the TV addict » Caprica

Has the Phrase “Game Changer” Jumped the Shark?

Tiffany Vogt — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:02:01 +0000

“Game changer” just does not mean what it used to. In fact, it means virtually nothing these days simply because the over-use of the term has diluted the very meaning of it. When did the phrase “game changer” turn into such a snooze-fest? Back in the good ole days, when you heard that a television show was going to air a “game changer” episode, it meant something so much more thrilling — something so significant and unexpected that viewers were shocked and could not believe their eyes. A “game changer” used to mean that a key character was being killed-off, someone was coming back from the dead, or there was going to be so mind-blowing that you could not foresee it happening. But nowadays, it could mean anything from the addition of a new character, a character losing their job, or even less gasp-worthy, a character getting pregnant.

Great examples of “game changers” were LOST, 24 and TORCHWOOD’s willingness to kill off key characters. Another show particularly adept at game-changers was the J.J. Abrams’ series ALIAS, such as when it took down SD-6 with one swift blow during the second season or when it surprised viewers with the 2 -year time jump. Game-changers are risk taking and shocking. The viewer should be sitting on their sofa wondering why the world felt like it had just tilted.

In recent television, FRINGE’s reveal that there was an alternate universe qualifies as a game-changer, but the over-hyped Fauxlivia’s pregnancy did not feel as mind-bending. Likewise on V, the fact that Anna could bliss humans did not feel as big a game-changer as it should have been. Nor the fact that Katie was carrying a super-human baby on NO ORDINARY FAMILY. True game-changers would have been to find out that Father Jack was a mole working for Anna since the beginning on V; or that Katie was a plant by Dr. King to keep an eye on Steph’s research from the get go. Even the fact that Orwell was afflicted by a similar mental illness to her father’s in THE CAPE did not feel as startling, as it should have been.

To be worthy of the label “game changer,” something must be not be foreseeable. It must be unexpected to such a degree that everyone is talking about it, altering the way you look at a show completely. Unpredictability is essential: a previously unknown relationship, a major deception such as a traitor or mole, an unveiling of another layer of reality, a shocking and unexpected death of a key character. All of these things send a show spiralling out of control or in a different direction.

Anything that can be foreseen or which is just a blip on the radar of a show feels less game-changing and more like a predictable event within a storyline. Perhaps over the years, television viewers have simply seen too much and things that would have surprised us a decade ago, now feel much more mundane. Having just seen that DEXTER killed off Dexter’s wife, Rita and that LOST killed off Sun, Jin and Sayid in one quick swoop, even primary characters are not safe on television these days and we have come to expect that shows will take such risks – even with beloved characters.

Other classic game-changers in television included: Angel losing his soul in BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, the Cylons taking over New Caprica on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, the death of Marisa Cooper on THE O.C., the Veronica-Logan kiss on VERONICA MARS, watching Michael kill Ana Lucia and Libby on LOST, and Fox Mulder’s abrupt departure from THE X-FILES. Each of these events were shocking, surprising and game-changing for each of these shows. It propelled storylines in new directions and left viewers wondering what the heck was going-on.

Imagine today if such scenarios played out: if Peter is the real villain of FRINGE; if DEXTER were killed leaving his sister to avenge his death; if the crew of Destiny were enslaved by the Lucian Alliance for an entire season on STARGATE: UNIVERSE; if Clark Kent or the Powells lost all their super-human abilities for an extended period of time and had to live normal lives on SMALLVILLE and NO ORDINARY FAMILY. All such scenarios would be truly game-changing. Unexpected, horrifying and mind-boggling.

It would be a fun change of pace to truly see a genuine “game changer” on television and not feel let down when the hyped game-changers are merely a minor reveal and not shocking at all. Let’s bring back true “game changers” so that we may all savor the fun of being surprised once again!

Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower). Tiffany also writes as a columnist for NiceGirlsTV.

