Burn out Factor.

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Uncle Rory

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Something that I just can't explain about Buffy and Angel is the low burn out factor. Most series have a shelf life for me of about 2 seasons. By the second season of just about every show out there I am bored by the repitition.

How many Star Trek episodes start with the Enterprise flying through some galaxy, Picard or Kirk's voice narrating their "Log Entry" and then a bunch of semi-predictable events lead up to some morality tale? (Trek had a longer shelf life than most but I was more interested in Voyager, DS9 or Enterprise because they had continuing arcs)

After 3 seasons of Dexter I am starting to burn out. Dexter kills some bad guy - Dexter almost gets caught - Dexter cleverly covers his butt. Hope season 4 switches it up.

24 - Love the show but same burn out factor. Apparently season 7 is due to be a huge change. CTU is no more and Jack Bauer isn't really connected to any government agency. Could be completely out of the previous mold.

But Buffy was so repetitive. How many eps start with Buffy fighting some Vamp in the cemetary? She dusts him after the usual Martial arts fight and then over to the Library, Magic Shop or to her house - predictable, predictable, predictable. Yet I never get bored of it.

And unlike Angel which switched their whole sets maybe 3 times in 5 seasons Buffy's only major changes of local were from High School to University and from Library to Magic Shop, with Season 7 almost exclusively in Buffy's house which was a mainstay through all 7 seasons. I guess it's the characters that save the day. I just can't come up with any other reason for the longevity. Even when I start it up again from season 1 (which I do about once or twice a year) it's still fresh. Unbelievable.

Uncle Rory
 
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itsxpaperdoll
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HABEAS CORPSES
totaly agree i think that is probably why the idea of a season 8 on tv that is was so popular
Wow, good one! For me it takes generally longer before I start to get bored with a show, but then, there can be only one or two at the time. At the moment, it's Buffy (and Angel) and House. But I agree with you that Buffy isn't a show I would normally keep watching if not for the incredible industrial strength sucking power of the 'verse. Unlike most other shows I know and watched, it creates a whole world that you get to know throughout the years. With people with their weaknesses and strengths, people you personally love or hate.
Also, it's not just an action series, there is humour, drama, and a whole range of other emotions that keep it sort of real, and make me atleast, regulary forget that they're not actual people (of course I KNOW, but you know, sometimes they feel real)
 
****Minor 24 Spoilers****







24 season seven is a LOT better than season six was. However, it's not as huge a change as you might think. A fair number of ex-CTU'rs are still on the show, and there are still the usual things you see on every 24 season like inner-office politics (just at the FBI instead of CTU), Jack going rougue for awhile, moles within government agencies, etc. So if you were feeling a bit burned out before, I can't say the show is completely different from what it used to be. They HAVE managed to make all the familiar elements seem much more fresh than they did in the horrid season six though.
 
To me it's just simply good, so good it feels somewhat real and a part of my life, well as much of a part as ahobbie can be. It's like an old friend or a security blanket or something, and I haven't even finished watching it all.

I get what your saying, everyone. For some odd reason it just does not get old. Star Wars is close to that for me, too. Yet, I have to say I like Buffy just a bit more.

Coming from me, thats saying loads.
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*SHHhhhh*
 
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Revolver
666 posts. Post something quick before I start telling people you're the devil.
Lost, is boring me its confusing a stupid ! Heroes is great but it makes me wanna watch Xmen all the time lol.

I think I could watch six feet under over and over and over again without getting bored of it ever.

Dexter is getting a bitsy samey but I hope also that its kranks up a tad.

I wish there was more shows like Band of Brothers I love it !

Hopefully Dollhouse will help my TV needs x
 
I think the longevity of BtVS has more to do with the quality of the writing than with anything else. It remains "fresh" because it is comprised of many different levels of meaning. At the surface level, yes; it certainly maintains many of the episodic elements that you describe in the opening post. Fortunately, Joss and co. are clever enough to keep us interested by occasionally turning that formula on its head as in standout episodes like Passion, The Zeppo, Hush, Superstar, Once More with Feeling, and Normal Again. But Buffy isn't just an episodic drama; it's also serial drama. In the usual manner of serial drama, the show keeps us moving from one episode to the next by making us wonder what will happen next. Certain problems, villains, and themes span arcs, seasons or even years and keep us hanging on. Beyond that, there is a great deal of metaphor and subtext -- both overt and less so -- scattered here, there, and everywhere. This draws fans back again and again, even after initial viewing, because there is always something new to discover. All of these elements combined with witty dialogue and laugh-out-loud humor make for a show worth watching and then rewatching. Watching Buffy is like reading a good novel: it doesn't merely entertain, it also enriches your mind. Ultimately, that more enriching, rewarding experience is what keeps people coming back.
 
good one,
i really think its becuase Joss made a show about the people and the chemistry between the people is adictive.
The slaying ect are all built around the people and thats why i never get bored of it lol. x
 
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