Procedural drama has been a staple of television for decades, providing viewers with a familiar formula where crimes, fires are put out, and emergencies are resolved in neat little-hour packaging.
However, after covering a lot of these shows – NCIS, Chicago Fire, etc., I can’t help feeling the formula thin.
The case may change, but the role usually does not. If they are simply admitted, their life outside of work is seen as an afterthought. Frankly, this makes these performances harder to interact with in any meaningful way.
This is not to say that listeners still don’t like their program scope, but that. I see.
You will feel a little comforted to know what you get each week. But what I don’t understand is why so many loyal audiences don’t like richer, more in-depth performances.
Of course, some people do, but many seem satisfied with the minimum of character development.
This is one thing. This is another investment. Investing is lacking in many programs today.
That’s why I think Blue Blood, Fire Nation, 9-1-1, DOC resonates in ways that NCIS and Chicago Fire don’t. There is something that most other programs lack: real emotional depth.
The Sunday dinner held by the Reagans on Blue Blood was more than just a head. They are at the heart of the show.
They provide characters with room to reflect on their work, challenge each other’s perspectives, and most importantly, remind the audience that these people exist outside their uniforms.
Fire Country creates something more compelling with redemption and community bonds, rather than shows about firefighters.
9-1-1 balances high-risk emergencies with deep personal storytelling, showing how first responders manage relationships, grief and personal struggles while saving lives.
Doc goes a step further – After the accident, her protagonist is killed for eight years, forcing her to recover from the human beings she once ignored.
On program TV, this level of personal investment is very small, and it will all be different.
Then, the potential is high, which links the motherhood of lead directly to her investigation work, while Matlock is the injustice her daughter endured, and the cases she accepts are profoundly personal.
These programs prove that program TV does not have to be one-dimensional. They provide a storytelling that allows the audience to engage emotionally rather than passively entertain.
On the other hand, FBI franchise rarely gets involved in life outside of work. FBI: International is especially independent, because its role is far from home and meaningful personal connections are hardly available.
Note: This article has been written forward Two FBI derivatives were cancelled.
Law and Order (original) have a habit of suddenly introducing family members or friendships we have never heard of before, just to drive the plot.
It’s a cheap trick, knowing nothing about the human nature of the series.
This is what is missing from some new and long-term processes.
Where is the friendship outside the fire house? Where to test the unpredictability of the job? Where to solve the emotional weight of crime see the trauma and then try to go home and become a normal person?
Just as we have deprived all that makes these characters human, but instead support the endless cycle of cases and rescue. To be honest? This is boring.
I can’t help but think that’s why Blue Blood has such a passionate fan base and people fighting for their return.
Even something as simple as a weekly family dinner scene can be missing emotional depth in many other shows in the genre. It proves that even in process form, audiences are eager for character-driven storytelling.
So, does this leave a future for the program?
If the show wants to endure, they need to evolve.
Priority characters for more than a week of storytellers will be those who insist.
Because at the end of the day, the audience may adjust to the situation of solving the crime, but they stay. At present, many programs do not give us enough reasons to stick with it.
Perhaps, by canceling two FBI shows, the network finally received more information we need. It won’t save blue blood, but it brings us hope for the future.
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