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Old Journal: Casual: Why random shows deserve to exist
13 years ago
This was inspired by a recent chat with a friend of mine.
One of my favorite shows is Spongebob Squarepants. I watched it for years and still enjoy it today. I prefer the older episodes, but I enjoy some of the newer ones as well. I like the characters. I like the humor. I like the world set up around them. There isn't much I don't like, other than the degrading characterization and grossness of later episodes, but that's the besides the point I'm going to get at.
I also started getting into Viva Pinata. Granted I don't like it as much as Spongebob and it's more of a time waster for me, it's still not a bad show. It makes me laugh sometimes and I do like some of the characters. I would recommend it to anyone looking to find a new show to watch. If it's not your thing, that's fine.
Both Spongebob and Viva Pinata are what some would say a "random crap" show, meaning there is no solid storyline; it's just characters doing whatever the heck they want. Understandably, not everyone likes that type of show, so these shows are not going to be of everyone's taste. There are other shows like them as well. I don't know if there's an actual name for the type of shows they are. I'm sure "random crap" isn't the official name. Anyway, moving on.
Some people do prefer a story to go along with the show. They want a continuous storyline to be followed through, for the episodes to have some kind of continuity, and that's fine as well. There are shows I like that have a story to them and may also have chronological episodes, episodes that cannot be watched out of order or you'll get confused. I like shows with and without chronological story-driven episodes. I can enjoy both because they are two styles of doing a show.
A story is not really necessary for a good show, nor is having the episodes be chronological only. It's not bad to have a story throughout the show and I'm not trying to downplay it. But there is another aspect one mustn't forget, and that's the interactivity of the characters. Some shows are simply "slice of life", "day in the life of" type shows. These are shows that don't have to be watched in chronological order strictly, and these shows don't have a single storyline to follow through. They are shows focused on the interactivity of the characters on the show and the consequences (both negative and positive) that results from that.
I would say that The Simpsons fall in that category. The Simpsons doesn't have a single story and it does not have to be watched in order. It's a "slice of life" cartoon that focuses on the interactions of these characters as different scenarios are thrust upon them. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic also qualifies here. Just like the Simpsons, FiM does not have to be watched in order and it does not have a single storyline. It's just the ponies interacting with each other in different scenarios. Both shows have well developed characters, some of them iconic.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize that Viva Pinata and Spongebob Squarepants do not belong to a "random crap" category. In fact, they belong in "slice of life". There is no fundamental difference I can gather from those two shows from Simpsons and FiM, in terms of show structure. Why? Well I'll explain.
Both shows do not have to be watched in order. Both shows do not have a single storyline that is carried over from one episode to the next. Both shows derive the focus instead on individual characters and interactions with one another. Both shows focus plights on more "worldly" matters to the characters, such as Spongebob wanting to get his license or Fergie succumbing to guilt when he refused to share a chocolate bunny with his friends.
This is the same formula you'll find in shows like The Simpsons and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. So the conclusion that I have come to is that they are all on the same playing field.
However the characterizations may not be as strong in Spongebob or Viva Pinata as they are in Simpsons and FiM. The Spongebob characters are tropes, not completely 3 dimensional characters. Granted I do feel they were more 3 dimensional in older episodes, but they are so 1 dimensional nowadays. Viva Pinata characters are, in general, smarter than the characters on Spongebob, but they still can't compete with the characters on The Simpsons and especially not My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, in terms of character development and such.
So are shows like Spongebob and Viva Pinata truly worthless? I don't think so. I feel they do still fulfill a niche of sorts in television, and that niche is "casual". I view these shows and others like them to be sort of the "casual games" of the tv world.
Casual games are fun, but they generally have no real point to them other than just to have fun. They are meant to be played in short bursts. I'm not saying they're bad games. After all, I like some casual games such as Zaz and Bejeweled Twist. I enjoy casual games because there is no story I need to pay attention to, no obstacles I must overcome to stop an evil villain. I just play them and they help me relax, mellow out, or kill time.
This is exactly what Spongebob and Viva Pinata are. They're supposed to be fun, stressless watches. You don't truly have to pay close attention to what's going on. Unlike in story driven shows where you have to pay attention to what's going on, to what's happened, with shows like Spongebob and Viva Pinata, you can relax your mind. You don't need to focus so much on what is going on. I like putting Spongebob on at night because, without a single plot hovering over the show, I can relax and go to sleep without being worried of being distracted.
These shows, the ones that some may call "random crap", help me relax. There's no real drama going on, no fear of what might happened. I can just turn them on and relax. That is their purpose. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am. The "random crap" shows serve the purpose of letting you unwind and relax without needing to keep your eyes glued to the screen to see what happens next.
