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Post by topbilled on Dec 7, 2023 15:21:05 GMT
I am currently watching the 8th season of the original Hawaii Five O. And it surprises me how many plots are recycled so quickly, a few episodes apart. I am only halfway through S8 and already we've had three espionage stories (I guess James Bond type villains and intrigue inspired the writers of this series), two of them were spy vs. spy dramas.
Another repeated plot involves drug shipments to and from the island which McGarrett and his men must thwart. Sometimes they don't even change the type of drug to make the story at least seem slightly different...heroin seems to be the main drug in these stories. The other frequently used plot set-up has McGarrett squaring off against some faction of the mob.
If it weren't for the excellent guest stars, I think I would have given up and lost interest in some of these cases of plot deja vu.
While I expect a long-running series to revisit some of the same narrative threads, and heck I even expect a few remakes of earlier episodes later in the series...it does surprise me how repetitive the plots are within a single season. Did viewers back in the day notice this? Or is it easier to notice the similarities when binge-watching?
Of course H F 0 isn't the only program guilty of this practice. How many times did Lucy Ricardo try to get into a showbiz act? How many times did Lassie save someone in danger? How many times did J.R. Ewing cheat on wife Sue Ellen? You get the idea!
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Dec 7, 2023 17:46:05 GMT
Tales of Wells Fargo does recycle scripts, but the episodes are a few seasons apart. E.g. they had the story of Bella Star. 2 seasons later they had the story of Pearl Heart. The plot was the same, with some minor changes (e.g. Bella robs a train, Pearl a stagecoach), and much of the dialog was word for word.
I also see this type of thing between different T.V. shows if they are produced by the same production company, studio or network. I.e. the same screenplay was used with minor changes. This is especially true for 50s and 60s westerns.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 8, 2023 2:15:42 GMT
Tales of Wells Fargo does recycle scripts, but the episodes are a few seasons apart. E.g. they had the story of Bella Star. 2 seasons later they had the story of Pearl Heart. The plot was the same, with some minor changes (e.g. Bella robs a train, Pearl a stagecoach), and much of the dialog was word for word. I also see this type of thing between different T.V. shows if they are produced by the same production company, studio or network. I.e. the same screenplay was used with minor changes. This is especially true for 50s and 60s westerns.
I think the Norman Lear sitcoms reused scripts. There is also a sameness to some of the Aaron Spelling shows. Plots from Starsky & Hutch were repeated on Charlie's Angels. And the original premise of The Colbys (initially titled Dynasty II: The Colbys) was that it was a second Dynasty. |
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Post by jinsinna13 on Dec 8, 2023 14:24:30 GMT
While I expect a long-running series to revisit some of the same narrative threads, and heck I even expect a few remakes of earlier episodes later in the series...it does surprise me how repetitive the plots are within a single season. Did viewers back in the day notice this? Or is it easier to notice the similarities when binge-watching?
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Post by jinsinna13 on Dec 8, 2023 14:35:21 GMT
I recently finished watching The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis on The Roku Channel. During the third season, it was obvious how often plots were recycled. Maynard's new talent, Dobie getting dumped by his girlfriend of the week, Zelda pursuing Dobie, etc. The recycled plots continued in the messy fourth and final season.
There were some episodes I liked, but it's pretty easy to see why it got cancelled.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 8, 2023 15:47:23 GMT
I recently finished watching The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis on The Roku Channel. During the third season, it was obvious how often plots were recycled. Maynard's new talent, Dobie getting dumped by his girlfriend of the week, Zelda pursuing Dobie, etc. The recycled plots continued in the messy fourth and final season.
There were some episodes I liked, but it's pretty easy to see why it got cancelled.
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Post by intrepid37 on Dec 8, 2023 23:49:20 GMT
Repetition is what life is. Why would a "series" be anything different?
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Post by Hrothgar on Apr 26, 2024 3:54:18 GMT
Maybe it is more about the characters than the plots. These latter repetitions might even be overlooked. For instance, when I watched Dobie Gillis, I couldn't keep my eyes of Thalia Meninger. How many time did Maynard say, "work?" that way. We love the characters, plots are virtually nothing.  |
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Post by Guest on May 1, 2024 18:59:30 GMT
Most shows have roughly two good seasons of content and then anything after that is just rehashes of the same stuff. That is just a trend I noticed with lots of shows. If it is season 1 or season 2 the content is just typically better.
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Post by topbilled on May 1, 2024 19:13:44 GMT
Most shows have roughly two good seasons of content and then anything after that is just rehashes of the same stuff. That is just a trend I noticed with lots of shows. If it is season 1 or season 2 the content is just typically better. |
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