Soap Opera-itis


Whither the The West Wing . That hot, smart chick at the library is now on the mommy track She’s that same chick you knew before but now you know her. You know she does the crossword in pencil and that she can’t balance her checkbook. The mystery is gone. She isn’t as smart as you thought she was.

God, but she was hot wasn’t she? Back in the day, the first season. All shiny and shimmering, You never met anyone like her. All her little quirks were interesting and different, not at all like the other girls. Those tired out old police dramas and lawyer shows.

When she won her very first Emmy™, it was like a giant coming out party. Everyone had said she was the prettiest girl at the dance, but when she was named Queen of the Ball, it validated it. She really was as good as you thought she was. And time passed and more Emmys™ lined up on the mantel and she was so hot. She still found a way to reinvent the wheel every week and it was a golden wheel.

She was gaining a little weight and she was starting to squint at her crosswords puzzles, but she was still all that. The cast had joined hands and then had a group hug and promised they would never, ever leave the Good Ship Quality. The creature and writer churned out fantastic episodes like he never slept or had a real life or thought about anything else.

But. Sometimes the wheel was a little flat, not a lot flat, not enough to need to change it right away. It just needed a little fresh blood to keep the wheel firm and running strait. It happens to everyone. New People mean new stories. Everyone wanted to be on the show. She was sexy and smart. Nothing to worry about.

The fans loved the show. Deeply and passionately. They listened to every word she said. She charmed them and taught . She looked so good, every hair in place and her make up was always flawless. She was still young and hot despite the seasons. She still had mystery about her.

She had great ideas and if the real world could just be a little bit more like Her, it would be a better place.

But what was that? Didn’t she say something like that a couple of seasons ago? And who are all these new people? When did she developed all these family members and significant others. There is no one more significant then She is, why do we need these people. What have they got to do with the running of the country? Twins? We need baby twins? What’s next? Presidential children coming out of the woodwork? Members of the Other Party with actual lines? this is not right. She changed. She is wearing concealed and her hair is lighter! What is This? She has turned into a Soccer Mom! That Bitch.


Its not that these old favorites are bad, really. They are the same shows they have always been, the problem being they are the same shows they have always been. We know them. We need a second honeymoon and couples counseling.

West Wing came out of the ether as the most original thing on TV. In a sea of Lawyer Shows and police procedurals The West Wing was a Political Procedural. The critics and the views alike all but wet themselves for the sheer joy of an original concept.

It took us to this exotic situation, and took the viewers a place they never could have gone on their own, it took them to the President – a kinder, gentler, nicer President, A Good President. A better country and a nicer world. No one was busting boring bad guys or shrieking for a continuance! We were bringing Congress to heel!


Why did the TV Iliterati fall out of love with it?

The first season was about how this situation affected the characters. For the most part they had no personal life. You could image that at the end of the day they folded themselves up and shutting themselves into their desks and powered down. It was all about the plot.

We got to know these people. We decided we liked it better before. Before what? Before the characters had outside lives? When was that? Before the first commercial break? Before the soap opera elements came in? everything evolves into a soap opera if the pilot gets picked up and the show runs for more then six episodes.

So. The characters evolve. The grow. The story telling moves beyond the story of guest star of the week and becomes about the stories of the characters. How they affect the situation makes them feel instead of the situation serving the continuance of the plot. Less episodic more arc orientated, more about these people and how they live from day to day, who they live with and how they live that life with those people while solving the crimes and chasing the bad guys and fixing that broken body or getting that bill passed .

More Soap Opera. Less Opera.