I am watching season 3 now, and Tom, Zoe, and Danny have been killed off/shown the door/otherwise departed the series
is this just the nature of the show, or is it common on British series to continually replace the main characters so the show doesn’t get stale? so the actors don’t cost very much (i.e. don’t have to keep renewing popular characters’ contracts for ever-increasing salaries)
If it’s a Spooks only thing, was it because of contract negotiations in particular to that show, funding cuts, or just the flow of the show?
I don’t think it’s any more common than on US TV. I haven’t seen Spooks, but have heard of it mentioned as ‘the show where everyone dies.’ Torchwood is well-known for this too (I don’t think that counts as a spoiler) but them being well-known for it indicates that it is unusual.
I don’t know, but it’s hard not to notice that of the original cast for Primeval, there are three characters left. One of them “retired” but everyone else died.
Doctor Who rarely kills of main characters (or at least they don’t stay dead), but it sure churns through actors. Since the series restarted in 2005, there have been three different actors in the lead. Of the other regulars, none have lasted more than one or two seasons (although they come back for guest appearances). Heck, not too long ago they blew up the show’s only standing set.
Changing leads was a hallmark of the original series, but it seems to be greatly accelerated in the revival. Perhaps the BBC has not discovered the value of the 7-year contract.
Well there was the last episode of Keeping Up Appearances, where Richard finally strangles Hyacinth and buries her in the flower garden, being careful to do it at night so that the snoopy neighbors won’t, you know, talk …
But that only aired the one time. It’s not considered canon.
My wife and daughter watched the Australian series “McCloud’s Daughters.” By the end it should have been called “McClouds second cousins nephews by marriage twice removed.” They killed off all the main characters (except for those sent to South Africa which I suppose is their equivalent of the farm upstate where you tell your kids your dog goes to run free.)
British soap operas fairly often kill of main characters, especially the “nasty” ones.
Emmerdale famously had a plane crash onto the village back in 1993, and Eastenders will often kill off main characters as a key plot element (often based around xmas specials etc).
Ooh, ooh! And remember when Liz (the neighbor) snuck over to dig up a sprout of Hyacinth’s prize lilac on the sly and accidentally uncovered the body? The trial was awful! Richard in the dock, Rose flirting with the barristers, Onslow and Daisy watching footie on their portable telly in the courtroom, Violet (the one who married a turf accountant) testifying in defense of Richard, and Daddy running through the courthouse naked!
Wow! I’d like to see that episode. And to cheer for Richard. Even if the local cops found out about it, they have had episodes with her too – they’d let him off.
The Doctor Portrayed by Years Duration (yrs)
First Doctor William Hartnell 1963–1966 3
Second Doctor Patrick Troughton 1966–1969 3
Third Doctor Jon Pertwee 1970–1974 4
Fourth Doctor Tom Baker 1974–1981 7
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison 1981–1984 3
Sixth Doctor Colin Baker 1984–1986 2
Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy 1987–1989 2
1996 US Movie
Eighth Doctor Paul McGann 1996 US Movie + radio
Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston 2005 1
Tenth Doctor David Tennant 2005–2010 5
Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith 2010–unknown ?
According to wikipedia, 3.4 years was average for the original series, or only 2.8 years if you remove Tom Baker as an outlier. It’s 3 years on average for the two doctors that have completed a run on the new series. You can’t count the Eleventh Doctor yet because we don’t know how long his tenure will be.
I think that Eccleston leaving after only one season skews things a bit, making it look like they’re churning through Doctors when they’re really not.
I’m of two minds about Red Dwarf. How many crewmembers were killed in the first episode?
Yeah, I don’t think there’s a judge in England who’d convict. (And Liz and Emmet would totally not call the cops on him. They could probably even get the Vicar’s wife to help them move the body!)
I agree with your point that only Eccleston’s tenure was particularly short, but David Tennant was really only the Doctor for three seasons, or maybe four if you count 2009, the Year of the Specials.
I’m being needlessly nitpicky, I know - I was just so disappointed to see him go that the fact that he was only there for three years is indelibly marked on my brain. (But I like Matt Smith very much and am far less sad now.)
Ha! I knew from the title this would be about Spooks. That’s why I finally stopped watching it - half of the episodes were either about introducing a new character or getting rid of an old one. It seriously interfered with the actual plots.
I’m also reminded of Monarch of the Glen, which we also stopped watching a few years in, because everyone was leaving and being replaced in very hamhanded fashion. Also, it wasn’t that great a show, other than the scenery.
I know in the US, when new shows start, they typically sign the main actors to seven-year contracts. This kind of thing shows why that’s a good idea.