Ok, I’ll admit it, I did some serious TV binging this summer. Prime Video brought back Desperate Housewives! I loved the show when it first came out but never watched all of it.
Will this month (July) I watched all 8 seasons, every episode back-to-back, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Yes, I know it was campy trash, just a glorified soap opera but it hooked me when it came out and it re-hooked me this summer.
But you know what I discovered? It really had some good story lines, especially as you got deeper into the seasons. The writers wove bits from the past into the story, taking you into directions you didn’t see coming. Oh, I’ll admit most of the time it was so ridiculous that I asked myself what I was doing, but I kept watching.
As a writer of any series, there were many points you could take away. Things were hinted at in the first few seasons but never resolved until the end. Every episode ended on a cliffhanger. Humor was used to gloss over the more serious scenes. The writers weren’t afraid to kill off their darlings (and boy did they!). The cast of characters grew with interesting and outrageous new additions to replace the old. They managed to keep the cast full, but not overwhelming. Everything that happened centered on one main setting: Wisteria Lane. And they used the last episode of the last season to tie every loose end up. Explanations were given and the very last screen was set up as the ultimate cliffhanger; a new cast of characters and new secrets.
So, even though it started as a guilty pleasure to fill the heat of the summer when it was unbearable outside, I found myself learning and reinforcing writing techniques. I guess you could say my binging turned into research. Now I’m not saying you need to go watch the same show, but I do suggest you take note of what the screen writers do when creating an interesting long running series.
Now it’s off to finish the last book in the Milo series and start plotting the next series. Will I use some of what I learned? Probably, even if it’s subconsciously. Otherwise, what’s the point of learning?
There are so many great series out there: what is your guilty pleasure?
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