Anyone miss kind of "growing up" with or experiencing characters for long periods?

Submitted by Beau_bell t3_zqox1j in television

This isn't a slight against any particular way of how they do TV these days with streaming but it has something to do with a combination of serialized storytelling, 6-10 episode seasons, and one season dropping once very 2-3 years (if it's not canceled), and binging it all in weekend. It doesn't seem like characters have the unique longevity staying power in our lives like they did back then? Like what are they up to this week, etc?

I'm not sure how to explain it.

You don't see and sorta age and go through life with a certain characters? Like you did with Scully and Mulder in X-Files, seeing them every year once a week for months and months on screen. Star Trek: Next gen was like this for me too.

Where as with one example from Network TV you can still see what say, Olivia Benson from SVU is up to since the late 90's.

Anybody else know what I'm taking about? It's something I sorta miss actually. TV characters used to seem more like neighbors you kept in touch with or something.

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JenovaProphet t1_j0z3h6y wrote

Not gonna lie, really wish streaming services didn't have such short seasons and short runs in general. I didn't mind the "filler episodes" back in the day as I found they often added fun nuance and background to characters you often don't have time to show in new shows.

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LiveFromNewYork95 t1_j0z7sh0 wrote

I think sitcoms need filler episodes, creating the dynamics is so important to comedy and you just don't do that in 8 episodes. Even a show like Reboot which I think is one of the better sitcoms to come out of streaming had a season one finale that (IMO) didn't fully land because it needed at least 4 or 5 more episodes to build the relationships that the finale relies on.

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JenovaProphet t1_j0z7vtx wrote

100% agree. Reboot is the perfect example of this. GREAT SHOW! Laughed the whole way. But I was genuinely confused at the season finale. I was like "this is it?"

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tinacat933 t1_j0zac6s wrote

Yes it was like …ok guess we are done nowadays

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bros402 t1_j11f57k wrote

Yeah, Reboot needed 12-16 episodes imo

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Pool_Shark t1_j11iqdz wrote

The 20+ season format was built around sitcoms originally and they really need it for the most part. Sitcoms don’t need to have a strong narrative we just need a cast of characters that we want to be around and find funny.

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Radix2309 t1_j12p0yn wrote

It absolutely needed at least 12 episodes.

I don't even get why it was so short. It's not like it's a special effect heavy show.

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Lil_Mcgee t1_j142ve5 wrote

I'd argue there's no such thing as filler when it comes to sitcoms really, most have little in the way of a narrative throughline and are kind of built on the idea of placing the characters in new and amusing situations each episode. A situational comedy if you will.

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LiveFromNewYork95 t1_j146nns wrote

I think you're right, it's filler by today's standard but really it's just what the medium is supposed to be

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mg_ridgeview t1_j0zbiy1 wrote

People like to crap on filler eps, but they never really bothered me that much. Some were better than others, but the good ones could be great. It allows a story to take its time, world build, explore other aspects of characters or the setting. You just don't want it to drag for too long.

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SirButtrubber t1_j0zheaz wrote

as long as the filler isn't in the form of a clip show... i can maaaybe give it a pass.

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JenovaProphet t1_j11qv2b wrote

Oh god, retrospective/clip episodes are literally the worst...

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ingloriousbaxter3 t1_j10shz9 wrote

As long as the filler episode have good character moments I’m fine with them

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Radix2309 t1_j12oyne wrote

They also added pacing that made the impactful events feel bigger. It gives time to decompress and process what happened and then build up to what came next.

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trumpet_23 t1_j1185bl wrote

It all depends on the show and the story that show is telling. One single story? Short seasons are gonna be best. Season-long stories (a la Buffy) or episodic shows (most sitcoms)? Please pump those episode numbers up! I want character examination!

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hotsizzler t1_j10tcte wrote

I think the lack of long seasons hurts so many shows. Rick and morty would be better if it was allowed to breath just a little.

