The seasons of greed
Or why mini series should stay mini
A few days ago news came out that Bad Sisters, a new show on Apple TV was going to have a second season. I was really happy with the news, I rejoiced and retweeted the article.
Today, I was watching the latest episode of The White Lotus, already in the second season, and as the end credits started to roll I started rethinking the moment of joy I had a few days earlier.
Bad Sisters was undoubtedly one of the best shows on TV this year! It was funny, witty and with the right dose of sarcasm, just how I like my comedies. But it was also packed with a lot of emotions, family drama and enough “how to not try to kill someone” moments to write a little “Murder for Dummies” book. The story, the cast, the writing, the climax, everything worked perfectly to create a mini series with a beginning, a middle and an end. And what an end!
Yes! Because that’s what TV shows should have, right? A beginning, a middle and an end. And depending on the story, the middle can be shorter or longer, preferably not too long in order to keep the viewers interested and wanting for more. But the end… is the end! It should be the end!
As I was processing the last episode of The White Lotus I was remembering the first season. The White Lotus, from HBO, was one of the best shows last year. A bit like Bad Sisters, it was funny, witty, fresh and with tons of family drama. Murray Bartlett delivered one of the best roles on television and the character played by Fred Hechinger had probably the best development in all the series, since in the first couple of episodes no one was truly expecting much of him and by the end he was the one with the biggest epiphany!
White Lotus should have ended with the first season. The second season is trying too hard to achieve the same greatness the first one did, now, without the element of surprise. Jennifer Coolidge is not being funny anymore… I miss Murray Bartlett… The writing is not so good… And I could go on. Well, although I will probably keep watching to see how it ends, I’m not even half excited about it as I was with the first season. Everything about it feels less, feels worst, feels too forced.
And like The White Lotus, now I think Bad Sisters should have ended with the first season as well. Because the end was great, there was closure and I can’t imagine what the writers and producers will come up with for a second season.
Money is clearly behind these decisions… what else? Greed! Because if one season worked, let’s make another one, and another, and another. Let’s milk the cow until the very end or until no viewers care about the cow’s tits anymore.
Instead of having few great, amazing, sensational TV shows, that people will remember, recommend, re watch even, there’s this terrible need of expanding and extending everything because one season is never enough. And although there are great shows that lasted and were great for more than one season, lately the best ones have been, in my humble opinion, the ones with the beginning, the middle and the end.
Now, one can only hope that Bad Sisters is not ruined like The White Lotus is apparently being.
