Maybe it’s my imagination (wouldn’t be the first time), but it seems like 9 out of 10 of the new Fall shows are crime/law related. I’m probably as big a TV junkie as you’ll ever meet - let me rephrase that “ever WANT to meet” - and even I’m starting to feel like watching some of this shit has become more of a burden than a pleasure.
I did like the Defenders last night with Belushi. It’s nice to have a show that doesn’t start from the premise that criminal defense attorneys are scum. Sort of reminds me of the James Woods movie “True Believer” - but with a much lighter touch of course. But even old faves like CSI (LV) are starting to feel more worn than comfortable.
Of course the alternative I suppose is “reality” shows, but I’ve never understood the appeal. I mean, if you think about it, isn’t really just a fancier version of pro wrestling? You know there is a script and that even individual moves/scenes are choreographed. But both genres are still incredibly popular even if arguably among disparate demographics.
Normally at this point the studios will pull some crazy shit out of their ass to mix the format up - like zombie rookie cops who aren’t accepted by their “human” peers, or maybe time traveling cops. I’m sure that will happen in this arena too - probably mid-season - but I don’t think even a major switch-up would remedy the sense of ennui.
The only show in that group that I can honestly say I’m still looking forward to is Castle, but maybe I’m just a Nate Fillion groupie from his work on Serenity.
Things go in cycles. In the early 90s we were saturated with medical shows, now we’re saturated in crime and woowoo Hollywood trickery crime-solving.
We’ve got to be at critical mass; tonight the premiere episode of “Blue Bloods” recreated almost an entire storyline of an episode of Law & Order from about seven years ago, in which the “out of control” cop dunks the head of a kidnapping suspect in a toilet repeatedly in order to get a confession of where the lost, helpless, adorable moppet was being hidden. And CSI: New York opened with the tried-and-true “I killed my mistress because she got pregnant and was going to ruuuuuuuuuuin my liiiiiiiiiife” which we’ve seen so many times before I can’t even name all the examples.
The trouble is, this stuff gets the ratings. Anything new and different may last a few seasons, then gets dropped right as things get interesting. So what can we do?
Plus, even the different stuff that gets tried and dropped is crime-drama. You want to experiment with a cop show where a modern guy wakes up in the '70s to play detective in a retro precinct? Or maybe a multimillionaire ex-con who espouses Zen philosophy when punching a time-clock and carrying a badge? How about if the crusading attorney who represents accused criminals and sues the occasional big corporation picks his cases because he’s either hallucinating or receiving prophetic visions, take your pick?
In your poll, there’s no option for ‘no’ and several different ways of saying yes.’
There are loads of crime dramas out there right now, and some of them are very good. That’s pretty much the opposite of the crime drama genre being tapped out.
Agreeing with the other respondents, I might add that the crime drama is so broad a category as to be almost meaningless. The Shield, Law & Order, & NCIS are all crime dramas, but they have little in common beyond that classification.
They’ll be around; they always have. About the only genre to disappear from prime time TV is the Western, and that has a lot to do with shooting costs (If a plane flies over, it ruins the take, and you have to worry about power lines and the like. Classic westerns got around this by shooting all exteriors on sound stages, but audiences wouldn’t accept that now).
There is a trend for them nowadays, and that may subside, but shows will continue to be made.
For those in the states perhaps a little tired of the same-old backdrops can I suggest you try “Wallander”?
It’s a swedish show and subtitled. ( It has been re-made for English audiences with Kenneth Branagh starring but I can’t comment on how good that version is)
It really is superbly atmospheric (think “insomnia”) and the cast is excellent. You will of course get a craving for herring and volvos but it is a small price to pay.
When I say tapped out, I just mean for the next couple of seasons with respect to new shows. If you run a broadcast network, and you see the prime time schedule flooded with crime and law related shows, what are you going to do? The obvious answer is to follow the ratings. But you can’t do that blindly because you have huge lead times for production. I don’t know what they are exactly but after the writers’ strike a few years ago, it seemed like it was at least several months (4-6) before things got back to normal.
So at least some consideration has to be given to market saturation. Personally, I’ll be surprised if more than a third of the new shows make it past mid-season. And if the total is much higher than that, I would guess it’s because they don’t have enough alternatives ready to replace that many shows.
The point about cop/legal shows not being all alike is well taken. What is the main draw for a new show? How much does the genre really matter? I think the main attraction is the genre and personally I watch these types of shows for the same reason - I like trying to solve the case as the show progresses. Other aspects are important like the personalities involved and how they interact, but it’s not my primary interest. However it wouldn’t surprise me if other people have different motivations regarding any particular show.
I think there will always be a market for this type of drama. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s also possible to saturate a market and I get the feeling that we have, with this season, passed that point.
These types of shows will be around forever - good and bad.
It does, however, take some talented writers to make them interesting.
For instance, who would have thought a show about a detective with serious OCD could be a hit? (Monk).
Criminal Minds has taken creepy and made it fun to watch.
CSI has turned forensics and insect larva into armchair mysteries.
The Shield had cops who were basically all bad guys (with hearts of gold…)
White Collar is another premise that is good, Leverage is a spin off of Mission Impossible, but also good.
I liked the pilot episode of The Whole Truth - nice touch of watching both sides of the trial, not really knowing if the defendant is guilty or not until the end.
It all comes down to good writing and good actors.