Why Cliffhanger Endings are Ruining Television

Tiffany Vogt — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:15:19 +0000

For decades the season finale of just about any television show is guaranteed to be a cliff-hanger. Why? For the simple reason that television showrunners and writers are not confident that their audience will return when the show does. They figure the best way to ensure that their existing audience is seated in front of their television is the cliff-hanger.

But here’s a small secret: viewers hate cliff-hangers. It presupposes that viewers won’t tune-in but for the cliff-hanger. When, in reality, fans of a television show are more likely to tune-in regardless of the cliff-hanger. That is why they are fans – they keep coming back. Fans by their very nature are dedicated and committed. They do not need to be toyed with and manipulated.

So in addition to making a viewer’s brain want to explode whenever they see the words “to be continued” or the episode ends without resolution to a major character’s status –cliff-hangers also do not even allow the viewer the small comfort of knowing that their favorite character will be returning; particularly as characters in jeopardy or on the brink of death are the preferred.

However, because this plot device has been utilized ad infinitum for years, fans have become a bit numb and unimpressed with cliff-hangers. Such a device is more of an annoyance and it insults the very person that the show wishes to keep when the show returns.

In recent years, cliff-hangers also have another deadly side-effect: if the show does not return, then fans are literally left hanging to wonder for eternity how things would have worked out. Before the widespread use of the Internet, it was not even possible to find out what would have happened. Today, through the use of fan sites, conventions, and Twitter, it is much easier for writers and showrunners to convey to fans the “what would have happened” had the show continued storylines.

But for the vast number of viewers who are not so “plugged in,” they will always wonder. It is a bone-of-contention — the not knowing what would have come next. It can rub away at the brain for years – becoming an increasingly sensitive sore spot if anyone were to bring up the show and how it simply stopped and never ended.

While it is not new that some shows do not get sufficient notice to wrap-up or conclude their storylines before receiving notice that their show has been cancelled, it is rather new that some shows are willfully choosing to disregard the writing-on-the-wall. It has become a standard showrunner’s ostrich-tactic to deny the impending death-knell and protest to the bitter-end that there could be a last minute reprieve.

But such willful blindness to the harsh realities of television is not only ludicrous, it is alienating. It is simply wrong for a showrunner to disregard the cold, hard truth that their show may get pink-slipped at the end of its season or will not receive the coveted “back nine” episode order – or worse yet, could be pulled off the broadcast schedule at any moment.

This lack of foresight ultimately divides the fan-base. There are die-hard fans who will appreciate the last-stand approach and who will stand by the show even if it fails to plan for its end-date. They will still buy the DVD’s and encourage others to discover the now defunct show.

However, there are also the fans who will be outraged that the show ended without a proper ending — where characters are left disjointed, stuck in jeopardy and without seeing their favorite couples united. Nothing is more galvanizing than never seeing if a “will-they-or-won’t-they” type couple actually gets together. The lack of a payoff and/or resolution drives away the very fans that supported the show and stuck with it once it is gone. They will not buy the DVD’s and they will tell everyone they know that it was not worth watching because it failed to have an ending.

Just like movie-goers do not want to be kicked out of the theater before the movie ends, and book-readers do not want to buy half-a-book, television fans do not want to be left without resolution either.

In the case of such recent shows as LONESTAR and MY GENERATION, they were not even on the broadcast schedule long enough for anyone to fully understand what either show was about, let alone to truly become attached and mourn them when they were suddenly cancelled. But in the case of several other recent television series, they were around a lot longer and fans became much more attached and invested in the stories and characters. A few, like CAPRICA and LIFE UNEXPECTED, understand that their end-date is approaching and they make an effort to resolve their bigger storylines and place their characters in settled positions that their fans will appreciate. Such shows will be remembered fondly for their foresight, sensitivity and appreciation of their fans.

Then there are the shows that play “ostrich” and refuse to acknowledge that the end is coming. Three good examples are V, THE CAPE and STARGATE UNIVERSE. Ratings for these series have never been very high and yet ignoring the signs that these shows were in jeopardy, the showrunners deliberately chose to move forward at their leisurely pace as if they had all the time in the world to introduce and resolve their stories.

