Series V Serial

donfers

I got Lie to Me on dvd boxset, it's ok, having watched the first few episodes I am a tad disappointed at the lack of serialization in it, it strikers me as a series with no long-lasting narrative arcs, usually two cases each week where characters get to the bottom of a lie and that's it...yawn

I find that I much prefer serialized stuff like lost, 24 or BSG where if you miss one episode you miss out on crucial developments in the plot....whereas other shows like the aforementioned lie to me and shows like CSI and Law & Order seem to have a weekly case to solve and that's it. I am not impressed by series based shows as they get dull and repetitive. A crisis/problem or case to solve each week and then onto next week for more of the same, starting from scratch then solving it then goodbye to all involved and onto the next one-yawn!

These series shows are often preferred because producers want people to be able to dip in and out of shows without being completely lost....however I don't understand why they pander to the casual tv viewer like this and such a policy detracts from the developing any ongoing narrative arc or multi-layering of plot i.e. making a show interesting.

Does anyone out there prefer series based shows and can anyone cite a series based show that is any good and doesn't get bland and predictable?

Would you all agree that serialization is the way to go?

Imagine if Lost had bowed to studio pressure and made the show into a series so that each week the characters would have to overcome some crisis that stopped them from building a sustainable island community - imagine how dull that show would have been, imagine all the stuff we would have missed out on, the stuff they have layered over and over the six seasons.

Serials for me please

amacachi

Of course a proper long-term plot is preferable most of the time, but it's all a numbers game.

Are you looking for recommendations for serialized series?

Wossack

theres some series' that are a good mix of the two - xfiles springs to mind as an example

not having it serialized can result in quite shallow undeveloped characters too imo, not too important for sitcoms etc, but fairly lousy for dramas