First of all, thanks to everyone for paying attention to last month’s updates to Gutternaut. We managed to get some material done and this month we hope to do that here as well. But before I go into compares and contrast with episodes of Lupin III, I’m going to talk about how franchises like that survive for so long.
I’ve seen many long running series. Some go on for too long like the Simpsons or Family Guy, others couldn’t stay long enough like Freaks and Geeks. To cut a long story sort; most of that has to do with merchandise and impressions made on the audience. Barring the merch, I’ve seen several shows (animated or otherwise) that lasted as long as they had due to a couple of things: conflicts with ever increasing stakes, social relevancy, and camp.
Stakes Are Personally High
Let’s look at a show that despite its long life has a controversial ending. Teen Titans features DC’s archetypical young heroes navigating superheroics and their character dynamics as they grow and evolve. The complexities, foreshadowing, and a whole lot of nuances was a work of narrative genius with each season dealing with personal and narrative stakes that are on a scale of how grand they are. But when a proposed sixth season fell through because of reasons nobody can pin down (merchandise and ratings most likely); it got replaced by a few comedic shorts until being replaced entirely with the parody series Teen Titans Go!.
Social Commentary
Before we go back to that train wreck, let’s look at a couple of series that live as long as they do. Sesame Street has been around for over 50 years thanks to cleverly communicated social commentary via puppets. Now let’s look at South Park, a show that’s modus operandi is sticking a middle finger to censors or formulaic programing. That and the authentic reactions to real world events, sometimes for better sometimes for worse.
Even in a few comic book circles I see talks about trying to inject social commentary. Not just in modern times, but since the mid-80s where characters try to react to events taking place. Superman for example got a re-rendered origin in a post-9/11 world that while applauded was brushed to the side. Others like a few Captain America comics look more like a state of arrested development since the Brubaker days.
Narm vs Camp
Which brings us to the other sides of the spectrum. One where stakes mix with the insanity of their plots. In soap operas like General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, it’s that feeling of escape and how absurd the plots get for long time watchers that brings them back. That’s of course despite the fact that it’s usually old people or guilty pleasures that keep the ratings up.
Which brings us back to Teen Titans Go! as well as shows like Riverdale, even comics like the long running Archie that show’s based off of. In shows like them, Twin Peaks, and to a lesser degree Rick and Morty, it’s about embracing the madness that keeps these shows going. There are a few names that come to mind in camp or narm where subjects become so exaggerated, no audience can forget about it. It’s part of the reason Family Guy is still around; well that and the risks some writers make.
Hence why memes have become a better indicator of a show’s success than critical reception, because what’s the point if something’s good if nobody’s watching it? For today’s social media age, a quotable phrases or action without context can make bigger impressions than anything. Which is part of Teen Titans Go’s success.
As for purportedly more serious programs with stakes like Riverdale, it’s about embracing camp. After so many absurdities behind the scenes of the show, the studio decided to just do whatever they wanted. Continuity, dynamics, or plots mean nothing as long as you can make something so ridiculously memorable that you never apologize for it.
And some of this insanity bled into the Archie Comics they were inspired by; the introduction of Katy Keene feels like a meme that came and went with the wind, possibly in relation to the cancelation of the Katy Keene series. Which to be fair actually did what some people want for Riverdale itself, canceling the current Archie series.
Is There A Way To Do It Right?
This ultimately brings us to the question. Can long running shows retain their identity without losing themselves to relevance dependence or become a guilty pleasure narrative without cohesion?
Well here are a few series of different mediums that I find are popular enough in different circles that I believe fit that mold.
Lupin III for example always manages to embrace the campy experiences of its franchise. In addition much like its creator, the late Monkey Punch, it keeps up with current technology and how it plays to the franchise’s identity of heist hijinks and who Arsene Lupin III is as a character. In just its fifth anime series after taking the time to examine different parts of its era, presents how social media and technology can be used to create conflicts with characters. All while retaining the slapstick and absurdities for its own sake.
Then there’s Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure where stakes and camp mingle as time moves on. Each series in the franchise takes elements from their settings, character motivations, and colorful personalities to create memorable moments that are unique enough to leave impressions. Best of all it never sticks to just one era or jumps to the next age, it takes the time to look at the world around them and how audiences can get attached to the characters.
As for new media, Penny Arcade prides itself on gaming culture commentary and how it paved the way for parodies of such gaming tropes. Megatokyo meanwhile focuses on its character interactions which in turn inspires the likes of Gaia with its rich cast of characters.
Then there are series like Law & Order, this series sense of authenticity to its cases has a strong following. Authenticity, now that’s a buzzword that better keep its definition. Especially since most people like to parody this series.
Conclusion
So there you have it, relevancy and insanity have become studios go-to for staying in the public consciousness. But it becomes a problem when series use it as a crutch. Without any characters to actually root for, or how to explore them as people depending on the time and place they take place in, what’s the point? Otherwise it’s all just a means to somebody’s end. Sure they’re good to talk about in some conversation; but that just adds a sense of factionalism. You can’t even criticize some stuff without fueling its longevity like how this video talks about Spongebob spin-offs.
I still love Lupin III and a few series that aren’t popular enough to strike at some people. But I’m fine with that. For me it’s better that a series keeps its dignity and builds off of what came before. If it’s not that popular, that’s fine; at least the creators will have something to build off of.