a long run they exhaust their ideas and/or get high on their own supply.
Last edited:
rufus
rock and roller
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Sure, but the final season of China Beach was the best season of the series' four year run. maybe it was because they knew it was the last season, but they ditched the "we are IN Vietnam and how is that affecting us?" concept and started jumping around through time to show what the impact of their time in Vietnam did to those characters, and how it affected their lives then, and after they left. It became character driven, not story driven.
Very under-rated show. And one of my all-time favorites.
Sure, but the final season of China Beach was the best season of the series' four year run. maybe it was because they knew it was the last season, but they ditched the "we are IN Vietnam and how is that affecting us?" concept and started jumping around through time to show what the impact of their time in Vietnam did to those characters, and how it affected their lives then, and after they left. It became character driven, not story driven.
Very under-rated show. And one of my all-time favorites.
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
After about S2, maybe S3, no one really grew as a character outside of Barney. I gave up after S4.
Rewatching the last 2 seasons of Justified. It's still awesome and a good ending to the story.
After about S2, maybe S3, no one really grew as a character outside of Barney. I gave up after S4.
Rewatching the last 2 seasons of Justified. It's still awesome and a good ending to the story.
Kepler
Si certus es dubita
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
The normal arc of a great show:
S1, intro and some false steps
S2, signs of greatness
S3, hits its stride, the best it will ever be
The plateau at peak almost never lasts more than one or two seasons. The Jump the Shark episode of Happy Days was S5, as was Puppet Angel.
Cheers ran 11 seasons. The plateau was S3-4. The decline that began in S5 was so quick the show was unwatchable by S6.
MASH (11 seasons) was a bit luckier. The plateau was S3-5. The decline was gradual but by S8 it was unwatchable.
The normal arc of a great show:
S1, intro and some false steps
S2, signs of greatness
S3, hits its stride, the best it will ever be
The plateau at peak almost never lasts more than one or two seasons. The Jump the Shark episode of Happy Days was S5, as was Puppet Angel.
Cheers ran 11 seasons. The plateau was S3-4. The decline that began in S5 was so quick the show was unwatchable by S6.
MASH (11 seasons) was a bit luckier. The plateau was S3-5. The decline was gradual but by S8 it was unwatchable.
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Cheers was a standard 80s sitcom. All the 80s sitcoms were like that. In THIS day and age, yeah, that longevity doesn't hold.
5-6 seasons is about the max. Some stretch out the final season into 2 half-seasons, others bloat the final season to avoid stretching it out another season with mindless filler (see: Breaking Bad/Mad Men, and Sons Of Anarchy, relatively).
Cheers was a standard 80s sitcom. All the 80s sitcoms were like that. In THIS day and age, yeah, that longevity doesn't hold.
5-6 seasons is about the max. Some stretch out the final season into 2 half-seasons, others bloat the final season to avoid stretching it out another season with mindless filler (see: Breaking Bad/Mad Men, and Sons Of Anarchy, relatively).
unofan
Well-known member
Another reason HIMYM suffered from going too long was because the ending was clearly predetermined and probably would've made sense after season 4 or 5. By the end of season 7 or 8 or whatever, it didn't.
French Rage
NICKERSON HAS [CENSORED]
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
Also they clearly ran out of Marshall/Lily plots in the last few seasons and didn't even pretend to hide it.
Also they clearly ran out of Marshall/Lily plots in the last few seasons and didn't even pretend to hide it.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
From my recollection the decline of M*A*S*H came from in order the loss of: Henry, Trapper, Frank & Radar (I was ok with doses of Potter, BJ and Charles but they were never the same), then Alan Alda gained more and more control and the show turned into a sap fest.
Imagine a show today having a character named (even minor ones) Spearchucker Jones?
Colonel Flagg might be the greatest bit character in the history of TV.
The most underrated and subtle funny moment for me to this day is this:
The camp is taking a group photo outside. Hawkeye is on a ladder setting up the shot. He asks the entire group to take 2 steps to the left which they do. He then asks them to take 2 steps to the right which they do. He takes the photo.
Channel 11 used to run back-to-back episodes at 3:00 and 3:30 and my brother and I didn't miss them if we weren't at a various practice or a friend's house, and I think they also ran an episode at 10:30 after the news before the Cheers reruns took over.
Can't remember the last time I watchd an episode.
From my recollection the decline of M*A*S*H came from in order the loss of: Henry, Trapper, Frank & Radar (I was ok with doses of Potter, BJ and Charles but they were never the same), then Alan Alda gained more and more control and the show turned into a sap fest.
Imagine a show today having a character named (even minor ones) Spearchucker Jones?
Colonel Flagg might be the greatest bit character in the history of TV.
The most underrated and subtle funny moment for me to this day is this:
The camp is taking a group photo outside. Hawkeye is on a ladder setting up the shot. He asks the entire group to take 2 steps to the left which they do. He then asks them to take 2 steps to the right which they do. He takes the photo.
Channel 11 used to run back-to-back episodes at 3:00 and 3:30 and my brother and I didn't miss them if we weren't at a various practice or a friend's house, and I think they also ran an episode at 10:30 after the news before the Cheers reruns took over.
Can't remember the last time I watchd an episode.
Kepler
Si certus es dubita
Re: TV: A Succession of Watchmen in The Good Place
I can't think of one better, TBH. The first ones that sprang to mind are Carlton (your doorman) from Rhoda and Mr. Carlin from The Bob Newhart Show, but those are both minor ensemble characters. Inspector Lugar from Barney Miller, who has some similarities to Flagg, was one of my favorite bit characters.
Cancer Man and the Lone Gunmen started out as great bit characters on X Files but became important and frequent (fan service). They resisted the temptation with Flagg, and good for them. Less is more.
Flagg is in just 6 of the 250 episodes of MASH. That is staggering given his effect.
I can't think of one better, TBH. The first ones that sprang to mind are Carlton (your doorman) from Rhoda and Mr. Carlin from The Bob Newhart Show, but those are both minor ensemble characters. Inspector Lugar from Barney Miller, who has some similarities to Flagg, was one of my favorite bit characters.
Cancer Man and the Lone Gunmen started out as great bit characters on X Files but became important and frequent (fan service). They resisted the temptation with Flagg, and good for them. Less is more.
Flagg is in just 6 of the 250 episodes of MASH. That is staggering given his effect.
Last edited:
- Status