Movies suck: the virtue of the Series

One advantage tv shows have, and one I wish more would take advantage of, is the opportunity to really build and develop a character. My favorite tv dramas (Homicide, Hill St. Blues, the Sopranos, Oz) have done this.

The latter is something which is being challenged by shows like 24 (definately) - where the whole thing is just one story. Laterly with shows like Dawsons Creek and Buffy where larger overarcing plots are the norm outside the monster/personal dilema of the week formula. These are shows which ought to have a planned end point. TV is often so much better than films but is much more constrained by the rigidity of programming and formula.

Okay, take for instance All in the Family. As you know, for years and years, Archie and Mike (Meathead) constantly argued. Then toward the end of the series, Mike and Gloria move away. Mike is teary as he's saying goodbye to Archie, and Archie is in disbelief, wondering why Mike isn't happy to be getting away from him. Then Mike says that he's always loved him, despite their conflicts. Mike leaves, and Archie is sitting alone. Then Archie thinks about it, and he becomes teary-eyed. Edith enters the room, notices Archie crying, and then slips back into the kitchen without Archie knowing that she saw him. She announces something like "I've got your lemonade" from the kitchen, Archie quickly dries his eyes, and Edith enters. Utterly devastating. And it wouldn't have been so effective if there hadn't been scores and scores of episodes where Archie and Mike traded verbal abuse.

Another example, Kimagure Orange Road (an anime series). *SPOILERS AHEAD* Kyosuke (teen guy), Madoka (teen gal), and Hikaru (teen gal) are all friends. Hikaru is kind of an annoying, somewhat dim girl and has latched herself onto Kyosuke and considers him her boyfriend; Kyosuke doesn't agree, but keeps this to himself to not hurt her feelings. Kyosuke and Madoka are attracted to each other, but Kyosuke doesn't take action. This is pretty much the theme for the whole series (oh yeah, Kyosuke has wacky supernatural powers, but never mind that). Then, the series ends with a mini-movie, where Kyosuke finally picks Madoka. Hikaru reveals to Kyosuke that she knew all along that he didn't particularly like her and that he liked Madoka instead, but she did what she did because maybe one day he would like her. So Hikaru sits down on the sidewalk, crying, in the rain. Kyosuke leaves her there, sees an umbrella in a storefront, thinks for a minute, then continues to walk away. Madoka then is revealed to be somewhat unregretful of losing Hikaru as a friend. So, for the entire series, part of the humor was in this dumb annoying girl, Hikaru, and then it turns out that she wasn't so dumb after all. I am not doing this series justice by distilling it down, but after you see its 40 or so episodes and then the final movie, it gives you an incredibly intense, lingering feeling.

I don't share the opinion that "movies suck," but certainly, a series that is carefully constructed (and there are very few of these) can have a tremendous effect that a film may not have.

I agree with both statements. But, TV can use time to its advantage to make a deeper impact (but this applies to a *very* small number of shows). Say a friend of yours, who you've known for years, imparts some kind of startling admission to you. Then, say you've met someone at a bar, chatted with them for an hour or two, and then he makes the same admission. Certainly there's a different feeling in each case, due to the familiarity you have with the person. (I know, a real life person isn't like a TV/film character, and we relate to them differently, but still.) That said, I'd rather watch films than TV any day.

Movies on the other hand tend to benefit a lot of the time from all the extra medling. Honestly, regular movies are better than indie movies, most of the time. It is the same thing really. It is not really my theory, though, that the meddling is what makes movies not great: I still atribute it to something about the shortness.

I too would rather watch a movie than a TV show: if it is a movie I have seen before. A series has more replay value for me. I admit some of the appeal is the vicarious aspect: but what a cool aspect it is.