10-02-2014, 11:04 PM
You make some really excellent points.
Personally, I feel character development in a sitcom should be very subtle and small-scale. Like you said, the duty of a comedy is to be funny, and nothing else should be prioritized over that.
It's possible that the original characters and their neuroses would've become tiresome after 8 seasons...but IMO that's why a sitcom shouldn't last for 8 seasons in the first place. Three or four is just about perfect. This entire concept of "jumping the shark" would go away if people knew to quit while they're ahead.
IMO character development doesn't have to involve big, dramatic events. It can be very simple. The example you gave is a good one.
I don't believe the canon ships could be salvaged at this point. I'm pretty hardcore; I'm against the addition of Amy and Bernadette, period, and I don't think they've ever been real characters, just plot devices and Mary Sues. I didn't/wouldn't want any weddings or permanent pairings on this show, even if it was well-done instead of poorly done. For me, this show ends with S2-ish.
But, I *do* like to imagine real character development for the characters, the kind that would be freeing instead of limiting.
One thing's certain, TPTB have bitten off way, way more than they can chew, and squeezing a rather grim soap opera into the 22-minute sitcom format has produced some really weird and leaden results...
Personally, I feel character development in a sitcom should be very subtle and small-scale. Like you said, the duty of a comedy is to be funny, and nothing else should be prioritized over that.
It's possible that the original characters and their neuroses would've become tiresome after 8 seasons...but IMO that's why a sitcom shouldn't last for 8 seasons in the first place. Three or four is just about perfect. This entire concept of "jumping the shark" would go away if people knew to quit while they're ahead.
IMO character development doesn't have to involve big, dramatic events. It can be very simple. The example you gave is a good one.
I don't believe the canon ships could be salvaged at this point. I'm pretty hardcore; I'm against the addition of Amy and Bernadette, period, and I don't think they've ever been real characters, just plot devices and Mary Sues. I didn't/wouldn't want any weddings or permanent pairings on this show, even if it was well-done instead of poorly done. For me, this show ends with S2-ish.
But, I *do* like to imagine real character development for the characters, the kind that would be freeing instead of limiting.
One thing's certain, TPTB have bitten off way, way more than they can chew, and squeezing a rather grim soap opera into the 22-minute sitcom format has produced some really weird and leaden results...