TV producers just don’t see the obvious

I was reading the other day that one of my shows (i.e., one of the TV programs I watch every few weeks when I get a chance, thanks to TiVo), Joan of Arcadia, is in danger of cancellation because of declining viewership.

The article focused mostly on how religious-oriented shows are doing, and used Joan as an example of one that started out like gangbusters but has dropped off recently.

But I can tell you, it has nothing to do with the religious angle. Joan of Arcadia’s problem is one suffered by oh-so-many series: They turned it into a soap opera.

The deadly words to listen for are “We’re going to focus more on the characters,” or “We’re going to explore the characters’ relationships more,” or something similar. It’s been the death knell for more than one series.

I call it the Soap Opera Effect. It happens when the writers and producers get away from what makes a show work. Picket Fences was a great example. It was a great show — an absoutely can’t-miss series. And then in the second or third season (I forget) they decided to “focus on the characters.”

And it was gone after that.

Ally McBeal (like Picket Fences, created by David E. Kelley) was a cool show about a funky group of lawyers trying some off-the-wall cases. Then it became a soap opera.

JAG is another one. It’s not having a baby or having sex or getting married that kills so many shows — although reading through Jump the Shark might make you think so. It’s the fact that to get to that point (where sex or marriage or a baby makes a big difference), the show needs to be a soap opera.

Here’s an example of a show that never crossed that line: Law and Order. Or, it came close a few times. But the writers know that their bread is buttered by tight detective stories and snappy courtroom drama — not by who’s sleeping with whom. That’s why it can have so many new and replacement characters and still be so popular. It’s not about the characters; it’s about the stories.

Not that there’s anything wrong with soap operas, or with character-oriented shows. There certainly isn’t — as long as that’s what you signed up for.

But if you start watching for the stories and plots, and suddenly find yourself dealing with a show that’s about “characters,” you’re gonna leave.

I liked Joan of Arcadia more when it was about the tasks God gave Joan and how what she did affected so much around her. Often God would explain why he had her join this club or go out with that guy.

But lately it’s been a soap opera, focused on Joan and her now-ex-boyfriend, and her brother’s love life, and her mother’s crises of faith or what have you.

What I started watching for has been relegated to the background, and I’m not interested in Dawson’s Creek.

I see this happening with CSI, although so far the writers have backed off. But I know — I just know — that somewhere in some office people are thinking, “Yeah, viewers love CSI’s science and detective angles, so let’s start focusing on the characters.”

[sigh]