The Inevitable Collapse

I'm not a huge TV guy, but I do have a tendency to get hooked on a certain show every now and then.

First it was 24, Jack Bauer saving the world from terrorists and the like. I would get so excited to watch Jack pump the bad guys full of lead that I planted myself on the couch faithfully every Monday night for 5 seasons. My Dad brother and I would declare "man time" downstairs, letting my Mom and sister know it was time for them to clear out for the next hour. We celebrated each triumphant Jack moment with a "whooooooooo" or some high fives. The guy just personified what man-hood was all about.

My latest TV addiction has been Entourage; an HBO series about four friends from Queens, one of whom has made it big in Hollywood. If you haven't seen the show, its basically four buddies living the life that every guy dreams of; dating models, driving Ferrari's, and playing golf seemingly every other day. The creators of the show struck gold with the college male demographic from episode one. Watching Vinny Chase drop smooth as silk pickup lines on supermodels time after time just never got old. Ari Gold showed us what it takes to be a tough businessman, even if he is brash at times.

These shows caught me for different reasons; but sadly both have reached the same point for me. I watch 24, plant myself on the couch now for the last two seasons, just hoping, WISHING that THIS will be the episode where the magic is captured again! Where Jack dramatically struts out onto the screen and blows up some terrorist with such conviction, that I leap up off of the couch and celebrate the return of the magic that the show once had.

Entourage was the ultimate bro-time hangout show, and still is by many standards. But I'm starting to sense the same thing happening that happened with 24. I find myself hoping, anticipating the same magic that the show provided for me when I got hooked. I have sat back for most of the season thinking, "this looks forced," or "come on Ari cut Lloyd some slack", and most of all I can't stand Andrew Klein.

So my question is this. Is it inevitable for a show to reach its end? I think the answer is yes. Just like all great athletic careers come to an end, I think it is in the nature of a show to reach its pinnacle and then trail off gradually. New characters get inserted, some stupid love interest shows up, taking away from what made the show great in the first place! The best shows with the best writers can delay the cycle, last about four or five seasons...both Entourage and 24 are examples of this. But what the loyal fans are left with is a sense of sorrow and remorse for what the show USED to be. The writers know they have us hooked, they know I'll still watch, my buddies and I will still gather 'round the TV with anticipation for Vinny and the boys every Sunday night. But as I push into my twenty-first year as a self proclaimed tv critic, I'm here to say that you better get it together fast, because I've learned my lesson about waiting around for something that isn't coming.