Why Is "Monster of the Week" Style Hated?

[Kalyx triaD]

I've been running into complaints aimed at various TV shows for having a 'monster/villain of the week' style of progression. I mean... how do people hate on that without denouncing just about everything from their own entertainment pasts? I understand and (prefer) longer story-arcs in a programs season, but it's whatever for me so long as whatever is on works. But I've more than ran into hatred for disconnected episodes of a show.

How do you feel on the matter?

[The Destroyer]

I generally don't like purely 'whatever of the week' series - I don't mind some episodes of that kind, but I prefer some kind of arc or ongoing story, even if it's not touched on week in, week out.

It does work on some shows though - out of the stuff I watch, the likes of the various CSI shows spring to mind as series that can do mostly one off episodes.

I don't see why not having ongoing arcs would make someone hate a show though. :-\

[Boondock Saint]

Wouldn't say I hate it. I just get more drawn to shows with ongoing stories. The X-Files standalone episodes were usually pretty good but I always preferred the ones dealing with the conspiracy.

I think part of it is that I don't feel much reason to watch every week if it is going to be all wrapped up in the hour. I stopped watching House, not because it's a bad show, but because I already watch so much and each episode was pretty much the same. Yeah the draw of the show is him but that can only keep me entertained for so long.

Lie To Me is the most recent, and I think only show now, that I watch that is standalone. So far so good.

[Kane Knight]

how do people hate on that without denouncing just about everything from their own entertainment pasts?

Serial style movies, the predecessor to TV serialisation, started in the early 1900s. I can readily conclude that if you ask this question, you must either be over 80 years of age or a fuckwit.

Since you're not over eighty, let me just note that not everyone grew up on the Power Rangers alone.

[Boondock Saint]

Actually, I also watch Fringe. I don't love it but it has a loose enough arc that I am willing to see where it is going.

[Kalyx triaD]

Serial style movies, the predecessor to TV serialisation, started in the early 1900s. I can readily conclude that if you ask this question, you must either be over 80 years of age or a fuckwit.

Since you're not over eighty, let me just note that not everyone grew up on the Power Rangers alone.

I'm 437 years old, you nincumpoop.

[Kalyx triaD]

And PR season 2/3 had arcs.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

The Green Candle debacle was in Season 1 I believe.

[Jeritron]

X-Files did it the best. Many of those episodes were loved and considered the best. They were perhaps the most memorable. So, I don't think it's neccesarily hated. Perhaps other shows should take a hint.
They also balanced Monster of the Week episodes with story arch episodes in a perfect way.

[Jeritron]

I think people prefer a show that they can get into, and have to follow. It's an activity. I believe that's why shows like Lost and Heroes have been successful. They take a page out of the X-Files book.
X-Files was able to bring to the table what these shows did, and at the same time offer up stand alone adventures that functioned similar to a Twilight Zone episode, mixed with a Law and Order episode.
But during it all, they developed the characters, so they weren't just treading water when they "took a break" from the story arch for a few episodes.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I personally always liked the stand-alone episodes of The X-Files. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into the conspiracy arc, or anything like that. I just liked the whole question-answer formula the stand-alone episodes had. That being said, even while you're doing stuff like that, it is great if you can have arcs going on in the background.

Right now, my favourite show on the air is Dexter, and that is probably more an arc-based drama than a stand-alone thing, but it mixes it up by having Dexter look for a killer each episode, find out information about him, and then work out how to kill them. All the while his personal relationships are developing, and the big killer of the season is hiding behind the curtain, chopping up more people.

[thedamndest]

The Green Candle debacle was in Season 1 I believe.

He may have been referring to the Alien Ranger episodes, in which the normal Rangers became children and the Aqua Rangers took over.

[Lock Jaw]

A lot of the early Buffy series is Monster of the Week type deal, while also having a larger story. And there were some real good episodes produced there.

On the flip side, the early episodes of Smallville had a Monster of the Week type deal, but didn't have the larger elements going on to make it very interesting. It has found that in recent seasons.

[Boondock Saint]

He may have been referring to the Alien Ranger episodes, in which the normal Rangers became children and the Aqua Rangers took over.

lol pretty hot story arc actually. I remember they even changed the theme song to Alien Rangers. I think I stopped watching shortly after because I think that led into Power Rangers ZEO!

[Mr. Nerfect]

I used to be OBSESSED with the Power Rangers, and I must confess, that I do not quite remember that story arc. :(

Occasionally you'd get stories that would last a couple of episodes, though. I remember once when the Rangers went to this planet/island thing and there powers wouldn't work. For some reason, I think it was a diversion for something. And I think I do remember a candle that absorbed the powers of the Rangers, or something, and from that Rita created the Green Ranger? It's been years and years, man.

I remember that I would have banged that hot scorpion chick, though. What was her name? Scorpina?

[Kalyx triaD]

Yeah, Scorpina was kinda hot. Kimberly was totally hot. Ashley needed to lose weight.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I was too young to truly appreciate Kimberly at the time. She is indeed hot. I remember having a pretty big crush on that Kat chick. She replaced Kimberly, and it turns out she is Australian.

[Kalyx triaD]

I never liked Kat, her place seemed so forced to me. Like... it's one thing she replaces Kim as the Pink Ranger (which I could understand), but to specifically replace her as Tommy's romantic interest? C'mon. Give her to Adam or Rocky, there was even some sparks with Jason during the whole 'Evil King Tommy' thing [Zeo, 2006]. To this day I see Kat as an obvious 'replace Kim' tool, even though she had a great plot coming in.

[Kane Knight]

A lot of the early Buffy series is Monster of the Week type deal, while also having a larger story. And there were some real good episodes produced there.

On the flip side, the early episodes of Smallville had a Monster of the Week type deal, but didn't have the larger elements going on to make it very interesting. It has found that in recent seasons.

TBH, season 1 of Buffy was lackluster anyway. Well, compared to the rest of the series. It continued to largely mix the two concepts through much of its time on TV.

Smallville also had issues simply because it was the same thing every week in almost all senses. Someone gets meteor powers, Clark investigates, gets in trouble because of meteor rocks, rinse repeat.

A series can be intirely "baddy of the week" and still be good. It just has to be...You know, not otherwise completely homogenous.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I never liked Kat, her place seemed so forced to me. Like... it's one thing she replaces Kim as the Pink Ranger (which I could understand), but to specifically replace her as Tommy's romantic interest? C'mon. Give her to Adam or Rocky, there was even some sparks with Jason during the whole 'Evil King Tommy' thing [Zeo, 2006]. To this day I see Kat as an obvious 'replace Kim' tool, even though she had a great plot coming in.

From an intellectual perspective now, I agree with you -- but at the time, I really wanted Tommy to hit that. At the time, I never really liked Kim. Maybe it was because I was a boy, and I naturally liked the male Rangers until I got older. Or maybe it was because she just seems like a sex bomb, and I was more into the sweeter girls, at the time.

I seem to remember that Tommy got a postcard or something from Kim, which pretty much said that she was banging someone else, so Tommy pretty much used Kat as a rebound fuck. Props to that man. :y:

[Mr. Nerfect]

Law & Order is a show that pretty much runs of the "Monster of the Week" formula. Each week, the case is almost completely different, and that is something that an audience sometimes needs. They need a show they can miss for two weeks, and then come back and not feel out of the loop.

You do occasionally get an arc that goes for several episodes, though. Usually some sort of family or professional issue that takes a background role. The show used to actually do this a lot more than it currently does.