Keep in mind, this is my opinion. If you don't agree, that's fine.
One of my favorite shows is Spongebob Squarepants. I watched it for years and still enjoy it today. I prefer the older episodes, but I enjoy some of the newer ones as well. I like the characters. I like the humor. I like the world set up around them. There isn't much I don't like, other than the degrading characterization and grossness of later episodes, but that's the besides the point I'm going to get at.
I also started getting into Viva Pinata. Granted I don't like it as much as Spongebob and it's more of a time waster for me, it's still not a bad show. It makes me laugh sometimes and I do like some of the characters. I would recommend it to anyone looking to find a new show to watch. If it's not your thing, that's fine.
Both Spongebob and Viva Pinata are what some would say a "random crap" show, meaning there is no solid storyline; it's just characters doing whatever the heck they want. Understandably, not everyone likes that type of show, so these shows are not going to be of everyone's taste. There are other shows like them as well. I don't know if there's an actual name for the type of shows they are. I'm sure "random crap" isn't the official name. Anyway, moving on.
Some people do prefer a story to go along with the show. They want a continuous storyline to be followed through, for the episodes to have some kind of continuity, and that's fine as well. There are shows I like that have a story to them and may also have chronological episodes, episodes that cannot be watched out of order or you'll get confused. I like shows with and without chronological story-driven episodes. I can enjoy both because they are two styles of doing a show.
A story is not really necessary for a good show, nor is having the episodes be chronological only. It's not bad to have a story throughout the show and I'm not trying to downplay it. But there is another aspect one mustn't forget, and that's the interactivity of the characters. Some shows are simply "slice of life", "day in the life of" type shows. These are shows that don't have to be watched in chronological order strictly, and these shows don't have a single storyline to follow through. They are shows focused on the interactivity of the characters on the show and the consequences (both negative and positive) that results from that.
I would say that The Simpsons fall in that category. The Simpsons doesn't have a single story and it does not have to be watched in order. It's a "slice of life" cartoon that focuses on the interactions of these characters as different scenarios are thrust upon them. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic also qualifies here. Just like the Simpsons, FiM does not have to be watched in order and it does not have a single storyline. It's just the ponies interacting with each other in different scenarios. Both shows have well developed characters, some of them iconic.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize that Viva Pinata and Spongebob Squarepants do not belong to a "random crap" category. In fact, they belong in "slice of life". There is no fundamental difference I can gather from those two shows from Simpsons and FiM, in terms of show structure. Why? Well I'll explain.
Both shows do not have to be watched in order. Both shows do not have a single storyline that is carried over from one episode to the next. Both shows derive the focus instead on individual characters and interactions with one another. Both shows focus plights on more "worldly" matters to the characters, such as Spongebob wanting to get his license or Fergie succumbing to guilt when he refused to share a chocolate bunny with his friends.
This is the same formula you'll find in shows like The Simpsons and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. So the conclusion that I have come to is that they are all on the same playing field.
However the characterizations may not be as strong in Spongebob or Viva Pinata as they are in Simpsons and FiM. The Spongebob characters are tropes, not completely 3 dimensional characters. Granted I do feel they were more 3 dimensional in older episodes, but they are so 1 dimensional nowadays. Viva Pinata characters are, in general, smarter than the characters on Spongebob, but they still can't compete with the characters on The Simpsons and especially not My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, in terms of character development and such.
So are shows like Spongebob and Viva Pinata truly worthless? I don't think so. I feel they do still fulfill a niche of sorts in television, and that niche is "casual". I view these shows and others like them to be sort of the "casual games" of the tv world.
Casual games are fun, but they generally have no real point to them other than just to have fun. They are meant to be played in short bursts. I'm not saying they're bad games. After all, I like some casual games such as Zaz and Bejeweled Twist. I enjoy casual games because there is no story I need to pay attention to, no obstacles I must overcome to stop an evil villain. I just play them and they help me relax, mellow out, or kill time.
This is exactly what Spongebob and Viva Pinata are. They're supposed to be fun, stressless watches. You don't truly have to pay close attention to what's going on. Unlike in story driven shows where you have to pay attention to what's going on, to what's happened, with shows like Spongebob and Viva Pinata, you can relax your mind. You don't need to focus so much on what is going on. I like putting Spongebob on at night because, without a single plot hovering over the show, I can relax and go to sleep without being worried of being distracted.
These shows, the ones that some may call "random crap", help me relax. There's no real drama going on, no fear of what might happened. I can just turn them on and relax. That is their purpose. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am. The "random crap" shows serve the purpose of letting you unwind and relax without needing to keep your eyes glued to the screen to see what happens next.
Keep in mind, this is my opinion. If you don't agree, that's fine.