Having just watched the season finales (and most likely, the series finales) for V and THE CAPE, such stubbornness feels selfish. Just because the showrunners/writers did not want to acknowledge, let alone plan for an accelerated end-date, they literally left their viewers hanging. These are the shows that divide fans and won’t be remembered so fondly. To not see if Vince Faraday was ever reunited with his family; did Peter Fleming succumb to his alter-ego Chess; did Orwell slowly lose her mind like her father – THE CAPE never answered any of these questions. It only left fans wondering what-might-have-been. Likewise with V – it left the entire population of the planet enthralled by Anna’s bliss and vulnerable for occupation; it did not explain Hobbes’ sudden departure and abandonment of his new relationship with Erica; it did not reveal if Tyler was actually dead or would be saved by the advanced medical technology of the Visitors; and the fates of both Lisa and Chad Decker were hanging in the balance.

To conclude either of these shows at such unresolved points is painful and disillusioning. While THE CAPE only aired 9 episodes and had its final episode reserved for internet viewing and thus may not have had enough time to truly write and film a proper ending, it certainly could have added an epilogue or filmed one more scene showing Vince reunited with his family. However, in V’s case, the crime is more egregious. Being in its second season and never being a true ratings-hit, the series could have easily planned an alternate-ending episode. There was sufficient time and notice to plan for the eventuality that the show does not return for another season.

In addition to V and THE CAPE, there are several more television series that are likely to fall beneath the chopping-block this season and which should plan for an end in case they are cancelled. Currently, STARGATE UNIVERSE is airing its final 10 episodes. It has already received its cancellation notice and, while it may not be possible to film an alternate ending to wrap up the series, the show does have time to add perhaps an epilogue explaining what happened to the survivors stuck abroad the alien spaceship Destiny. Also heading smack towards cancellation is THE EVENT and perhaps FRINGE. Both have borderline ratings and could easily fall under the television guillotine.

It is time for showrunners and writers to examine the legacy of their shows. Do they want their legacy to be along the lines of: “fun show, but it never had an ending – cannot recommend it” or “fun show, cut-short before it’s time, but they at least got to wrap it up – recommend checking it out”? Television is not just entertainment for the present – it provides entertainment for the future. Several television series have secured their legacy simply by finding a way to provide closure for their fans. Two key examples were FIREFLY and PUSHING DAISIES. By hell-or-high-water those shows found a way to provide satisfying endings for their fans and they are remembered not only with fondness – but with fanatical fervor as new fans are recruited each year. There is something to be said for legacy – if only each show would take such care with their stories and characters, then they too could enter the hallowed halls of welcomed acclaim.

It is time for television to stop following the churn-and-burn philosophy as if it did not matter how a television show is remembered, and adopt an contingency plan. An exit strategy only demonstrates an appreciation of the established fans. So it is time to abolish cliff-hangers. Such cheap tricks are unwanted, unnecessary and are ruining television.

CASTLE! BROTHERS & SISTERS! MODERN FAMILY! Our TV Addict Week in Rewind

theTVaddict — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:23:05 +0000

The Oh No They Didn’t of the Week: Is it just us, or is BROTHERS & SISTERS coming perilously close to jumping the proverbial you-know-what by pairing Kevin and Scotty up with the most adorable adoptee since the gang from GROWING PAINS adopted Leonardo DiCaprio?

Funnest — If Most Difficult To Explain To Those Who Don’t Watch The Show — Twist: On CASTLE, Laura Prepon played an actress researching Beckett so she could play the big-screen version of our hero’s fictionalized take on his partner. (Trust us. It was a blast.)

Most Disappointed Producers: Clearly, the folks behind the scenes at THE BACHELOR hoped that having Brad confront the women he’d dumped last season would result in the kind of train-wreck they’d created during last season’s sit down with Brad and Vienna. Sadly for them, it was yet another indication of just how big a mistake giving the dumb lug another platform really was.

