Summary
- TV shows can fall into self-parody as they age, relying on pastiche and referential humor over original ideas.
- Characters can become parodies of themselves, signaling a decline in the show’s quality and originality.
- Diverging from the show’s initial premise and character development can lead to repetitive, uninteresting storylines.
After running for many years, it can be easy for a TV show to slip and become a parody of itself. This doesn’t mean that the show is ruined or should be written off completely, but it often suggests that the end of the series is near. Viewers who have been watching a show since the beginning find it easier to excuse the pitfalls of self-parody since they’ve spent so long with the characters and want to see them get a satisfying ending. However, in the worst cases, the show and characters have become unrecognizable from the first season.
Applying pastiche and referential humor as a tool for storytelling can be effective and interesting, but when TV shows rely on it as a crutch, it’s obvious that the story has run its course.
Many TV show characters become parodies of themselves, indicating the show is trending towards parody and away from original and innovative ideas. The most common form of self-parody comes from similar storylines being used over and over again across the seasons, and characters stalling or reversing their development in a process commonly referred to as Flanderization. Applying pastiche and referential humor as a tool for storytelling can be effective and interesting, but when TV shows rely on it as a crutch, it’s obvious that the story has run its course.
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8 Suits (2011 – 2019)
The legal drama whose biggest twists eventually became all too predictable
Suits
Suits follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who, despite never attending law school, is able to use his photographic memory to become a lawyer. The legal drama ran from 2011 to 2019 for a total of nine seasons and also starred Gabriel Macht, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, and Rick Hoffman.
- Cast
- Patrick J. Adams , Sarah Rafferty , Gabriel Macht , Meghan Markle , Rick Hoffman , Gina Torres , Amanda Schull , Dule Hill , Katherine Heigl
- Release Date
- June 23, 2011
- Seasons
- 9
- Showrunner
- Aaron Korsh
The Suits L.A. spinoff will need to carry on the legacy of the original show, which has only increased in popularity since being added to streaming platforms. Suits is an iconic addition to the legal drama genre and ran for nine seasons because it kept audiences interested by making even the driest of legal work exciting. The heart of the show was inarguably the dynamic between the protagonists Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and Harvey (Gabriel Macht). This meant that after Adams exited, things were never quite the same.
One of the first signs of trouble was when Mike went to jail for lying about his education and legal credentials.
Additionally, Suits relied heavily on its use of archetypes and stagnant characterization. The conflicts that played out between characters were familiar, and the audience knew how they would end. One of the first signs of trouble was when Mike went to jail for lying about his education and legal credentials. This threw a wrench in the premise and meant there was nowhere to go except to rehash previous storylines. Suits remained popular thanks to its character dynamics, but there are only so many times a rival firm can try to take down Harvey before it’s overdone.
7 Game Of Thrones (2011 – 2019)
Once the show outlived the books, it lacked structure and cohesion
Game Of Thrones
Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, led by House Stark’s Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the “Golden Age” of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base.
- Release Date
- April 11, 2011
- Seasons
- 8
- Directors
- David Nutter , Alan Taylor , D.B. Weiss , David Benioff
- Showrunner
- David Benioff , D.B. Weiss
Game of Thrones season 8 is widely considered the worst of the series, and one of the worst seasons of television in general. Based on the novels by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones began as an epic return to form for the fantasy genre, but Martin only wrote five books. As the show went on for an additional three seasons, it was now up to the writers and showrunners to create an original story and wrap up the loose threads from the existing narrative.
This proved to be much more difficult than anticipated and led to moments when Game of Thrones was more than a self-parody, it was a joke. The books and show made their name with incredible battle sequences and unbelievable twists and betrayals, but the last few seasons included so many of these it tainted the effective ones. Additionally, few characters left the franchise unscathed from total reversals of their character development. Notably, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) had the most disappointing trajectories.
6 Bones (2005 – 2017)
A great crime procedural that lost momentum over time
Bones
Bones follows Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist who teams up with FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to solve crimes in the DC area. Using Brennan’s forensic knowledge, the pair work together to catch killers with the help of a team at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute.
- Cast
- Emily Deschanel , T.J. Thyne , Michaela Conlin , John Francis Daley , David Boreanaz , Tamara Taylor
- Release Date
- September 13, 2005
- Seasons
- 12
- Directors
- David Boreanaz
Bones and Booth work well together because of their differing investigation styles of logic versus emotion.
The best part of Bones wasn’t the science or the serial killers but the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Bones (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz). Crime procedurals like Bones follow formulaic plots and seasons, meaning there are few overarching storylines and the series can last for many seasons. The best Bones episodes stand out because they center on the relationship between Bones and Booth, and they subvert the procedural format to create interesting stories. Bones and Booth work well together because of their differing investigation styles of logic versus emotion.
However, centering the conceit of a show on the romantic dynamic between two characters is a dangerous prospect, because once they’re together the story can stall. This is what happened on Bones, and to compensate, the series introduced villains and conflicts that were increasingly outlandish. The show began by looking into regional crimes with interesting forensic twists. To maintain the audience’s attention Bones broadened the scope and impossibility of the crimes. Bones was never supposed to be a true crime show, but over time it lost its grip on reality and leaned into melodrama.
5 Grey’s Anatomy (2005 – Present)
Each new season spelled a new tragedy, character death, and disaster
After Grey’s Anatomy‘s 20 seasons, it’s not shocking that plenty of characters have left and that there have been deaths, as it is a hospital drama. However, the series now has a reputation for including so much tragedy and suffering that it’s overtaken any interest in medicine. Any disaster or traumatic event the audience can think of has been shown on Grey’s Anatomy, and while at first, these twists were shocking, they’re now commonplace and borderline comical. If a season doesn’t end with a character’s life hanging in the balance, it’s only because that’s how the mid-season finale concluded.
