What makes a good TV show?

What makes a good TV show? A good plot? Good dialogue? Good character development? All three?

Some of my favourite TV shows are carried by the strong dialogue, but don't have much plot / character development. For example, Modern Family, Suits, and Psych.

Psych arguably has one of the best two-character chemistry ever seen on TV. Shawn and Gus (James Roday and Duke Hill) interact so naturally on the show it hardly seems scripted... and indeed, sometimes it isn't! From the blooper reels, you can see that many lines are actually improvised on-set by the two of them, especially their back and forth banter. I'm not sure what else is scripted (their spontaneous pop culture references?), but it sure made for an entertaining show.

One of their running gags is how Shawn would introduce Gus, with a WIDE variety of (sometimes outright ridiculous) nicknames. I'm still not sure whether this is scripted or James Roday just rattles off the first thing on his head. Judging from the way Gus reacts (he sometimes plays along naturally, sometimes has a wtf? reaction, so I would think it's improvised? lol)

It's precisely of this strong chemistry / dialogue that made the show last as long as it did - I think it was somewhere around the 4th or 5th season (or maybe later? can't remember) where the show all but abandoned its main premise (Shawn being 'psychic') and became more of a two-bit comedy act with some romance with Juliet and the hilarious Lassider, but it still carried on for a few more seasons.

Suits puts up a strong challenge for 'best two-character chemistry' against Psych, for the stellar performances of its two male leads, Harvey and Mike (Gabriel Macht and Patrick Adams). Their interactions are sharp and witty, their pop culture references roll off their tongues naturally. What puts this show above Psych for me is that this sharp writing (of dialogue) extends to almost all its characters - Jessica, Louis, Donna (sorry, I think while Rachel is hot, she's a boring character with the lousiest lines). While it is a 'serious' legal drama, every episode has its fair bit of funny lines and witty one-liners uttered by any of the main characters.

There is a general theme for each season (e.g. power struggle with Daniel Hardman, within the firm, with whoever), but I won't give any huge points for 'plot/character development' for this show.

Modern Family is a recurrent hit season after season for its relatable family comedy mockumentary style. Apart from its special mockumentary style (not unique, since Arrested Development already did this before), the big strong suit of this show is its witty dialogue. I think almost 80% of lines are actually some form of wordplay /puns, so I really admire the creativity of the writers to consistently come up with such brilliant scenes peppered with hilarious puns or jokes. Of course, it has the backing of a strong cast who convincingly portray all sorts of emotions, and the fan favourite Phil Dunphy, brilliant played by the talented Ty Burrell, who steals every scene he's in.

So these are TV shows driven by strong dialogue, but with little plot / character development. How about a good plot?

A show with good plot needs to well-written - appropriate drama, good pacing, believable scenes. Two of my favourite shows, LOST and Prison Break, fall under this category.

LOST has a very ambitious narrative structure. It abandons the traditional linear storytelling and adopts character-centric episodes with a flashback format which alternates with scenes on the island. Using this unique narrative structure, it somehow manages to seamlessly advance the main story on the island, and provide compelling backstories for most of its characters. I don't know if you ever stopped to marvel at the genius it takes to do this well, but it is truly a masterclass of good writing.

LOST's strong suits are aplenty - deep character development/background, good drama, decent mystery, suspenseful writing, and the fan-appeasement through easter eggs peppered throughout the episodes. This is one show where it's better to watch it live (e.g. week after week) rather than marathon it after it has finished its run - I recall being left in utter suspense after each cliffhanger ending, and googling for the fan theories and speculation.

The now-famous final shot of Season 1

Unfortunately, I (and many others) feel like it was probably too smart for its own good, and ran for 1-3 more seasons than it should have. I know many people who gave up on the show somewhere in seasons 3 or 4, as it was getting too confusing. I personally stuck with it through all 6 seasons, but I can't say I can confidently explain some of the plotlines involving the Dharma Initiative and whatnot.
Nevertheless, it still remained a fairly popular show through its 6 seasons, and ended with a reasonably satisfying ending (though it remains widely debated).

