This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on May 14, 2014.
It’s hard to keep coming up with fresh ideas year after year.
TV shows have this problem annually. Many second seasons aren’t as good as the first, so much so that shows often are talked about in terms of “sophomore slump.”
“The Big Bang Theory,” a consistent ratings darling, avoided a sophomore slump and has managed to keep the ideas flowing for seven seasons … for the most part.
The show was renewed for three more seasons in March (although some of the actors still remain without contracts), but the question is: Can the show continue to be fresh for three more years?
I’m a fan of the CBS show. It’s nerdy without being too smart and it’s funny without being too stupid.
But as a fan, I did not find the most recent season as exciting as previous ones.
The show didn’t hit a good stride until two-thirds of the way through the season, when Sheldon and Amy kissed on a train on Valentine’s Day.
That’s too long to wait in a 24-episode season.
I also kept wondering if Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who finally was able to talk to a woman without drinking alcohol at the end of season 6, would get a girlfriend.
It happened in season 7, but not until the end.
If a TV show has the potential for character growth, that growth should be played out as soon as possible.
“The Big Bang Theory” needs to take a hint from ABC’s “Scandal” and pick up the pace.
At Comic-Con, producers said viewers would have to wait a while to see Leonard and Penny, who got engaged in the penultimate episode of season 7, get married.
Why wait? The show will lose steam if they don’t get married by the end of season 8.
But at the same time, I don’t think anyone wants to see them break up again. Let’s move forward, not backward.
Can the show last another three seasons? I hope so, but only if the episodes are more like the last eight of season 7.
