This is a question/discussion I will be posting on my blog as well as the Veronica Mars, Just Legal and Supernatural forums. No offense is intended to fans of any shows, and I do like all three shows. Any comments or thoughts can be posted here. I hope to do a topic/question of the week or fortnight or whenever I can think of a new one. Anyway here it is.
Is it necessary to have more than two or three major characters in a TV show? Is this a primary reason why recent show Just Legal failed or why new show Supernatural received a full season order? Is it a flaw of Veronica Mars or creative genius? Does it even matter at all?
This is a topic I was pondering when watching the new fall pilots, granted after the cancellation of Just Legal was announced and Supernatural was given a full season order. I do believe that Supernatural was the stronger of the two pilots, and that Just Legal, while “WB-ed” up with the “OC-like” flashes of places didn’t really fit into the schedule, let alone after 7th Heaven. I also hated the two main leads. Aside from these factors I got thinking about whether the fact that the show only had two main leads played a part in its downfall.
Then I dismissed this when I thought of the success of Supernatural. Sure we only have the two brothers there. In fact we don’t even have any peripheral characters considering that the girlfriend’s dead and the father’s missing. Granted, I think Supernatural will be quick to pick up a female recurring or lead character in the near future, with a mysterious past, also hell bent on catching a supernatural killer, that will no doubt create a neat love triangle between the two brothers. But hey, that’s prophesising, we’re musing here.
So, does a show need more than two characters, or even three or four characters to survive. Granted, there are not too many shows out there at the moment with just a few characters, and I’m talking full hour dramas, but Veronica Mars is the closest thing I can think of. Sure, it has a few other characters, but really, for season one anyway, it was just her and her dad, and Wallis. We had Duncan and Logan and Weevil, but they were peripheral. Logan took on a bigger role towards the end, but all the characters except for Veronica and her dad missed at least three or four episodes, Weevil wasn’t in six. Was this what made Veronica Mars so special, why we empathised so strongly with her plight? Or was it one of the creative downfalls of the first season and why it didn’t achieve very high ratings? Shows like The OC and One Tree Hill have four of five younger characters, and a host of older characters, that recur or are in nearly every episode. The shows centre around several of the younger characters not just one – is that why they achieve better in the ratings?
Don’t get me wrong – I love Veronica Mars. But what I always thought was one of its weak points, and yes it’s the whole point of the show, is that Veronica Mars is a loner. And when you make a character a loner it’s hard to include other characters in the plot of the show. When you do, well they tend to be involved with that character one way or another. You’ll rarely see characters on screen if she, her father, and maybe Wallis aren’t there.
So, back to Supernatural. The nature of the show doesn’t really allow more than two characters to be involved – I mean they’re searching for their father, and they’re constantly on the move in a small car – that means not much room for passengers. So, can the show survive? Will we get sick of seeing just these two characters battle evil-doers every week? Is that why Just Legal was cancelled? While the two characters on Supernatural are charismatic and likeable, were the two leads on Just Legal, just too obnoxious, nerdy or arrogant?
Is it dangerous to only have a few characters on your show – what if the audience doesn’t take to them?
Also of note is the fact that both shows had male leads. Will that spell the downfall of Supernatural – the fact that there are no permanent feminine influences? It’s not necessary a political thing, rather a fact of life that different genders bring different stories to the table and different conflicts. After all, there are only so many conflicts that can be explored between the two brothers? Does the lack of females, mean a lack of sexual conflict or sexual tension? Is that necessary in television shows?
I know that’s all very far from the initial question of whether a show needs more than two or three lead characters, but it all stems from the same dilemma.
To make a more definite decision I need more empirical data, aka I want to see if how Supernatural holds up and if they introduce more characters.
Still I’m left with questions for others to answer:
What did you think of the cancelled Just Legal?
Was the fact that it had only two main leads one of its downfalls?
What do you think of Supernatural? Can the two brothers sustain the show, or are other leads, such as a new female character required?
Do you think that Veronica Mars does revolve around more than one character, and is this one of its creative flaws? Or is it merely an underappreciated, inventive way of storytelling?
Can you think of any other shows (hour long or otherwise) that focus primarily on only two or three characters? Were they successful or short-lived?
Do you think that teen shows (or otherwise) with several characters are likely to be more successful or do you think that it doesn’t make a difference and it falls to other elements such as writing, casting and acting?
Think. Research. Respond. Have Fun and watch more TV!
I look forward to your thoughts and opinions and hope that people get enjoyment out of this topic and the many more I hope to post and explore in the future.
