tvshowsandco

[tvshowsandco]

Can A Show Survive Without Its Main Protagonist?

One can wonder whether the show makes the main character or if the main character makes the show. To that end, what would happen to your show if the main protagonist decides to go? 

Let's take two examples to illustrate the idea: The Office (US), starring Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and Two and a Half Men, starring Charlie Harper (Chalie Sheen). 

The Office is a series imported from the UK (producers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant) which deals with the "workplace way of life" in a paper company. Realized as a mockumentary, the show offers hilarious scene and awkward moments, from Jim's worried looks to the camera, to Michael's impromptu meetings. A very popular series which was nominated countless times to the Emmys. 

Two and a Half Men is another TV show which focuses on the story of how Charlie Harper deals with his brother and his son intruding in his depraved lifestyle. The sitcom shows original and really funny situations,with great dialogues and jokes. Very popular as well, TAAHM was the most-seen show in the United States for several years. 

Both of these shows had to deal with a difficult but rare situation: having their main protagonist leave the show. The context was, however, different.

In The Office, Steve Carrell had already told the producers he only wanted to do the series for 8 years because he felt he needed to take other opportunities in the movies' industry. Therefore, it didn't come out as a big shock for the creators, but it still was a complication for them. The whole series was built up around the manager trying to be "friends" with his subordinates. Not having Michael Scott meant losing the purpose of the show. What could they do?

On the other hand, actor Charlie Sheen was having issues with producer Chuck Lorre, who claimed Sheen insulted him and his costar Jon Cryer, and that he was being unprofessional on set. Also, Sheen was rumored to be using drugs again. The producers were now in a predicament: get rid of the main protagonist, whose personality is probably the source of the series' success? Or stick with the bad attitude and publicity?

The two shows also reacted differently to these losses. While The Office decided to "ease" the pain, by a slow transition with Scott's successor Di Angelo (played by Will Ferrell), Two And a Half Men's producers decided to cut off Charlie right at the beginning of season 9, in a poorly fashion (killed in the subway by one of his exes?!). 

Instead of simply ending the show like The Office did, Two and a Half Men chose to pick itself up, trying to recreate the chemistry and complicated relationship between Charlie and Alan Harper, with the newbie Ashton Kutcher. The show still runs (probably because Lorre wants to show he didn't depend on Sheen), but it's certainly not a successful as it once was. It lost the whole dynamic and its sparks, however funny it still might be (thanks to Jon Cryer, mostly). 

All in all, having his main protagonist leave the show, may it be unwilling or not, could almost be described as a tragedy for it. Either the show denies the truth and strives to go on, or it chooses to cut off the disease soon enough to end the show in a clean way.  

[tvshowsandco]

For Every "Office" Fan Out There...

The Office is over since last year, and everyone wishes it wasn't. 

But for everybody who still lives in denial and wants more of the show, I invite you to click right here and discover "The Office Time Machine". You just write a year on top of the page, and a mixed up video will show you every cultural reference said during the series that has to do with the year written.

It's actually really funny, and shows us how many inside jokes we might have missed. 

There's also another website called "The Office Stare Machine", which is basically the same thing, except you write an adjective and you get a mix of all the best stares according to the adjectives you wrote. If you're interested in this mashup, click right here. 

[tvshowsandco]

A French App That Will Help You With Your TV Shows' Addiction

How many episodes are there left? When is the next one airing?

Those are the main questions real TV Show fans ask themselves. Well ask no more, thanks to this awesome app created by French guys called "TV Show Time". 

It sends you a notification when your favorite series' next episode has just aired; shows you how far you've come along in the show and even lets its users comment and share their impressions. All of it in an attractive and shrewd design!

And for those who don't speak French (et c'est bien dommage!), you can change the language in the settings tab. 

I recommand it!

[tvshowsandco]

Steve Love doing Game of Thrones' characters. Great impressions!

[tvshowsandco]

Are Disappointing Endings The New Hit?

The mother dies, the main character doesn't evolve and everybody was half dead the whole time. Those were the main disappointing endings of How I Met Your Mother, Dexter and Lost respectively. 

It seems that producers have decided to change the usual course of story writing, and started giving their audience an ending they didn't expect, and not necessarily in a good way.

  Ted Mosby reads to his dying wife in "How I Met Your Mother"

Is it because writers are actually bored of the "happy ending" story line? Or is it a way for them to stir up controversy, knocking off fan's theories, putting their audience in a rage or leaving them completely confused, in order to create some kind of endless "hit". If it's true that the greatest celebrities, politicians and leaders have gone in the most tragic ways, could it be the same for TV shows? Or, maybe more surprising, creators have become selfish, and want to end it the way they want, ignoring their fans' expectations.

The Sopranos' final dinner

In any case, it is undeniable that people still talk about the show, weeks after the finale, trying to understand it, (over)analyzing it and even sometimes (but more rarely) insulting the creators. In other words, a disappointing ending gives the show another marketing buzz. 

And this phenomena hits every genre, from comedy to drama, meaning that every series can actually end up badly (be prepared!).

The question we can ask ourselves now is, can we expect other disappointing endings? According to IMDb, Mad Men creator Mattew Weiner has told during an interview that he already knows how to end the show and that "he's been told it's a disaster, but he's going with it [anyway]." Let's not forget Weiner has already kind of disappointed us with the Soprano's very blurry ending. 

Our favorite serial killer ends up a lumberjack in "Dexter"

Others might wonder what will happen to the increasingly famous Game of Thrones. We can only hope it won't be like Lost, and give us a satisfying ending, like Breaking Bad, which was generally well received.

Overall, the disappointing ending allows the show to create a new social buzz, but at what cost? Endings are the closure of years of endless love stories, ambiguous relationships and suspense. They are the apogee of TV shows, and should not be ignored, (quite the contrary!). The fact that producers are willing to almost "ruin" their shows for a final hit or for pure selfishness proves that the creators still have the upper hand in the industry.

In any case, we clearly haven't seen the end of it (pun intended?)

[tvshowsandco]

Episodes Review

Created in 2011, Episodes is an off beat new TV show, starring Matt LeBlanc (Friends), Tamsin Greig (Tamara Drewe) and Stephen Mangan.

The show focuses on two British writers coming to Hollywood to find glory and success with a new show called "Pucks!" starring ex-Friends star, Matt LeBlanc.The actor plays a "mean" and surely less realistic version of himself, striving to suceed as an ageing and self-destructive celebrity.

Episodes is probably the best way for Matt LeBlanc to reboot his acting career. Because he is widely known as "Joey", LeBlanc has a hard time playing another role without someone expecting him to say "How you doin'?" and therefore, seems to be stuck in an outdated character, no matter what movie or show he is in. The only solution for Matt LeBlanc was to be ... Matt LeBlanc. 

By allowing LeBlanc to play himself, Episodes gives the actor the opportunity to endorse a different character from Joey, while still being completely credible and interesting. The show even allows him to add a few jokes about his series' failure (the unpopular "Joey") or his hair going grey, making the character more realistic and funny. 

Despite the fact that few people actually watch it (I personally stumbled upon it while changing channels), the show mixes British humour and American series style, which leads to a very entertaining TV show. And it is worth knowing that one of the creators is David Crane, co-producer of Friends (coincidence? I think not!).

The cast is wonderful, the characters have their own personality and dynamic (special applause to Daisy Haggard who manages to be hilarious with nothing but sound!). 

I highly recommand it, not only because people need to watch Matt LeBlanc reborn from the ashes, but also for the show's awkward scenes and extremely funny dialogues.