FBO: 'TV Shows Put on Watch List'

THE FBO IS FURIOUS!

The main reason why TV shows ultimately fail is the drive for viewer-manipulation and ad dollars. Story lines are stretched out to justify extra seasons; characters switch personalities to allow new rubs and conflicts. There's no integrity left to 'the story'. Only ways to keep the show rolling. Often writers of hits are culled to other, higher-paying gigs and work suffers.

Consider movies. Many people rank Francis Ford Coppola's three-hour The Godfather and three-hour The Godfather II as their favorites -- certainly Al Pacino gives an all-too-rare understated (not yelling all the time) performance. But even this two-fer classic couldn't sustain a third. Coppola's three-hour The Godfather III may be the worst sequel in history -- like a videotape of a let's-be-nice reunion where nothing really happens other than someone gets shot on the steps. If The Godfather can't stretch a story -- remember, that's why we're here, for a story -- to nine hours, why could something like supposedly 'deeper' and more 'thought-provoking' TV shows like Lost, Alias, 24 Hours or now-declining Battlestar Galactica?

--> Lost has run 43 HOURS OF SHOWS and still not given any glimpse -- I hear -- of where it's going, an explanation to the mystery of the island. Have you ever watched a 43-hour movie, or read a 26,000-page book, that has taken longer to get around to The Point?

Other than sit-coms or the tiresome trend of medical and police shows (how about a dentist show for a change?), TV shows should be limited to one or (max) two seasons, as often happens with the BBC. This is an acceptable (albeit excessive: about 18 hours per a season of 'hour-long' shows!) time frame to play out a story. Shows that go beyond that should refund viewers some of the advertising dollars. The FBO also asks for a public apology.

Seeking entertainment integrity for failed-bands and failed-bands' fans,


FBO Admin,
Mobile/Semi-Permanent HQ -- Brooklyn, NY

PS - Valentine's Day is for wussies.