Not only is this repetitive, but it also undercuts any emotional impact big events have on the story. Medical shows have built-in drama and conflict, but Grey’s Anatomy distinguished itself by centering on the doctor’s personal lives and threading romance through the central plotlines. However, in the same way that tragedy became overdone on Grey’s Anatomy, so did love triangles and dating. It’s difficult to find two characters who haven’t dated, gotten married, or at least spent some quality time in the on-call room together. Due to this, it isn’t scandalous when characters have romantic tension, it’s commonplace.
![Maggie-and-Derek-from-Greys-Anatomy](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/maggie-and-derek-from-greys-anatomy.jpg)
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4 How I Met Your Mother (2005 – 2014)
A lovable sitcom that lost its edge by relying on the same relationships
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom created initially for CBS by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Five friends living in New York City navigate their twenties and thirties as they try to find love, success, and purpose. The show is framed through one friend’s eyes, Ted Mosby, as he retells the story of how he met his wife to his children.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2005
- Seasons
- 9
- Directors
- Carter Bays
How I Met Your Mother began with an interesting conceit and a reasonably likable group of characters. However, as the seasons progressed it was difficult to remember what the show was about. As a sitcom, How I Met Your Mother hit the familiar marks of centering a group of friends navigating life and love in a city with plenty of misadventures to keep them busy. However, the love triangle between Ted (Josh Radnor), Robin (Cobie Smulders), and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) grew so stale that it relied on bringing back beloved older episodes to redeem it.
While each character remained relatively stagnant, Ted, the protagonist, grew the most tiresome and disconnected from reality.
Like most shows that devolved into self-parody, How I Met Your Mother is an example of a TV show where the final season is the worst. Season 9 was practically an extended clip show with each character inventing issues that had been resolved seasons ago. While each character remained relatively stagnant, Ted, the protagonist, grew the most tiresome and disconnected from reality. With each passing love interest, Ted became more willing to be with anyone who showed him interest instead of genuinely looking for love.
3 Friends (1994 – 2004)
Despite its longevity, Friends still falls victim to its referential nature
Few sitcoms are as well-known and as popular as Friends, and for good reason. Overall, the series is strong and had consistent laughs until its conclusion. However, as hard as it tried, the last few seasons of Friends rely on the goodwill created by the earlier episodes and incorporate gimmicks like catchphrases and callbacks to recurring storylines. As the characters got older and their problems became more nuanced, Friends had the opportunity to evolve as a show, but it ultimately stuck to its formula for safety.
Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) were a TV couple that should not have happened, and their relationship signaled that the show was running out of ideas. Part of this was because Joey’s character didn’t develop over time, becoming less intelligent and more selfish. Additionally, Ross (David Schwimmer) suffered a similar fate, as his recurring marriage plotlines grew tired by the end of the show, as did his difficult relationship with Rachel. Romance can elevate a TV show and make it more interesting but Friends developed forced relationships and plots.
2 Weeds (2005 – 2012)
Raising the stakes and broadening the scope moved the show in the wrong direction
weeds
Created by Jenji Kohan, Weeds is a Black Comedy and Satire film that stars Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Tonye Patano, and Elizabeth Perkins. The show revolves around a widowed mother who starts selling marijuana to help pay her bills and care for her two sons.
Weeds
season 1 understood that a suburban housewife turning to dealing drugs to make ends meet is funny and unexpected on its own.
Mary-Louise Parker should be credited with being one of the biggest reasons Weeds stayed on the air as long as it did. As Nancy, she was endlessly charming and kept viewers rooting for her even when the character became unrecognizable and irredeemable. Weeds season 1 understood that a suburban housewife turning to dealing drugs to make ends meet is funny and unexpected on its own. Though it had elements of drama and emotional moments, Weeds was supposed to be a comedy, not an exploration of an international crime ring.
However, turning Nancy into a wannabe drug kingpin and involving her sons in the empire was a misstep for the show. Weeds was initially a response to shows about the criminal underground as well as a takeoff of traditional sitcoms about idyllic suburban life. Both of these aspects got lost as Weeds progressed, turning into the very thing it was supposed to be making light of. The final season in particular is a long way away from the comedy and fish-out-of-water narrative of the show’s beginning.
Watch
Weeds
on Hulu or Prime Video.
1 Glee (2009 – 2015)
Though it began as a parody, Glee lost its subversive edge and its humor
Glee
In order to escape the stressful reality of high school, a group of misfits decides to join William McKinley’s glee club. Fox’s Glee was created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy, with Leah Michele, Jane Lynch, and Matthew Morrison leading the cast. The series ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015 and won six Primetime Emmys.
- Cast
- Dianna Agron , Chris Colfer , Jessalyn Gilsig , Jane Lynch , Jayma Mays , Kevin McHale , Lea Michele , Cory Monteith , Matthew Morrison , Amber Riley
- Release Date
- May 19, 2009
- Seasons
- 6
Though not for everyone, Glee had a loyal fanbase throughout its run, and the quality of season 1 speaks to what the show could’ve been. The series has many strong elements, and it was ahead of its time in its depiction of high school and the satirization of the pitfalls of adolescence. However, after the first three seasons, there was a significant decline in quality and cohesion. Once the first group of characters aged out of high school, the entire show became about how to get them back to Ohio and back in the choir room.
Instead of moving forward and growing, Glee forced its characters to regress and rehash conflicts from early in the series that didn’t matter anymore. A series that was once deeply rooted in satire and tapped into mainstream pop culture ended up being woefully out of touch and taking itself too seriously at all the wrong moments. Scenes that would have been framed as a joke early on in the series were framed as significant story developments by the show’s finale.