Hello and Happy Independence Day Eve!
I want to talk about something that has been bothering me for a couple weeks. So, back in early May, in a needing-something-new-to-watch crisis, I checked out season one and two of The Breakout Kings. The Breakout Kings is a crime-drama show on A&E where a team of prisoners is formed by the US Marshalls to help them catch escaped convicts. I liked it. It wasn’t too deep, its characters were a bit on the generic side but I was looking forward to more and to seeing how the internal dramas would be played out. A couple days later, when Googling to find when Season 3 would start, I find out it had just been cancelled.
Sigh. Again. Now, I can’t compare it to other’s I’ve kissed goodbye. I watched Firefly when it aired originally (wiping obligatory tear). But I was enjoying BK and since I had just spent several hours watching every single episode, it was fresh on my mind and I began to miss the characters. Why cancel this show and not so many others?
Where do I think it went wrong? It broke the ensemble/team cast rule of “Don’t let one character become the main focus of an entire season”. I think this applies to book series and TV. In Breakout Kings, the character of Dr. Lloyd Lowery, a prodigy doctor and behaviorist turned inmate becomes the breakout character. The writers gave him all the interesting quirks. They gave him the most interesting story line and he was also the comic relief. The other characters, though good actors, were not written with as much depth and were not given the time to show their back story enough for viewers to care about them. They were boring next to the uber-quirky Lowery who was showing hero potential with his growing romantic feelings toward Julianne, the analyst/logistical whiz with deep issues of her own.
Some excellent examples from my favorites list of how to make an ensemble cast work- Leverage on TNT, Burn Notice on USA, and the often-mentioned Whedons – Buffy, Angel, and Firefly of course. Who hasn’t seen The Avengers?
Each character plays a part in every episode (except the brief time when the actress who plays Sophie on Leverage was “away” hiding a pregnancy -but she was still in the show via phone calls and short cut scenes.) The difference? Each character had/has time to show their personality, their back-story and their growth, their own quirks that make you care for them individually and they show they are a needed part of the team. Breakout Kings missed on this, but I was willing to give it another season to work out the kinks.
So, I’ll continue to search for interesting shows to watch and mourn the one’s I fall for just to have them leave me when my interest is fresh and tender.
What television show snagged your interest just to be cancelled too soon? What’s your favorite ensemble show and what makes it interesting? Maybe a recommendation for something that’s already a few seasons in…
About Kimberly Quinton
You’re more patient than I was. I gave Breakout Kings 1 season and I noticed that it was going weeks on my DVR before I’d get fed up and just watch it all in a glut to clear the DVR and it was for the exact reason you mentioned– everything was about Lowery and the rest were just props.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 7:20 am
Hi Patricia,
Such wasted potential. I think since I watched both season in just a few days it was easier to keep going and I had nothing else I wanted to watch instead. I liked the Lowery storyline, I just wanted the same depth from the others… Thanks for commenting!
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I talked about The Young Riders last time I was here. It was the same thing there. One character – Jimmy Hickok played by Josh Brolin – developed into the focus of the show (probably because he could act circles around most of the others). He got all the best plotlines and most of the episodes figured around him. I had no problem with that, since I love the guy… but seasons 2 & 3 did lose the ensemble feel of season 1, when we were still getting to know everyone and hadn’t realized they weren’t all equally interesting. I think it’s a natural process, though. It happens in life too. And in television, I’m sure the networks look at viewer response and say, “Hey, so-and-so’s getting a lot of press; let’s feature him some more.”
I agree that Firefly had a good ensemble cast. The problem with that show was they had no purpose. They were just floating out there in space with no real point to being there. Nobody developed, nothing changed. They were stagnant. It was a fun show, with a HUGE following, but I’m not actually surprised they didn’t last longer.
If you’re into crme shows, Criminal Minds has an excellent ensemble cast. They all have different, equally important roles to fill, and most of them have been together for 7 or 8 seasons, so they work well together.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 8:44 am
Hi Jenna,
Thanks for Commenting.
Yep, It’s easy to focus on the one character that has reviewers talking. And he did a great job…but he couldn’t carry it as the main lead.. It would have then turned into just other show with a weird genius with stunted social skills helping solve crimes, find bad-guys, treat patients, figure out if your lying… etc..
I’ve watched some Criminal Minds but the graphic violence has turned me off. I like a little grit in my drama, but I don’t need everything shown in detail- I can use my imagination and get the horrific nature of whatever murders have happened….
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Since I only have Basic Cable, I never got to watch that program… but it sounds suspiciously a lot like a new show on Ion TV which is on channel 3 here on basic cable in Brooklyn. If you get Ion in your area they are running a marathon of this show on Sunday.
