Top 3 Shows that went on too long

Well after last week's shows which were cancelled too soon, I've had a request to do the shows that went on too long.

Now I'm going to qualify my choices here at this point. I'm not in the business of intentionally harshing anyone else's squee and if there's a show I took an instant dislike to or just didn't get on with I ignore it's existence. My choices are shows that I loved but along the way they lost what made them special.

1. Heroes.

Season one was an amazing piece of television.  THere were many threads of seeming disparate narrative which over the weeks wore a tapestry which had a fab finale.  It had a comic book ethos and was beautifully shot.  Save the Cheerleader, save the world. Yatta! and Sylar all became iconic hallmarks of the series.  Season two suffered because of the writers strike, but despite the shortened season I had loved Adam's story and was disappointed that his arc had been curtailed.  Season three lost it's way and season four jumped the shark repeatedly.  My problem with the show was that the rules for the universe that the show operated in were not consistent.  The writers were changing their mind's about character's motivation on a weekly basis and it kind got to the stage where it just didn't make any kind of sense at all.



2. Torchwood

I'm sure you're already sick of my writings about Torchwood and I'm loathed to repeat myself so here's the potted version.  Believe me getting me on this rant live is a whole other ball game. I've written multiple times at length about Miracle day but here's the bottom line, Torchwood  was always a bit of silly fun. Pterydactyls, sex aliens, bloody great demons destroying half of Cardiff. Torchwood was also creepy, there was Coutrycide, the circus freaks and then there was a smattering of wibbly wobbly timey wimey.  Everyone had sex with each other and it was a hoot.  Then there was always the threat of Death, Suzy, Tosh, and Owen all lost their lives in the first two series. 

Then Children of Earth happened and as a viewer it was like: oh wow, Torchwood has grown up and isn't it ace. I'm one of the few that thought Ianto had a fantastic poetic death. And I loved Peter Capaldi's performance.

Miracle Day for want of a more elegant phrase has shat over that legacy, it hasn't managed to capture the fun of the early series nor the beautifully crafted tension of Children of Earth.  Miracle Day meanders amlessly for many episodes with no aliens, or threat beyond the human.  THere are two weeks left, I'll admit that week eight was an improvement (thank you lords of Kobol for John Do Lancie) but in a ten week run leaving the plot development to week eight is a very risky strategy.

3. Red Dwarf

Shock inclusion? I do still love the early series of this show. I think more than fondly or series 1-6 but let's face it things started going wrong with series seven onwards.  I used to blame the 'new Kotchanski' but as I've gotten older I've drawn a new conclusion.  It wasn't Chloe Annett's fault, in fact Claire Grogan could have joined the team and it still wouldn't have worked.  Adding a female to the cast completely altered the chemistry of the show. The point was that all the male cast had nothing in common and didn't really like each other, they generated friction and tension and that generated the comedy.  Kotchanski fundamentally changed how the characters interacted with each other and not for the best.

Series 8 was back on the ship and introduced,or rather reintroduced the crew which again lost the point somewhat.  And Back to Earth didn't really do it for me either.