Series Such As The Duffer Brothers' Hit and Yellowjackets Have Become Bloated. I Strongly Prefer the Single-Season Show
This scenario is painfully common. The second series of your beloved TV show drops on your platform, and your mind is full of hopeful expectation. The debut season ended with such precision: narrative threads were dangled enticingly, and a key figure faced a shocking fate – or did they?. After the season wrapped, you were perusing Reddit threads with dedicated fans to uncover hidden hints shedding light on future developments.
And then season two’s premiere is a damp squib. It feels like the entire writers’ room has been fired and replaced by artificial intelligence. In episode two, a beloved actor's character acts in a way that viewers recognize as jarringly uncharacteristic. As the story progresses, it’s clear that the showrunners have had collective amnesia around the storylines aggressively signposted in season one. By the lackluster conclusion, you silently wish that the show had just been cancelled.
The Pitfall of Prolonged Runs
Regretting a show's continuation is hindsight; viewers usually oppose premature cancellations. Consider Kaos, a clever mythological satire with Jeff Goldblum, which was binned by Netflix due to low viewing figures. However, supporters might find comfort knowing their enjoyment of the series won’t have been muddied by a sophomore slump.
Looking back at the horror-mystery show Yellowjackets, I currently desire it was a one-season story. The debut offered a richly imaginative setup, with ten flawless installments. Aircraft disaster leaves a teen girls' team isolated in 1996. Top-notch cast members (with Juliette Lewis, Lauren Ambrose and Sophie Thatcher) depicted the survivors in dual eras. Numerous awards recognition occurred, and the showrunners proudly announced there would be five seasons to fully explore the narrative. But last week, it was announced that it would end with season four. This news brought me relief.
The Stranger Things cast returns for season five.
Story decisions have weakened the core. In place of exploring post-rescue life, and their struggle with traumatic memories, the narrative expanded unnecessarily. A fatiguing tendency emerged of highlighting added personalities (including the flat character Callie) who did nothing for the broader story. It's disappointing, and as a viewer, it is depressing to see your favorite show morph slowly into a hate-watch.
An Increasing Pattern
However, Yellowjackets isn't alone. Shows such as Emily in Paris, House of the Dragon, Squid Game and Stranger Things no longer surprise audiences, and settled into familiar patterns. Sometimes shows need to quit when they are ahead.
The thing is, there are joys to be had in a limited, “one-and-done” series. Looking at Sharp Objects, I May Destroy You, and Adolescence, writers understand when narratives find completion. However, the magic fades with series like Big Little Lies, originally a limited series, come back for more and more with diminishing returns. Perhaps Adolescence's team reconsidered a second season.
The Ideal Model
I preferred Yellowjackets as a limited run, occupying our minds endlessly, mysteries intact. My favorite TV show of all time has played out like that. This beloved 90s drama, the ideal adolescent show, lasted for only one season but achieved film-like breadth: the roles were challenging and multifaceted, the cinematography was perfectly autumnal, and the scripts transcended typical youth dialogue. The conclusion provided no neat resolution, yet this mirrors real life accurately of adolescent uncertainties remaining perpetual. After 18 perfect episodes (and one dodgy one), I was heartbroken and took to writing season two fan fiction myself to address unfinished business. It might only live on an old hard drive, it demonstrates television's powerful connection.
The Sacred Bond
When producers honor the special viewer-program bond, more shows can end gracefully.
- This writer focuses on cultural topics.
