Burning Questions from pop culture?

I don't mind shorter seasons really. It depends on the sort of show. But in most cases 10-13 episodes is plenty of hours of TV to tell your story per season. Part of the problem with the old network system is that writers are locked into 22 episodes every season which is more likely to lead to the quality dipping over time.

Back on music. Its funny how some shows go to the other extreme. I like the opening theme to Sabrina but it does drag on abit. One of the charms of the Buffy theme is its catchy, but nails its points in about a minute. It doesn't out stay its welcome.
 
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Mr Trick said:
But in most cases 10-13 episodes is plenty of hours of TV to tell your story per season. Part of the problem with the old network system is that writers are locked into 22 episodes every season which is more likely to lead to the quality dipping over time.
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It just means that you get far less time with the characters and in the world, for example stranger things is probably only worth like season 2 and half of season 3 of Buffy in terms of time.
But it does mean less time for waffle.
 
Title Theme: I know they tried that with "New Girl," but I think that was more a concession to Zooey's music career more than anything else, and was cut back to the refrain. But I would probably guess it had more to do with pacing and series time.
 
Mr Trick said:
Has the great TV theme tune died? If so why?
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There used to be so many great tv theme tunes which added to the experience of watching the show. I do miss them but I tend to fast forward through themes nowadays so I guess I am partly responsible for their demise!

I did always like the start of Frasier which summed up the tone of the show and yet only lasted about 10 seconds. Maybe there should be more themes like that if we are all too impatient to listen to anything longer nowadays
 
Athene said:
It just means that you get far less time with the characters and in the world, for example stranger things is probably only worth like season 2 and half of season 3 of Buffy in terms of time.
But it does mean less time for waffle.
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Not really. Most serialised shows you have to judge over their whole runs. If can't just boil the characters in ST down to the first season. They go on journeys and change over the course of multiple seasons (Steve being a good example). By the end of the show (which I think will be after two more seasons) it would have racked up plenty of hours to build those characters. The likes of Buffy and X-Files worked well with longer seasons because they were for the most part different stories each week. Something like Stranger Things was serialised from the start, with a different focus each season, so it would feel less focused with more filler episodes if it was stretched out to 22 per season.
 
Mr Trick said:
Not really. Most serialised shows you have to judge over their whole runs. If can't just boil the characters in ST down to the first season. They go on journeys and change over the course of multiple seasons (Steve being a good example). By the end of the show (which I think will be after two more seasons) it would have racked up plenty of hours to build those characters. The likes of Buffy and X-Files worked well with longer seasons because they were for the most part different stories each week. Something like Stranger Things was serialised from the start, with a different focus each season, so it would feel less focused with more filler episodes if it was stretched out to 22 per season.
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I still feel like you get more out of each character when good shows like Buffy have 22 episodes that mostly all do something and are never really filler in the bad way- there's maybe a few like that but I think you get value out of the quiet sometimes in the season whereas when you have 9 episodes it's going to be faster paced.
 
Mr Trick said:
Has the great TV theme tune died? If so why?
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OMG I think about this all the time. What happened to TV show theme songs?? I understand it "gives 45 seconds more of story" but let's be honest, 45 seconds doesn't add THAT much more to your hour-long story. What's more---almost every 20-minute sitcom still has a theme song. So they can waste a minute in their 22 runtime, but hour-long dramas cannot? It's infuriating. Where would we be as a Buffy universe without the iconic organ-into-electric guitar instrumental theme??
 
How come in American films and TV most teens or young adults (15-17) seem to drive their own cars?

First of all what's the age where you can legally drive in the US?

How does a teen who at best is flipping burgers afford to run a car?

And one last question. Why does a person that age even want a car? Don't they know its just another added cost on top of everything else? TAKE THE BUS!! 😀
 
T
thrasherpix
Others have answered well (though it really depends where you live), so I'll just add that TV is ultimately fantasy, no matter how "based on real events" it claims to be.
Most people don't watch live so the theme tune isn't likely to be heard, so I guess why bother? Only recent memorable one I can recall at the moment is Game of Thrones. Went long and epic to match the show and worked well.

American teens can drive because most of their cars and roads are simple. No gears, no roundabouts etc. Cheap fuel too.
 
Mr Trick said:
TAKE THE BUS!!
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What bus??? Unless you live in the middle of a city, public transport in America is awful, everything is so spread out that you need a car. I hire a car when I go there, as the nearest shopping centre is 2 hours away from where I stay, I think there's a smaller one aka a Target or Walmart an hour away but certainly no public transport!
 
It still doesn't explain why getting your own car is presented as like some sort of fantasy 😀 It just adds more complications.
 
Mr Trick said:
It still doesn't explain why getting your own car is presented as like some sort of fantasy 😀 It just adds more complications.
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It's more a necessity than a fantasy, unless you want to rely on lifts from people all the time. Which most teens no longer want to do, it's freedom!
 
C
Crossbow
Exactly!
Mr Trick said:
How come in American films and TV most teens or young adults (15-17) seem to drive their own cars?

First of all what's the age where you can legally drive in the US?

How does a teen who at best is flipping burgers afford to run a car?

And one last question. Why does a person that age even want a car? Don't they know its just another added cost on top of everything else? TAKE THE BUS!! 😀
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1. They aren’t usually their own cars but borrowing a parent‘s car. Also, it’s a popular graduation present.

2. It depends on the state. In Texas, you can get a Learner’s License at 16 and get a proper adult drivers license at 18 years of age.

3. Gas (petrol) is reasonable around here.

4. Buses are few and far between! Everything is a “drive” unless one lives in NYC😉. My daughter went to school in NYC and either took the subway or walked everywhere.
 
Mr Trick said:
It still doesn't explain why getting your own car is presented as like some sort of fantasy 😀
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Freedom (from lots of things). Think of what the Road Movie signifies - it's a quintessentially American form. Yeah...we have them in the UK and Europe but we have to change them (ie. Wenders' Alice in the Cities). Have you seen Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mama Tambien? Worth checking out.
 
Mr Trick
Mr Trick
Yeah their both great films.
Athene said:
I still feel like you get more out of each character when good shows like Buffy have 22 episodes that mostly all do something and are never really filler in the bad way- there's maybe a few like that but I think you get value out of the quiet sometimes in the season whereas when you have 9 episodes it's going to be faster paced.
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Agreed. The moment OUAT switched to 11 episode story arcs rather than spreading it out over 22 episodes, it became all about plot! plot! plot! and character moments were few and far between.
 
Bop
Bop
I just started watching OUAT
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Mr Trick said:
Has the traditional Rock band died? I recently watched a doc series where they claimed that the likes of Arcade Fire and The White Stripes were the last of the great old school rock bands. DJ's or hip-hop artists are the new rock stars for many.
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I was just talking about this at work, and how rock/indie music isn't fashionable anymore, even though some bands are still going strong like TheArctic Monkeys.
 
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