Best Farewell: Sure, we wish they’d have aired the episodes over five weeks instead of all at once. But Syfy’s marathon of the final CAPRICA’s gave viewers a bit of closure while at the same time setting up the world in which BLOOD & CHROME — the much-discussed pilot that will be set post-CAPRICA but pre-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA — will take place.

Most Disappointed Producers [Runner-Up]: MODERN FAMILY’s Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, whose worst nightmare — that being the onset of puberty in their pint-sized stars — seems to have started to kick in. Specifically in Nolan Gould (Luke) who may-or-may-not have shot up three inches since the last time we saw him!

Worst Trend: The completely overt and utterly over-the-top product placement littered throughout the so-called 37th ANNUAL PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD made Bobby’s equally shameless shilling for Diet Dr. Pepper on COUGAR TOWN seem almost Shakespearean in its cleverness. And not just because it elicited a personal response from co-creator Bill Lawrence via twitter. Okay, maybe a little.

Best Thing About Winter So Far: Thank you, Grilled Cheesus, for the seasonal version of ABC’s WIPEOUT… and the wonderfully-entertaining idiots who take on the obstacle course for our amusement.

Sudsy Moment Of The Week: THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Skye supposedly perished after falling into a… wait for it… wait for it… volcano. Sure, this technically happened last week, but we didn’t have this amazing column in which to report it last week. Deal.

Best Use of Numbers: After six seasons of ground-breaking, albeit somewhat frustrating viewing, investing 121 hours in watching LOST finally paid off… in the form of $150 dollars for those lucky LOST ~~nerds~~ fans who played the show’s numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, & 42) in Tuesday’s Mega Millions.

Worst use of Numbers: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’s clever countdown from 50, the fascination with which came to a screeching halt when it dawned on us just what exactly it was counting down to. RIP Marshall’s dad.

The Week in Rewind Contributors: Couch Tater, Tiffany Vogt and the TV Addict.

Our 2010 TV Year in Review (Part V)

theTVaddict — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:48:50 +0000

Best New Comedy: How can we not give this to RAISING HOPE? Any show that has a grandma say of the family’s new addition, “Maybe your baby is just a bitch?” is okay in our book.

Worst Trend: Fewer episodes, more reruns.

Stunt Casting Gone Awry, Daytime Division: Yes, yes, GENERAL HOSPITAL. We saw James Franco the first time he brought his freak show to Port Charles. And the second. Now, you’re telling us there’s a third and a fourth visit slated? How’s that working out for you ratings wise?

Stunt Casting Gone Awry, Primetime Division: Hey, GLEE, how about you stop featuring a new big-name guest star each week and instead focus on stories for the characters we actually care about.

Best Mid-Season Cliffhanger: Explosions and cylons and suicides, oh my! CAPRICA gave us the most exciting finale since the Borg kidnapped Captain Jean-Luc Picard and ended with the ominous line, “I am Locutus of Borg.”

Most Uncomfortable Interview: Watching THE BACHELOR “winners” Jake and Vienna tear each other apart made us embarrassed for them and us.

Best Emmy Package: The cast of MODERN FAMILY discussing changes to be made in season 2. (Including Gloria’s boobs in 3-D and everyone fighting to be George Clooney’s love interest!)

Biggest Letdown: GLEE’s take on The Rocky Horror Picture Show should have been a rollickin’ good time but instead was as watered down as a high-school production of Showgirls.

Most Surprising Comeback: We’d all-but written off DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES before it came roaring back with fantastic storylines surrounding Paul’s return and the reveal that one of Gaby’s daughter’s had been switched at birth.

The “You-Get-An-A-For-Effort-But-Don’t-Try-So-Hard” Award: While we appreciated COMMUNITY’s stop-motion-animation Christmas episode, it wasn’t nearly as entertaining (or funny) as the simple, heartfelt episode surrounding Troy’s 21st birthday.

