As a general rule, I give a new television show three episodes to hook me. This may seem unfair, considering a show generally is still finding its voice at that point. I agree. It is absolutely unfair.
It’s also necessary, because I watch a lot of television. I try to watch every new show that interests me (which admittedly does not include a ton of CBS or CW, traditionally), and, combining that with the shows that are regularly in my rotation, it means that only so many shows can make it. Once reaching the three episode line, I generally make one of three decisions:
Cut It: I remove the show completely from my viewing rotation. Shows generally do not re-enter my rotation after this point, although a few notable exceptions exist (most notably Parks and Recreation, which I am sorry I ever gave up on).
Probation: I extend a show on an episode-by-episode basis, and delay a final decision to either cut or watch through the season until an episode either really grabs me or loses me. 30 Rock existed in this state for several episodes before I finally moved it into the final column…
Keep It: Once a show reaches this point, I will generally keep it at least through the end of the season, and more than likely well into the later years when it’s still not as good but I keep watching anyway because of my love for the characters. It’s pretty tough for a show to get cut once a show reaches this level (The Office is the last one to make it to this point and then get cut).
But anyway, this week I reached the cut line for two shows: The New Normal and Go On. Two shows that, if you read previously, I predicted I would not continue watching once I reached my self-imposed three episode limit.
Let’s start with The New Normal. I didn’t find the pilot that interesting, and the next couple of episodes didn’t really do a whole lot to hold my attention. It has improved in some aspects, but at this point, I’m pretty sure the things that I have trouble dealing with (the broad caricatures in particular) will probably not change anytime soon. Given that and the past history of my ability to stay interested in Ryan Murphy shows, this one is going to be Cut.
The other show that has reached episode 3 is Go On. This is a show I really want to enjoy – Matthew Perry! John Cho! Brett Gelman! Seth Morris! So many funny people in one place! This show, too, has a problem that it probably won’t be able to easily shed – in this case, the cast is way too big. Between the support group and the workplace, there are twelve characters, at a minimum, who will appear in more or less every episode. It’s not just hard to service that many characters in a sitcom; it’s impossible. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find a way to streamline the show somehow (other than not focusing on half the characters in any given episode). Despite this, there have been a couple of moments that were interesting enough (although the fact that one of them was a runner in the last episode that involved a gardener character we had never seen until this episode makes me worry that the large cast won’t be able to effectively deliver) that the show, for now, is on probation. They have, at best, until October 23rd to win me over – which is the day when Happy Endings returns, forcing a DVR showdown between Happy Endings, Go On, and New Girl.