Prison Break uses a not-so-new idea (escaping from prison) but paints a very compelling story with it - a brilliant structural engineer tries to rescue his maligned brother who was on death row from prison. The strength in the show was its ability to build up suspense and tension and advance the plot purposefully with each episode. This is the kind of show which you don't want to stop watching, simply because of how intense the episode ends, it just makes you want to keep going.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I liked how the show transitioned from escaping from Prison (Season 1) to WHAT do you actually do after you escape (Season 2). A fairy tale ending of 'running away into the sunset' simply isn't believable, and I appreciate the realistic handling of this - the Fox River 8 becomes a national manhunt for the FBI. What I didn't like was how the show went full circle back to its 'prison break' roots in Season 3, with the new Panama season, and I think eventually the show began its decline from there.

I still loved the show - there was unmistakable tension and dramatic scenes still, but it just lost the kick and original appeal of the original premise. Also, the overall series didn't exactly have much character development, but that isn't really a big fault of the show.

[SPOILER ALERT END]


How about a show with good dialogue, strong character development, and good plot?

[Spoiler alert for Breaking Bad]

Breaking Bad is one such show - the introduction, growth, development, and decline of Walter White is Character Development 101 at its best. The gradual change is believable, strongly written, and seems almost inevitable, as Walter lets his pride slowly transform him into an anti-hero of sorts.
The show has the support of a few other strong characters - Jesse is brilliant as a problem 'teen' (not quite), who follows Walter in his character arc (His character was meant to be killed off in Season 1, but the showrunners decided to keep him after seeing how good the actor was).

The introduction of Gus was one of the show's golden eras - Giancarlo Esposito is an undisputed star of the show the moment he was introduced, with his polite, professional demeanor, masking his cold, steely personality, accentuated with his precise diction. He's one of my favourite TV villians, and the way the show ended him was fitting, well-written, and chilling (check out how he adjusts his tie just before he collapses). This scene was one of my favourites, not just because of Gus, but because of the  performance of the silent Hector - the amazing portrayal of emotions purely through his eyes. Just watch the wheelchaired man's eyes go from sorrow, surrender, to resilience, anger, pure hatred.

[end of spoiler alert]


The point of this whole post was actually to talk about The Walking Dead. [spoilers ahead]

I started watching The Walking Dead recently, and just finished the third season. I wanted to find out why this show was such a big hit. Indeed, the first season was brilliant and intense - I was at the edge of my seat almost the whole time, and the episodes felt tightly written. However, the show began to take a strange swerve off course, spending an entire season in a farm and then an entire season in the prison.

The problem with the show was that each season felt like a different show. The theme / focus seemed to shift - from zombie-centric to character-centric to... I'm not even sure what. This problem was a real one - I realised it was because the show actually changed showrunner twice (for a total of 3 showrunners)

The show suffered when it chose to focus on unlikable characters (ugh, Andrea) and painting them as a central character when no one really cared about them and they were just plain annoying. That episode in Season 3 which was entirely a chase between the Governor and Andrea felt like an utter waste of time. The show is plagued with loopholes like the magical forest which can sometimes takes days but at other times take hours to travel, and somehow characters end up meeting each other in it. Also, characters often mention 'we are short on ammunition' but in a later scene expend a few bullets meaninglessly.

Zombies also became relegated for human drama, which is an understandable development (since humans probably get used to it and more mentally equipped to deal with zombies), but part of me wishes for the same zombie intensity as Season 1. Huge props to the make-up artist chief who designs all these zombies though, quite impressive how they think of new ways to present zombies, as well as new ways to kill them.

As for character development, Rick's narrative arc from a stoic, righteous leader of the group - to a battle-hardened, slightly mentally unhinged character, was moderately convincing (though some other critics thought otherwise). However, the character of Merle was managed horribly. From his original introduction as a racist blabbermouth bully, to his reintroduction as a more mellow, strategic expert in Season 3, the jump was simply not believable. To make it worse, the writers 'ended' the character in the most ridiculously lame way ever, in some kind of sudden self-vindication/redemption quest as he took on Governor himself in a poorly executed mission (why would you snipe random soldiers and give away your location, and not just take your first shot at the Governor?)

It seems like each character changes its arc every time a new showrunner took over, which sets up a very choppy viewing experience. I was originally considering giving up on the show, but after reading some online posts, I decided to give Season 4 a chance. Let's hope it gets better.