In case you missed it:
• Our 2010 TV Year in Review (Part I)
• Our 2010 TV Year in Review (Part II)
• Our 2010 TV Year in Review (Part III)
• Our 2010 TV Year in Review (Part IV)
• The Top 10 TV Shows of 2010

Today’s TV addict Top 5: Biggest Non-Stories of the Week!

theTVaddict — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:56:51 +0000

This just in: A very slow news day for Michael Ausiello! Who recently concluded in a BONES EXCLUSIVE that Booth and Brennan will finally put an end to the will-they-or-won’t-they speculation following an interview with executive producer Stephen Nathan who promised that the upcoming fifth season finale will be as big as last season’s finale, “but in a very different way.” Not ambiguous at all. Really.

Yesterday TVGuide.com asked whether the addition of Donald Faison to the new CBS pilot THE ODDS spells doom for SCRUBS? Today, theTVaddict.com has an answer for them. Ummm… No! Particularly since Donald Faison’s CBS deal has him in ‘second position’ contingent on whether or not ABC picks up SCRUBS for a tenth season. That, and if anything spells doom for SCRUBS, it was last season’s disappointing ratings and somewhat less than creative direction. We’re just sayin’

According to our good friends over at Airlock Alpha, Syfy Network Executive of Original Programming Mark Stern promises that despite the disappointing ratings and hefty price tag for the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel, CAPRICA, “is here to stay.” Adding, “We’re certainly not sharpening the axe by any stretch of the imagination… We all really believe in the show, and it has a lot of potential.” Phew. Because we at theTVaddict.com completely expected Stern, a mere four episodes into the show’s inaugural season to tell fans that there was no hope for a second season renewal and to not bother tuning into the remaining episodes.

Breaking News! Access Hollywood claims that Simon Cowell hopes AMERICAN IDOL can find a Taylor Swift-like winner this season. Stop the presses! Cowell hopes to find a winner akin to the world’s most popular recording artist rather than the next Taylor Hicks. Can’t wait to see what news Access Hollywood will break next?

At 11AM eastern standard time, television networks around the globe will interrupt their regularly scheduled programming to allow Bajillionaire Golfer Tiger Woods to apologize for his public transgressions. Echoing the sentiments of the Washington Post Sports Columnist Michael Wilbon “This is the greatest overreaction in the history of broadcast television.”

Today’s TV Addict Top 5: Free TV on iTunes including LIFE UNEXPECTED, CAPRICA, THE DEEP END & More!

theTVaddict — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:44:01 +0000

1. The CAPRICA series premiere. [iTunes]
2. The LIFE UNEXPECTED series premiere. [iTunes]
3. THE DEEP END series premiere. [iTunes]
4. The DEGRASSI HIGH series premiere. [iTunes]
5. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’s “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit” [iTunes]

First Look: CAPRICA Teaser Poster

theTVaddict — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:36:44 +0000

In what we imagine will do absolute wonders for the Syfy Network, which has recently come under fire as a result of some harsh (albeit deserved) criticism directed at what some have called STARGATE UNIVERSE’s penchant for exploiting its female cast members, comes this eye-popping teaser poster for the network’s upcoming BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel CAPRICA. More details of which can be found over on Maureen Ryan’s Watcher site.

Morning Static: GOSSIP GIRL, TRUE BLOOD, CAPRICA & More!

theTVaddict — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:35:02 +0000

Welcome to our new morning round-up of big/interesting TV news that you may have missed over the past 24 hours because unlike us, there’s a fairly good chance that have a life outside of the small screen.

