Make Way for New TV

Now that summer is ending, school is beginning, and fall is approaching it is necessary to recap the last three months of life and make way for new and exciting adventures. By this of course I mean the coming of the Fall television season, which has always proved an interesting space of comedy, drama, and reality programming. In the past few years it seems the networks have been harsh to their new comers by not allowing viewers a decent amount of time to learn how to digest the new material of a television show. The thinking by these all-knowing, and unseen heads is that if it's good the ratings will be there, but this is not the logical truth. Viewership not only depends on quality of the content, but also the weekly timeslot given. It is possible for a great program to be canceled due to low ratings for the simple mistake of a primetime Friday time slot while a show with poor content and no value to society will receive outstanding marks and live for seasons beyond deserved.

In total the show lasted seven seasons, three of which were of substantial entertainment and four that kept my eyes amused enough to keep watching. The method of my amusement followed suit to the way many other programs are born and live to their end. When I began watching Medium I was intrigued by the overall story of a seemingly normal woman with a family and relatively common career and a secret ability to communicate with the deceased. The mixture of the two created original programming that while filled with absurdities was somehow believable. The source of the story is said to be non-fiction, but the nature of this outside of the television is less than possible. Since it is television there is no need for logic, and if you can't be absurd in this capacity where can you be?

It was not that long ago, however, that shows were given an entire season (or more) to develop a beat and rhythm to the way they are written. This in turn allows the program to perform tests on the viewers as to what they like, and gives the actors a chance to fall into character. Here is where my summer recap comes into place. In my free-time between work and work, and sometimes sleep I passed the time consuming the recently ended Medium (2004-2011). I have to admit my radar was not tuned to this show in its original airing so my consumption has been in the binge-watch form popular in today's culture. Having the ability to watch in this way allows the viewer to react as the development of story and characters grows from episode to episode, and season to season in a way that cannot happen when there is a seven day break between episodes.

From an analytic standpoint the DuBois' live in a capitalistic, bourgeois, middle class atmosphere that perpetuates the want of a higher status. With every step both Mr. and Mrs. Dubois try to further their careers and create a better home for their three children. There are times when circumstances reach a level of seeming no return, but due to the nature of television and the want of ratings they persevere and a parallel between their story and the average American watching is presented. There is an identification within the viewer, inevitably suturing them at the very least to the end of the episode. Creating this invisible relationship with the viewer keeps them coming back week after week. In the case of Medium this relationship is narrowed to the female viewer and promotes a strong character who stays true to her roots and stands the ground firmly where she believes. --- but I digress.

My point in this writing is to give an example of a show that in my opinion had a rough start but with a little time gave a successful run of seven season. While my summer was not as glamorous as I might have liked, it is now fall and we must all prepare to settle in and enjoy the changing of the seasons; weather and television-wise. In the coming months a slew of new programming will be released upon the masses for their pleasure from which to pick and choose. Do not fall victim to the crumby time slot. Give the new shows a chance and don't give up after the first episode, it can take a season to reach its identity.