What's with all these characters dying in TV shows lately?

Several of my favorite characters have been killed or are almost dead. 24 has been knocking them off right and left, The Sopranos killed one guy and Tony is still in serious condition and on last night's The Shield another character was offed.

At least two recent TV deaths bothered me. I don't want to give anything away in case somebody missed the episodes or anything. However, two of my favorite characters on tv died, I felt saddened, I know it sounds weird, but having watched and gotten attached to each character for almost 5 years now.... I felt a sense of loss for it.

I guess with cable and all kinds of channels competing against each other shows are looking to get drastic. Competing with sports, reality tv, other dramas and a war, among other political events, must have just driven these shows to all up the ante. I think the effect of this is twofold, on one hand, it can give a boost in excitement and ratings, but on the other hand by killing off a much loved character, it can also turn off the audience. Messing with the dynamic of a show is tricky. I know on 24 when Edgar, the overweight computer nerd, was killed off, the show received lots of pissed off viewer emails etc.

This has been an interesting season for television though. We'll see how this all works out for the industry.

Are you suprised that someone died on the Sopranos? Every week it seems that someone dies on that show. It is like the HBO drama Oz, every week at least one person died. It keeps things interesting.

and that was last week. :)

:freak:

it gives me an excuse to watch tv. I can say I'm doing it for "professional" reasons. :)

.. the actors mind getting killed off.

24 really is killing people right and left... way over the top.

I wonder why... does it help ratings?

David Palmer, Michelle Dessler, Tony Almeida, Lynn McGill, Edgar Styles

On the good side, they have Julian Sands and some fantastic new younger actors.

That German agent Theo Stoller is a real hottie played by Ian Cusick.

And Wayne Palmer is back and running for his life from inside traitors. I loved the
whole Palmer family and their crazy, dysfunctional dynamic. Wayne's the only one
left now, and he knows something and wants to tell Aaron Pierce, the SS agent who
seems like such a good guy... but who knows.

CTU still has a traitor in its midst and so does the White House. Who are they?

And... I can't stand that Homeland Security bitch who came in to take over CTU,
but I can understand it, considering how incompetent and infiltrated CTU is.

Of course, if CTU were competent, there wouldn't be a show. lol

I don't think Audrey Raines is the traitor, although she's being set up as one.
I think it might be Bill Buchanan, but next show will tell....

I find myself wishing that 24 were on every f ckin night.

Sue

...it's okay.

It's so damn nerve-wracking! So this fall I just snagged seasons 2,3, and then 4 when it came out, at Blockbuster. I waded through them all. That show is so great. It's like crack.

Tony Almeida was my favorite! I loved that character. I was about in tears when he died. Oh man! I think it initially does give a bump in ratings, but it depending on what happens after that it may be a bad move in the long run.

I can't remember who was featured in it, but it was a producer or something. The person said that yes, they are deliberately killing off main characters to ratchet up the interest, and to make things more intense.

:)

Days of our Lives (a soap) has lots of older actors with like 30 years tenure who make big bucks. So they killed them off! A few months later they RENEGOTIATED their contracts (cheap) and VOILA! the characters had been held hostage on a mysterious island.

they've moved away from the DiMera-style storytelling and gotten back to good old soapy adultery, lies, and betrayal.

I s'pose I shouldn't hijack this thread, though. :)

was happening... I just know it from "osmosis" -- like Susan the crazy, ugly nun twin.... the Devil thing... all the Evil STefano stuff.... Jon's horrible acting.... etc. So, I said that as a joke! The SO never watches it anymore, but I just told her about this, and she said, "But, I though Tony wasn't bad like the Evil Stefano!"

He gets an A for Atrocious evry single day! OMG. He runs the gamut of emotion from a to b. (nod to Dorothy Parker.)

impersonate him sometimes. My SO will say, be Jon when he's mad... so I'll kinda star and sneer a little. Then: be Jon when he's happy... same thing. We do this way too much... and giggle way too much!

there? His pursed lips convey such depth and emotion...

His hair is another thread, entirely.

I'm glad to talk to someone who GETS how good Jons bad acting is...

A gift:

Especially when they show the promos on TV....

I just love looking at him when he's on screen.

but my daughter can do the lip.


(another ex Days fan here)

Geez, who the hell cares???

Sorry to be so blunt, but really, it's TV!!!!

Should this be in the lounge?

just sort of depends. It's not a ego post or anything, I'm directly talking about a cultural phenomenon.

I care. I'm interested in certain things. I study politics and everything nearly all day everyday. When Looking at media and culture is a serious hobby of mine, which I do to take a break from other stuff. I have a video degree, so I like to analyze different things about the medium. If you don't like a post don't reply or go to GD:P.

not GD IMO

you've only been here a few months, but long before you were around, GD was always used for posts like mine. Over time most people just post straight political stuff in GD, when really that is what GD: P is for, but it doesn't matter either way. It isn't whether a post fits somebody's opinion of where it should go or not. It's just fact that my post can fit in either GD or the Lounge. I choose GD because I was making certain cultural observations and not cracking a joke or something that is normal lounge behavior. Lounge material isn't decided by you or anybody else other than the original rules as interpreted by the mods, if they switch it they switch it, no big deal.

