"Say 'Goodbye' to these!" - Kitty Sanchez, Arrested Development, S01E18
This week, with nothing significant to write about (Boardwalk Empire will have a complete season/series review next week after the finale airs), I decided to start a yearly tradition. Just as the President has a State of the Union Address each year, I'm going to have a State of Television Address. I think it's only right for the self-proclaimed "Sultan of Television" to do so. So, this year, where are we? How is television doing? Is drama outweighing comedy? Are miniseries bound to take over the small screen? Well, sadly this isn't a vlog, so I'm not going to actually deliver an impassioned speech to answer these questions, but I will certainly write one! Without further adieu, let's get on to the first annual State of Television Address!
This year is a significant one in the television zeitgeist. Since the beginning of 2013, a lot of the old greats have ended, and many newbies have taken over in their stead.
In the Fall of 2013, arguably the greatest drama ever created finished airing. AMC's Breaking Bad, the story of a chemistry teacher who, when diagnosed with cancer, turns to the drug trade to pay for it, reached its incredible conclusion. After a stunning final bunch of episodes, I began to question whether or not TV could compensate for the loss of Bad. Yes, I love Man Men and Boardwalk Empire, but both of those shows were coming to a close soon anyway. But, after the loss of Bad, my worries were soon put aside. In the months post-Bad, True Detective, Fargo, The Knick and The Leftovers began. To a lesser extent, Turn, Penny Dreadful, and The Strain began. The first four were truly great and the latter three were very promising, especially Turn. Pair these new beginnings with Game of Thrones's fourth season and Mad Men's seventh and things don't look so bleak anymore. Though drama took a serious hit with one of its top performers leaving the stage, everything seems to be just fine. In fact, with the influx of newcomers, things look to be doing quite well. Boardwalk is coming to a beautiful close, Justified looks to do the same, and Walking Dead has started out quite strong. The last year has been following a theme of "in with the new, out with the old". Where one television giant falls, another hopes to rise from the ashes. Speaking of rising from the ashes, in recent news, it was announced that Showtime renewed Twin Peaks for a third and final season after 25 years of waiting. If this doesn't confirm that drama is only getting better, I don't know what will. Hell, with luck like this, I can only hope that HBO announces Carnivale has been brought back.
But, all of this optimism towards the future of drama is weighed down by the state of comedy. Ever since 1989, when Seinfeld aired its first episode, things have been on a roll. Once the 90's ended, the 2000's brought us such greats as The Office, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Family Guy, Archer, The Life and Times of Tim, and of course, the crowning glory of Arrested Development. However, while this golden age was long lasting, its started to die off in recent times. In 2013, the amount of truly great comedies has been cut down. The League is nothing like it used to be, Wilfred ended, and it's truly hard to call Louie a comedy anymore. This leaves only Archer, Always Sunny, Family Guy, Veep, and the newly created Silicon Valley to steer the comedic ship. Though I truly do love the first three and see great potential in the latter, it's slim pickin' compared to what we had just five years ago. However, there is a reason behind the plague killing off all of our comedy. This plague is called "The Dramedy". Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not against the genre in general. Shows like Louie and Girls have a certain place on TV. I've seen every episode of Louie and look forward to future seasons. I watched all of Legit. These shows are and were good! However, they should not be allowed to be called comedies! Both of these shows, along with such prospects as You're The Worst, Married, and Looking fall into the dramedy category. The problem is that as new dramedies are produced under the guise of comedies, the room for true sitcoms is slowly narrowing. Thus, in the last several years, Silicon Valley is one of the only true comedies that has started... and even Silicon Valley still pays a lot of attention to drama! Without an influx of new comedy, like with drama, it begins to be doubtful as to whether we'll ever reach the heights we did with Arrested Development again. Where Breaking Bad ended and everything kept going like clockwork, the future is bleak for comedy. When Archer inevitably ends along with Veep (the two best comedies currently airing), what will take their place? Family Guy and Always Sunny have to be nearing their respective ends as well. All of this passage begs a question: in five years, what will be the state of comedy? What about in ten? Will everything on TV be slated toward drama? Will we look back upon Louie and Girls as incredibly influential to the modern state of dramedy or will they gradually just become what the world knows as comedy? This scares me.
So, as we address the state of modern television, it must be looked at through a melancholy lens. I have no doubt that soon enough, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men, Sopranos, etc. will be surpassed. Can the same be said for Arrested Development? Going forward, it's hard to predict just what the television landscape will be. I hope, as an advocate of all genres, that drama, comedy, and dramedy will live on... just separately. For every Louie I need some Always Sunny. For every Family Tree, I need some Office. For every Girls, I need some suicide, because that show is terrible. Okay, maybe I'm not the target audience, but when every character is an unlikable bitch, I feel like something is wrong... but I digress.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims, this is the State of Television. This is where we stand as of the Fall of 2014. Will my depressing predictions on comedy hold true? Will my optimism on drama hold true?
Only time will tell.Labels: ABC, AMC, Archer, Arrested Development, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Cinemax, Comedy, Drama, FOX, FX, Game of Thrones, Girls, HBO, Louie, Mad Men, NBC, Showtime, Silicon Valley, The Walking Dead