It’s called “Leverage”
“Leverage” follows a five‐person team who use their skills to right corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens. The “Leverage” crew is led by former insurance investigator turned thief, Nate Ford (Academy Award® Winner Timothy Hutton). His cohorts include Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), a brilliant grifter; Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), a retrieval specialist; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard; and Parker (Beth Riesgraf), a slightly off-center thief adept at rappelling off buildings.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 8:46 am
Hi Nora-Adrienne
Thanks for stopping by! I LOVE leverage. They do a great job keeping every character interesting and I always look forward to the next season. I do hope they fill in some more background detail this next season since we haven’t gotten the whole story on a few of them yet.
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Jenna Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 9:37 am
Ooooh, Leverage sounds like something I’d enjoy. I like thieves and grifters and techno geeks. I don’t have cable either, but I do have Ion.
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Nikki Duncan Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Leverage is amazing. Love it!
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Life. I still mourn the loss of Life. Different, interesting, quirky.
Best ensemble cast ever? West Wing. Thank god it ran for 7 seasons and ended on a high although I would still be watching it now if it was still running – brilliant writing!
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Susan Clarida Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 3:01 pm
I thought I was the only one who missed Life. Talk about quirky and likable characters.
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Hi Amy,
Yes, West Wing was one of the best ever.. I watched it religiously.
Thanks!
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I really enjoyed My Own Worst Enemy, which was cancelled after the first season. It had amazing potential, but the writers gave too much away too quickly. The same thing happened with Moonlight. As for my fave ensemble show, I am going to go with Criminal Minds or NCIS: LA.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 11:38 am
Hi Nikki!
NCIS:LA is good too and I’m still interested in all the characters but if they don’t get a little deeper into their lives outside the NCIS cases, i’m going to get bored! And I don’t like to think of being bored with LL… Okay
That makes me sad.
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Nikki Duncan Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 1:09 pm
NCIS is slow to develop their characters.
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Great post Kim! I’ve never seen the show since I only have basic as well and tend to watch the mainstream channels, but I’ve seen this happen a lot. I’m real hopeful for the new ELEMENTARY series coming this fall. It appears Sherlock and Holmes will get equal billing. Both are damaged, both have talent. It will be interesting what role any supporting cast will hold.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 3rd, 2012 at 11:40 am
Hi Kym, Thanks!
ooooh I’m definitely checking out Elementary! Just have to remember to add it to my DVR list!
Thanks for stopping by!
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I loved Battlestar Glactica! Especially the first seasons. I got so involved with all the characters stories, even the bad guys. The last season was a little convoluted for me, but it was still a great show! I was also a big Firefly fan. Great Post, Kim!
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Hi Molly!
We are big sic-fi geeks here and Battlestar was a regularly watched one for the hubs and I. The writers did an amazing job of updating it and giving us characters to root for- good and bad. It did seem like the last season was a little rushed with a lot of complex plot to wrap up. But the follow up show of Caprica tanked big-time.. And I couldn’t get interested in it.
Thanks!
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Right now I’m liking White Collar because of the variety of characters. Also like Rizzoli and Isles, and of course, Blue Bloods.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 4th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
oooh I Love White Collar! Haven’t watched a Rizzoli and Isles or Blue Bloods yet, but might give it a try. Thanks!
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I loved Chuck, mostly because I completely fell in love with Zachary Levi and the totally-hot-but-didn’t-know-it character he played. I’ve never cared much for beta’s before him. I liked the humor and quirkiness the other characters added. By the end I wasn’t chomping at the bit waiting for it to come on every week to see what happened next, but it was still a decent show.
THE best ensemble cast in television today IMO is Modern Family. All the characters are unique and could stand on their own, but their storylines always blend together so seamlessly. Sure, episodes may lean more towards one or two characters at a time, but never overpoweringly so. It’s become my new Seinfeld. I could watch the reruns over and over again.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 4th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Hi Tracy,
I didn’t watch Chuck when it was on so it is on my list of things to check out on Netflix. A lot of people have told me to watch it! I couldn’t get into Modern Family- I think it’s because I get really embarrassed for characters when watching comedy’s like that and Seinfeld too- I just couldn’t sit through it… I’m crazy like that.
Thanks for commenting!
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I would recommend The Good Wife. I am impressed with the cast, down to the characters who appear once and have no lines, such as a prison guard. The things this show does with looks and actions alone is remarkable. In this past season’s finale, the most incredible scene had very little dialogue and showcased the acting of six of its main characters flawlessly. Just so you know where I am coming from, Buffy is my favorite show of all time, so I judge every show from the lofty place.
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Kimberly Quinton Reply:
July 4th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for stopping by! Lots of people have rec’d The Good Wife.. I’m going to give it a try. And Buffy was truly a great ensemble show so I trust your taste
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