Remember when Family Matters became "The Urkel Show"?

Now try Happy Days. The star of Happy Days was Ron Howard as "Richie Cummingham", But the dynamics of Happy Days was destroyed by the popularity of Henry Winkler's, "Fonzie".

The Rule of Thunb in entertainment says that the comic relief must never become the star of the show. When this rule is violated, the show's decline is very predictable.

"Fonzie" was a supporting character, never intended as the star of the show. By giving in to the character's popularity you derail the show by changing the relationships between the main characters. 

"Richie" was the good guy, "Fonzie" was the bad boy. To make Fonzie the star of the show was to strip the character of his bad boy persona, and thereby destroy everything that led to his popularity in the first place.

Bowing to popular pressure is nothing new in television, but making unwise moves has caused the sudden demise of many TV shows.So, "Jumping the Shark" comes in many varieties.

Here's another Rule of Thumb violation: when "single co-star characters" get married in the show. The sexual tension that make such a show fun to watch is suddlenly all gone.

But the most famous violation: "having a baby / cute kid adoption". The list of TV shows that fell to their knees after the appearance of a baby or cute kid is surprising, counting some very formidable franchises.

in my "introduction to spongebob squarepants" article i mentioned how the characters in spongebob became flanderized after stephen hillenburg and previous show writers left the show, much like how the simpsons has become since the 2000s, but i could go on about how there's a divide in fans on both shows for the same reason with the defense of "yeah the show isn't the same but it's still watchable", but you can really tell from the highs and the lows. from what i've seen in recent spongebob episodes they try and replicate the gross out close ups from the old ren & stimpy episodes and aside from the smoother looking animation, those are really all the show has going for it now. barely any humor that adults will understand like the first few seasons, now the characters are completely dumbed down only for the younger audience.

It just goes to show you, the TV show makers' passion of making quality programming is gone. 

There is an exception though: The creators of South Park. 

I believe they still put effort into making their show funny.

I like the phrase, "Lightening In A Bottle".

When a show or series hits the sweet spot, it's like Lightening in a Bottle, a combination of circumstances that will never happen again, but if they do, not in quite the same way. The original 1984 Ghostbusters has been described as Lightening in a Bottle.

Television shows very prone to "Shark Jumping", just by the continuing nature of broadcast storytelling. When the original team of writers move on to other projects, it's heartbreaking to watch a favorite show go downhill fast.

I quickly fell out of love with Red Dwarf when Chris Barrie's "Rimmer" left the show, replaced by Kochanski. The old "Boys from Da Dwarf" club vibe was completely destroyed.

It's not just TVs and movies that's gotten lame. What about commercials?

I can't get through the day without seeing some Medicare phone number commercial, a prescription pill commercial, or a single car commercial. Most commercials they show on TV today feature those things!

Mr Magic wrote :

It's not just TVs and movies that's gotten lame. What about commercials?

 

I can't get through the day without seeing some Medicare phone number commercial, a prescription pill commercial, or a single car commercial. Most commercials they show on TV today feature those things!

-end quote

MM, as long as I live, I'll keep saying, "the 20th century is a tough act to follow".

Dang, he was SO close lol

I tell ya, edd, where are the silly rabbits, the fruit heads, and the singing beavers?!

What made TV in the 1960's so much fun was all the animated commercials. 

Charlie the Tuna was a favorite for showing up in Primetime, lighting up the whole room!

I especially like the live action ads with animated characters.