| I think you are right that the tide is starting to change - unfortunately, it takes the people in charge of these things the longest to figure that out.
JoA was either a few years to early or about a decade late. The early 90s gave us Northern Exposure - an excellent show a lot like JoA. If you haven't seen it, definitely rent the DVDs (not surprisingly, Barbara Hall worked on that show too). That time period also gave us Seinfeld - a show that struggled in the ratings for the first few seasons, but the network gave it a chance instead of pulling it prematurely. These cycles seem to run for about 10 years or so, so it is about time for people to return to that kind of storytelling and moving away from reality shows and procedurals.
It makes me sad because I don't think season two was all that it could have been. It seems like they started out with a plan, but the show kept switching directions, things were dropped and forgotten with no explanation, Joan lost several IQ points (this is really apparent when you watch early season one episodes and see that she was actually pretty smart then), and people acted out of character in order to squeeze them into the network-mandated plotlines (the Duffs being the most obvious, but I've heard that the "Adam cheats" and Ryan storylines were network demands as well). As such, season two didn't have that "realistic" feel to it that season one did. In the first season, everything seemed to develop organically, and even though you were hardly surprised by plot-twists, it wasn't because the writing was obvious, it was because the developments felt right and natural. It really lost that feeling and I suspect because CBS was trying to mold the show into something it wasn't.
Well, now CBS has what it wants in Ghost Whisperer. It doesn't matter to them that it is total crap, it brings in the ratings and that's all they care about. It seems there once was time in television when networks liked to have "prestige" shows - ones that critics loved and won awards - as well as their blockbusters. Sort of the school of thought that even though you sell more Ford Tauruses, that doesn't mean you stop selling Lincoln Towncars for those who want to invest in one. But I guess all that matters now is the almighty dollar. |