Pop Vultures

Being a fan of an American TV drama means always waiting for a favorite show to jump the shark. It seems unavoidable. Unlike shows from other countries, which have a limited number of seasons and episodes, US shows tend to stay on the air until they stop making money — and the only way that happens is when people stop watching. Eventually, no matter how great the original premise, the strain of keeping 22 episodes of a show on the air for multiple seasons can take its toll on the creative process. And, when the show eventually changes, the original fans feel betrayed (talk to any hardcore Buffy or Alias fan for a demonstration of this). Of course, if the network pulls the plug while the show is still in its prime, the fans never forgive the network for its lack of faith, as any Deadwood watcher can attest. It’s a no-win situation.

Shark-watch 2007 started early this season. Heroes‘ shaky start had lots of people predicting disaster. House fans wanted to know if the cast shakeup would cause irreparable damage to the characters’ chemistry. And Friday Nights Lights, which has inspired a tiny but rabid following, had to cope with fans closely watching every scene for the slightest hint that the show was pandering to some undetermined network agenda.

Here’s the thing: none of these shows are even close to the proverbial shark. The term comes from an episode of Happy Days, in which the Fonz goes water-skiing in Hawaii and literally jumps over a shark. It was ridiculous, out-of-character, and completely against the spirit of the show. It wasn’t just that the show made some bad decisions; it suddenly felt like a different show altogether. The three shows above haven’t committed any such crimes. They’ve simply written some plot lines that loyal viewers don’t like. And, to those whining about this, I can only say: tough. No, really. Disagreeing with a storyline is not the same thing as the storyline sucking.

Let’s start with Heroes. Everyone, including me, has complained about the vast number of new characters and the glacial pacing. And, yeah, the series has certainly been off to a painful start this year. However, with the exception of Hiro, all the characters are behaving exactly as you would expect them to. Parkman is still a neurotic mess with daddy issues. Niki still whines about how unfair her powers are. Suresh still refuses to show evidence of the IQ that supposedly earned him his doctorate. The writers may have overestimated our patience in terms of revealing the major plot points, but they haven’t committed any egregious errors against the show’s mythology. Sure, it looked like they might be sitting on the beach, strapping on those skis, but they’ve got a long ways to go before they’re hopping over any great whites.

House was a bit more daring this season, moving three of its leads to periphery roles. Perhaps this might have mattered if the show was anything other than a testament to the wonder of Hugh Laurie, but the simple fact is that House lives and dies on the strength of its lead. If House himself suddenly renounced the cure-all properties of Vicadin in favor of hug therapy, we’d have a problem. Pretending that most viewers watch this show for anything other than Laurie’s magnetic performance is downright silly. Sure, Chase is pretty, but when House is unleashing his wit on his new whipping boys, I forget Chase was ever on the show. The sharks dream of the day they can get close enough to Laurie to take a bite.

And, finally, my beloved Friday Night Lights. Everyone began panicking early this season, when the first episode ended with Tyra and Landry murdering a man and then covering it up. And, yes, it seemed silly, but not once has the show taken this dangerous plot down the easy melodramatic route. The characters, though not behaving exactly as the viewers might wish, are still behaving exactly like Tyra and Landry. People complain about Jason trying some ludicrous surgery in Mexico, overlooking how he has been desperately claiming that he will walk again since his accident. Some people say there is too much football; others say too little. People are upset that Coach Taylor left Dillon at the end of last season, despite the fact that his departure set up the primary conflict for this year. It seems that people are so invested in what they perceive as a perfect show that they get upset whenever it’s not perfect for them, too. I’ll tell you what: this show has never been perfect. I hated last season’s steroids plot line and couldn’t wait for Waverly to get off my screen. I’m also willing to accept that they don’t make this show just for me, and occasionally I will disagree with its choices. That doesn’t mean the sharks are circling. It means this complicated, wonderful show gives me something to think about every week, and I hope it keeps doing so for years to come, sharks be damned.

What do you think? Have you been seeing sharks this season, on these or any other shows?