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DeanNKS t1_j0zsvjc wrote

I remember growing up with Boy Meets World. Cory Mathews taught me so much about everything. An example of one that's still on is The Simpsons. They've been running all my life, but they don't have the same level of growth. With Boy Meets World, they would be older every year, in a new school, new friends, and have new family members. A very unique period for television.

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OnionDart t1_j0zv01y wrote

Absolutely, I identified with Cory so much and learned a lot of life’s lessons from the show, I mean Mr. Feeny

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LiveFromNewYork95 t1_j0z0t1y wrote

I miss everything about TV in the mid-2000's to early 2010's. Yup commericals are annoying and prices got crazy but the actualy experience of watching TV was so much better back then.

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kayelles t1_j0zmgvu wrote

Very true. I miss how it all used to work - excitement of autumn when all the new seasons would start. And waiting a week for the next episode, it really built up the hype. (God I’m sounding old haha)

And finding a good series where there’s 20 eps a season and like 5+ seasons…. Buffy was probably the ultimate for me. Obviously there’s a drop off in later seasons, but by then you love the characters and want to know what happens anyway.

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Steupz t1_j0zabbs wrote

Sam and Dean for me. At least we have Doctor Who, sorta.

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LeeF1179 t1_j0z4w9x wrote

Knots Landing did this perfectly. It ran on CBS for 14 years. Each week was like catching up with the neighbors. Given its longevity, the characters (and viewers) were taken through courtships, marriages, divorces, murders, deaths.

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Evil_Morty_C131 t1_j113l2q wrote

This line kills me every time: “You're not being asked to do anything that none of us hasn't done before in our own kitchens in our own homes! Now quick, Niles, kill five eels!”

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Lucky2BinWA t1_j104ebl wrote

My friends and I are getting long in the tooth (over 60). We often talk about "Thursday Night TV" - the height of "Seinfeld" and other sitcoms. I do miss the weekly "well what did you think of last night's episode?" on Friday mornings at work. Not so much 'growing up' but weekly TV discussions were a thing between me and my co-workers.

I visited a dear friend recently that I worked with for years - we had many Friday morning discussions of the previous night's TV. All we did was watch "Seinfeld" reruns and it was awesome due to the history we had with that show.

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cyclone866 t1_j10i86z wrote

oh absolutely, also seems pertinent that Ash and Pikachu are being "retired" after 25 years.

I grew up coming home from school and eating a snack while watching Pokemon before starting my homework.

Growing up and seeing Ash and Pikachu almost every day for ~15 years builds another kind of connection that you don't get from a lot of these "quick" 3-5 season shows on Netflix, even if you do relate to the characters.

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StarChild413 t1_j10zxqs wrote

hopefully the new protagonists' journey lasts just as long (as I doubt they'd swap them out every season when they aren't the default game protags). Also it's been long enough that if he aged in real time and the tone (and ages of his companions) followed Ash would be 35, so yeah "your childhood" in that sense might be ending but you're not a child anymore and on a lot of levels neither is he, so don't go harshing someone else's childhood because it's not yours.

Also they probably aren't retiring Pikachu from being mascot, it's just too iconic otherwise

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cyclone866 t1_j117rcq wrote

I think you're trying to read between the lines when there's nothing there.

I'm absolutely not "harshing" any shorter shows, I watch many of them myself. I'm simply agreeing with OP and using Pokemon as an example of a show that's gone on for a long/extended period of time.

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RealCoolDad t1_j0zbx2r wrote

I watched Skins and it was the most character changes in a show I’ve ever seen. It’s like whiplash.

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enough-rope t1_j0zkeh2 wrote

Cheers spinning off into Frasier.
Cheers started before my time but my parents watched it so it was on in the background until I started watching it and then Frasier.
At the same time MASH was on repeat.
Each series has 11 seasons, 33 years of programming that had that 'always there' feeling.

The Next Gen, DS9, Voyager run was awesome too. Sooo much good Trek.

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GenericAustin t1_j0z3aaq wrote

Those kind of tv shows still exist and are still airing, maybe you just choose not to watch them

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Devinstater t1_j0z64hg wrote

Examples please!!!!! Apparently I am missing out.