Honestly, what's the good in jumping in on a thread and posting "Who cares?" That's a disruptor move. If you don't like it stay away from it, rather than come off like a jerk and start a fight. That's not advice, just common sense. So you don't care what I have to say about TV, fine, I don't know you, I probably agree with you on most issues politically and so on, it just doesn't make sense to jump in on a thread you don't care about in the first place. That's how flame wars get start. And, for no reason, too.

So I don't need your "schooling" thank you very much

this still belongs in the Lounge

Oh, and you are calling me a "disruptor"?


Thanks a lot dude

nor am I trying to school you. By definition, this fits in GD. Granted, that's a wide swath, it's not like it's science or anything. Nobody else has complained. Traditionally, this never would have been moved. You're not a disruptor, but jumping in on a thread you don't care about and saying "Who cares?" is a blatant move to disrupt. You honestly didn't think you wouldn't get a reaction to that did you? Hell, I didn't blow my stack and start a fight or anything, I get where you are coming from, but you had to expect a reaction. That's a disruption. Adds nothing to the thread but a few back and forth comments like we're doing right now. We're annoyed with each other, and it started with your comment. It wouldn't have happened at all if you would have just ignored a thread you weren't interested in. Yeah, we're being civil and all, this isn't even close to a big argument or anything, all I'm saying is if you don't like a thread don't go there. That's why DU allows us to hide threads and so forth. Hell, I don't want to get into a battle. You don't think this belongs here, I respect that, I don't necessarily agree, but I have no problem with that or anything. I'd like to end this and move on, sorry if I offended you by using the word "disruptor" and also I didn't mean to come off condescending or like I was trying to "school" you. Just trying to defend my rationale for posting it here.

It seemed like lounge material

and I guess it is

that's typically the only reason they move threads like this. Yesterday, there where a few movie posts around the same time this was, which were much more Lounge type material and they never were moved. It just sort of depends. The point is that in a general discussion, people actually have "general discussions." That could be about anything. The Lounge is more for clowning around or telling personal stories etc. This was something that was looking to start a specific discussion. That's why I posted it. Notice that there are two GD forums. One for a "general discussion" and the other for politics. The reason for that is exactly this type of thing. It separates a post like mine from being integrated with a political forum. Now, if I posted this in GDP well, that would have been a different story. It doesn't fit. See, I specifically, posted this for discussion, threads like this die in the Lounge. When it got moved it killed the thread because it went from a discussion forum to the Lounge.

I just don't get it?

It's like Dan Quayle attacking Candace Bergin's character (I can't even remember the character's name now) it isn't reality.

but people seem to talk about them as if they are real. :)

over him. What gives? :shrug:

yeah what she said!

:hide:

:rofl:

at someone else's expense

ha ha ha

But Here's what gives:

"Honestly, what's the good in jumping in on a thread and posting "Who cares?" That's a disruptor move. If you don't like it stay away from it, rather than come off like a jerk and start a fight. That's not advice, just common sense. So you don't care what I have to say about TV, fine, I don't know you, I probably agree with you on most issues politically and so on, it just doesn't make sense to jump in on a thread you don't care about in the first place. That's how flame wars get start. And, for no reason, too."

Let's see, they said I was making "disruptor moves", coming "off like a jerk", and I didn't ask for that.

I expressed my opinion that this should be in the lounge, and now it is.

So I must not have been too far off

over reaction on your part. :shrug:

You were far off in your posting style, IMO, which is also why you received the reaction that you did.

The character who got killed on The Shield was my favorite. (I won't mention who so I won't spoil it for someone who hasn't seen it yet.)

I loved that character. The show is bereft of true morality, like Vic and some of the others have an odd sense of justice, brutal and ambiguous, but very few characters are truly moral. This one was pretty close to that. This character's biggest weakness often seemed like a naive sense of belonging to a family. It kept them conflicted. Sad to see the end come like that.

she was the best character on the whole show.....she was hillarious and quirky....

damn them.....

I would have to say the writing on some of the shows has been a bit dissapointing this summer also....Lost comes to mind....

for a tv show or tv show storyarc season.

A different form of bread and circuses, maybe.

to the camps,they want people used to their favorite actors suddenly being replaced,still need people watching ads and buying stuff in the brave new world.that's why there's all these shows with gruesome autopsies and stuff now,people need to be prepared to handle all the coming slaughter,carnage and mega-death.

I am hypnotized by the big, beautiful talking box in my living room!

Oh... Pizza Hut... must get one of those pizzas Jessica Simpson is selling! :)

This is one of my favorite shows. I have been watching since the very first episode. I was extremely upset about the season finale also. I just couldn't believe it. And they are really dead - no possibility of coming back after that.

Hardly anyone is left of the originals on 24. They took out two prime characters in the first 15 mins of this season. I was pissed about Edgar as well.

I remember years ago when watching a show thinking they can't kill him or her off they are a main character. This year they have dispelled that presumption!

I wonder if the producers use it as a negotiating tactic? A reminder to the actors/actresses that if they ask for too much money they may get the axe, and in terms of their character literally. ;-)

I know on NCIS though the actress that played Kate asked to be let go because she claimed the schedule was too exhausting.

One things for sure if Nip/Tuck ever kills Christian, I'm out of there with him. Just liked I ditched Charmed when they killed Cole. :evilgrin:

too much crap on tv anyway...:P

:cry: