The strike-shortened regular season of television dramas is coming to an end this week. I know: some of you could care less. I, on the other hand, have several favorite TV shows that I watch regularly. As I’ve remarked before, they often inspire me. While I don’t necessarily miss them during the summertime, I do look forward to some of them returning in the fall.
This particular year several of the shows I watch are killing off their characters—or pretending to do so. I guess we’ll have to wait until the new season to be sure unless of course we visit the various network sites to see who is and isn’t coming back. On one of my favorite programs, “they” definitely executed a featured character in their finale, and he most certainly won’t be returning. I liked his character, too, but in the last couple of episodes the writers turned him around and threw him back into conflicts he’d overcome in order to set him up for elimination. I would have preferred they just eliminated him another way if he had to go. On another series, they’ve taken a character and manipulated him back and forth into good guy/bad guy and have concluded this year with him being an ultra bad guy. That didn’t work well for me either—he doesn’t fit the bad guy part at all.
The cliffhangers are a specialty in the season finales. They can be frustrating because of the long wait to see the situations resolved. I prefer they leave a hint of mystery but tie up most of the loose ends.
It was a weird season for television. Some of the programs managed to return and salvage their seasons, but some later-starting series never appeared at all, and some failed to re-appear after the strike. It’s always interesting and sometimes disappointing to see who does and doesn’t make the final cuts for the following season. Most of my favorites appear on CBS with only one or two exceptions. I don’t watch the reality shows, the sit-coms, or much of the cable networks. Just dramas. Football. And a few of the major horse races.
If you’re not a television person, that’s fine. But I am. Not ashamed of it either.
Father, you have distributed your creativity in so many mediums. Lord, I would ask that we could see more of your voice appearing in stories. I pray that the stereotypes used in most dramas which include any reference to you would be eliminated and replaced with viable characters in real situations. Lord, interject your realism into the minds and hearts of television and film writers and let Truth shine forth in its fullness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
*Please remember to pray for Kristy Dykes and her family.*