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hatramroany t1_j10d6tn wrote

Look at any network television schedule and pick your poison

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Beau_bell OP t1_j0z5lih wrote

What are they? I am interested to know as long as it's not cop/hospital shows and soap operas. I'm serious I would like to know some of these I'm not being sarcastic.

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DanMarinoTambourineo t1_j0z890m wrote

There aren’t many serialized dramas bc it’s weird to keep resetting if it isn’t a cop or hospital show. Bad guy or the week type show. So no cop or hospitals - CW DC shows and 911 which is a fire fighter show (technicality). Sitcoms - Abbott, home economics, ghost, neighborhood. Look at the networks lineup

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tinacat933 t1_j0zake9 wrote

A second 911 but some of their recuses are absurd

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DanMarinoTambourineo t1_j0zeeg3 wrote

The absurdity is what makes it so enjoyable. It’s basically a remake of the 70’s show Emergency!

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sobuffalo t1_j10dj2d wrote

The thing I remember About that TDs how was the lead had the coolest in show name, Johnny Gage, but his real name was Randolph Mantooth, which is opposite.

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Pool_Shark t1_j11j6qb wrote

In terms of sitcoms there’s only like 4 or 5 right now and while they are okay none are in that upper echelon we haven’t seen since the Office / Parks and Rec days

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lucybluth t1_j0zcc7e wrote

Yea I know what you mean! This happened to me years ago when I watched the first two seasons of Skins (UK version). I got so attached to those characters and was genuinely so sad when their arc was over and they moved on to the next generation of kids.

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therlwl t1_j106fno wrote

I don't see this not being the case. NCIS is still airing with at least two series one cast members. NCIS Angeles is in season 13 or 14. One Piece is past the 1000 episode count months ago. Network tv still does this readily.

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SadShots t1_j0zblfw wrote

Yup. Maybe now that I think about it one of the reasons I've stopped watching TV and play more games.

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AlabamaPanda777 t1_j0zkgs0 wrote

I wonder if the rewatch and hindsight are more streaming friendly.

Younger me caught the tail end of House and, to my dumb teen brain with limited interest in something that wasn't a video game, he was the cool sarcastic guy in a room of boring people whose procedures hampered his Big Brain.

With streaming it's easy on a whim to go back and watch all the episodes in line and see how much I missed. See it through the new lens of understanding a workplace. Would I have followed out of pace reruns or sold my dog's kidneys for series DVDs to get that pre-streaming? Idk.

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det8924 t1_j118k92 wrote

Sitcoms really don't hurt having long seasons but dramas and other one hour shows don't need more than 12 episodes a season.

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jinger_is_a_fundie t1_j118s77 wrote

Honestly, no.

I rarely watched TV as a kid and most shows were designed so that anyone could watch an episode when it came on.

Now shows are actual stories, with season long arcs and sometimes multi season arcs. It's nice to be able to watch them when you have time. If not for streaming, I'd never watch any TV.

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oooriole09 t1_j11oylm wrote

Yes and no.

Yes, I personally love weekly releases for that reason. Especially when it’s a “podcastable” show where you can dive deep an think about what you’re watching. GoT/HotD is perfect for this, other shows like White Lotus and other character driven shows work well too.

No, I personally don’t miss characters on procedurals like Law and Order or any of the crime/medical dramas simply because I find the characters wildly inconsistent. It’s just impossible to write them well because of the volume over time.

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Schweezly t1_j10mplp wrote

Yes, my biggest one was probably 24. Starting it when I was 18 and watching it over the years was so much fun

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StarChild413 t1_j10zgb4 wrote

so how do we change this back

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slickestwood t1_j11868r wrote

I wish I got old with Arthur Spooner

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HarrietsDiary t1_j11f3gx wrote

My grandmother loved soap operas so…yes. I don’t watch General Hospital often anymore but Elizabeth Webber and I are the same age. We started out in high school together and are tipping into middle age.

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krissym99 t1_j13qqv5 wrote

100%. I miss longer seasons of shows, but I also miss annual seasons of shows. I liked how they'd operate on a school year type schedule.

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