what's on my mind grapes?

I’ve been too narrow in the scope of my mourning.

While the cancellation of “Veronica Mars” came as a shock, and thus caused more intense sorrow, I overlooked how saddened I should still be by the absence of “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” in my future. These two shows were far and away the best dramas in the 2006-2007 season, and if we toss out the fact that “Studio 60″ was short-lived, they would both be in my five favourite shows of all time.

But why? Isn’t it likely that I’m just biased by the recency of each, and am forgetting how great some other shows were? After a great deal of introspection and analysis, I think I’ve rationalized a great case. That rationalization, of course, is based on emotional connections and the subjective strengths of the shows – but making quasi-scientific lists based on my opinions is, after all, my favorite hobby. Without it, what am I left with? Just enjoying things without stopping to compare, critique, and quantify? I can’t live like that.

It is first important to note that my analysis of great television is, here, confined to dramas. Comedy can succeed in a much wider range of ways, and it’s tougher to find a formula for a perfect funny show. “Seinfeld” was brilliant in providing relatable storylines and characters whose enormous character flaws were but exaggerations of real human foibles. “The Office” and “Arrested Development” found their niche with over-the-top characters almost entirely devoid of decency and humanity. Humor can work in so many ways – political commentary, pop-culture satirical, physical comedy, lewd jokes, puns, irreverance/shock value, vorshtein, and so on – but in my mind, a great drama is defined by how relatable its characters are.

I must be perfectly clear: there have been many very good shows that lacked artfully crafted characters. Shows can be perfectly entertaining, enjoyable, and memorable if they have an original premise, quick pacing, or suspense. These don’t preclude character development, but often we see characters left behind in favor of plot and premise (this often occurs in sci-fi/action shows) or because the cast is too large to flesh out any one character. Again, I really enjoy these shows – I would include favorites like “Alias” (no character development except an uninspired romance), “Dark Angel” (action-oriented, weak character development), and “Lost” (large cast, a lot of action). “Firefly” is an interesting borderline case – the characters are certainly interesting, but the circumstances make them harder to relate to. I would say that the quality needed for an attachment was there, but the sporadic broadcasting schedule and short run stopped it from fully taking hold of my emotions.

“Veronica Mars” maintained its excellence for three seasons. I wasn’t impressed by the first episode I saw, but in the context of an entire character-driven series, I’ve realized that one needs to give such a show a bit more of an opportunity to take hold. I would add that what many critics saw as weaknesses in the show’s later years were concessions to the demands of the free market ratings system – turning it into more of an angst-filled soap opera only chipped away it its uniqueness.

“Studio 60,” of course, didn’t get much of a chance. But the stories revolved around the characters, much like “Gilmore Girls” – the actual “plots,” such as they were, weren’t meant to be the focus, but merely devices through which we became attached to the cast. To everyone who complained that no one cared about a behind-the-scenes look at the making of television, I would point out that I didn’t care about a teenage girl’s social life or her mother’s on-off romances but still loved “Gilmore Girls.”

So what defines likable characters?

Personality: The characters must be, on the surface, pleasant to watch every week. Dramas can work if the characters are flat, but not if they’re so annoying I can’t stand to watch them. I have broken this down into three subcategories:
Demeanor: this is where Lorelai Gilmore will always irk me (and thus see her show fall short of historical greatness) – she’s too energetic, too perky, often acting airheaded despite being a competent, intelligent adult. Still, shows must avoid becoming too serious – humor and quick-wittedness are essential for a great show.
Attitude: put simply, the internal component of Demeanor. Characters could be energetic and perky but have a mean temper, or act depressed but have a positive outlook. This manifests in the cynicism of Veronica and the irritable intellectualism of the S60 crew.
Vocation: the context in which the characters are placed. It certainly matters that Veronica worked in a capacity that required a good deal of reasoning skills, and that Studio 60 was about a medium I love. I don’t know if I could get into a show about witty, sarcastic firemen – great entertainment, to me, requires the ability to see myself doing what the characters are doing, or want to have a closer view of the goings-on of that world.

Integrity: Once more, the abiltiy to relate to the character comes into play. I don’t want to see a perfect, unrealistic person I cannot hope to emulate, but I also want to root for characters who are noble – the sort of people I would want on my side in real life. The two subcomponents (which admittedly overlap):
Values: the beliefs and morals of the characters. To put it simply, it matters that S60 and Veronica are noticeably liberal. “Studio 60″ features unabashedly leftist executives who want to use their media platform to fight the intolerance of religious extremists, while Veronica fights for the working class and scorns the greed and indifference of Neptune’s wealthy.
Goals: the end result of Values and Vocation. For us to root for characters, we must know what they want and why they want it. Furthermore, their goals must be things we could imagine ourselves wanting (in part, this goes back to Values). To complete the Gilmore analysis, this is where Rory falls short – her overambition and single-mindedness through much of the series made me roll my eyes. In contrast, I was moved by S60’s crew’s goal to produce meaningful but successful television, and Veronica’s desire to help bring even a small measure of justice to a town mired in socioeconomic inequality.

So… is my theory overlooking any dimension of likable characters? Have I forgotten other series that encompass these points? Because they are the precursors to “Studio 60″ and (at least in spirit) “Veronica Mars,” I shall pre-emptively point out that “The West Wing” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” lost their way by getting too serious at times, and were weaker in the Vocation criteria because I couldn’t see myself being part of the goings-on. “Good” shows, absolutely, but not in contention for “best” – certainly not when their successors evolved from those failures.