TV Tuesday: New Faces

[yourlibrarian]

Anthology shows have been considered risky bets if one wants a long running series. Do you enjoy them? And are there shows which might be considered “stealth” anthology shows, where a lot, if not the main focus of the show, is on non-recurring characters?

Comments

[starfleetbrat]

I don't see how Quantum Leap is any different to Stargate when they go through a gate, or Star Trek where they go to another planet.

but thanks for so thouroughly trying to prove me wrong I guess.

[shadowkat]

I'm not trying to prove you wrong? Sorry it came across that way? I'm just trying to figure out what stealth anthology means? And episodic shows like Star Gate, Star Trek, CSI, Law & Order, etc - don't make sense to me? They all have the same lead characters, and it's just a new case each week, or new local, but the characters really don't change at all nor does the story really - it's just the problem they are resolving that changes?

I'm a professional wordsmith? So this sort of thing sticks in my brain possibly more than most? But I think of anthology as short stories? Episodic as series of mystery novels and stealth anthology as a series of novellas?

I think that "stealth anthology" is something that appears to be a serial but is in reality an anthology like "American Horror Story", "Fargo", True Detective and maybe Doctor Who? Each year the location, the setting, and the characters are new. They may have the same actors (in the case of American Horror Story), or one of the same characters (but a different actor playing it) - in the case of Doctor Who.

I'm not sure about Quantum Leap or Poker Face - because it really doesn't change that much, we still have the lead characters solving a puzzle each week? But it appears that what it means - is that it's only one lead, and everything else changes but that one person, as opposed to Star Trek and Star Gate - where everyone else stays the same, and it's just the location and supporting characters/problem that changes?

And Star Gate is just a group of the same characters solving a problem each week in a different local? But we don't get a whole new group of "lead" characters each week? While with Quantum Leap - he's in a new person each week, and we get a whole new group of lead characters each week. The difference between anthology and episodic - I think (I may be wrong) - is that the majority of the characters in the anthology change either each week or each year.