After two seasons GOSSIP GIRL’s Vanessa Abrams [Jessica Szohr] finally justifies her existence and bringing something to the table. That something — her TV mom Gabriela Abrams — who will be played by the phenomenal ALIAS/ FIREFLY alum Gina Torres [TVGuide]

In what we can only hope is some sort of friendly rivalry with Joss Whedon — who recently made headlines by snagging BATTLESTAR GALACTICA alum Jamie Bamber and Michael Hogan for his DOLLHOUSE — executive producer Jane Espenson has signed James Marsters to a sizable CAPRICA arc where he’ll play a dangerous terrorist leader by the name of Barnabus Greeley. Joss, it’s your move (Hint: Tricia Helfer would make an awesome doll!) [EW]

Sunday’s installment of TRUE BLOOD sucked in a record 4.5 million viewers. Further evidence that if you built it — ‘it’ being great television, even in the summer — viewers will come. How long until the big 5 networks get the message? [THR Live Feed]

“The Time Traveler’s Wife is being turned into a TV show. The plans are to go back in time and not cancel JOURNEYMAN.” — was our favorite reaction to ABC’s plans to turn the just released hit movie into a television series with [TheWrap]

Richard Hatch, once a survivor, now officially the biggest loser. [MSNBC]

Separated at Birth: CAPRICA & THE PLAN DVD Box Art!

theTVaddict — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:52:42 +0000

Dear Universal Studios Home Entertainment,

While we at theTVaddict.com continue to be grateful to you for allowing the likes of Ronald D. Moore and Jane Espenson to tell stories in the form of direct-to-DVD movies such as CAPRICA and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN — would it be too much to ask for you to hire a graphic designer who doesn’t phone it in? I mean seriously, we get that in these troubling economic times you’re probably looking to cut down on costs and more likely that not aren’t spending your work days swimming ‘Scrooge McDuck’ style in a vault full of money. But come’on — the box art for CAPRICA and THE PLAN — we can’t see the difference, can you?

Sincerely,
The TV Addict

Today’s TV Addict Top 5: Things We Learned at the CAPRICA/ BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Panel

theTVaddict — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:23:11 +0000

Ronald D. Moore, not a fan of Emmy Voters
“It is a frakkin’ crime that the cast was never recognized for their performances. It is criminal.” said a visibly perturbed Moore who went on a surprising albeit fully deserved anti-Emmy tirade after yet another year of egregious Emmy snubs. “We would not be talking about CAPRICA on this panel today if it were not for the ensemble of actors that we put together on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.”

SyFy: Imagine ~~Greater~~ Less Boobies
One thing that won’t be coming with CAPRICA when it makes the jump from DVD to basic cable in January is the gratuitous nudity. That said, Moore does promise that when SyFy does rebroadcast the premiere, they’re planning to insert some new never-before seen goodies of presumably the non-nude variety. Joked fellow producer David Eick, “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ Jeffrey Reimer, who directed the pilot is known in the business for the speed in which he works. Yet somehow, on the days when he had to shoot the lesbian topless dancers… everybody’s standing around looking at their watch with Reimer saying, ‘Let me try and get one more shot!’”

THE PLAN = Awesome
After you watch the Edward James Olmos directed, Jane Espensen penned BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie THE PLAN — which tells the story of BSG from the Cylon perspective — you will want to go back and watch the entire series over again. “My hat is off Ron Moore, David Eick and Jane Espensen for creating a piece of artistic work that actually breathes new life into the series,” revealed Olmos. Adding, ” I can guarantee you this will not be the last BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie, It’s gonna be so successful it will rock their [NBC Universal, who produces the series] pants off.”

Edward James Olmos has a plan of his very own
One that we’ve already titled, purchased the domain for and trademarked “Admiral Adama: After the Finale.” Joked the actor, “When you next see Adama, he’s living in a rusty log cabin and there is a knock on his door. It’s his old friend Col. Tigh saying, ‘We have a problem.’ And the journey begins.”

It’s CAPRICA, Not a daytime soap
In fact, if you must compare CAPRICA to something, why not Buffy? At least according to BUFFY vet Jane Espensen who gave a shout out to her BUFFY peeps in her why-you-should-give-CAPRICA-a-chance sales pitch, “There’s a tiny essence of Buffy in CAPRICA. We’ve got ourselves an angry teenager and a robot. I think BUFFY fans will find something there.”