Greetings,
Hey, guess what I really don't like? Crossover episodes. I was reminded of this a couple of nights ago when Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, a show I watch, did a crossover episode with Chicago P.D., a show I do not watch. And, therein, lies my problem with this. It's not a new thing. We've dealt with it in the past, and we will probably have to deal with it in the future.
Now I can understand why shows that are within a particular, let's say, universe do this. For example, I get all the crossovers that were done between Law and Order shows, and also the CSI shows, although I did not appreciate the fact that I was forced to watch CSI: Miami just so I could see the debut of Gary Sinise's Mac Taylor, a character that would be the lead of CSI: NY. See, that's the thing. I can tolerate, and possibly even enjoy, a crossover between two shows that I watch. Back in the nineties, Law and Order did multiple crossovers with the great, but overwhelmingly underrated Homicide: Life on the Street, another show that I obviously watched, and they were great. Also, that was major foreshadowing for Richard Belzer and his character, John Munch. But then, my beloved The Pretender did one of these with the un-watched in my house, Profiler. Why? The next decade, another of my favorites, Crossing Jordan, did one with Las Vegas, or as I called it, That Show with James Caan and Some Other People. Yeah, not a fan. I mean, there was always a main plot that threaded the two together, but then, I had to follow some B-plot from the show I didn't watch, and I had no idea what the heck was going on. Also, when you buy the DVD of one show, they rarely include the other episode, so... must skip.
By the way, I am not only talking about the type of crossovers wherein they start a story on one show and finish up on another. I am also talking about the times when they take one or two characters from one show and put them on another for no good reason. It bugs me, because it is a ploy. It is advertising. They do this quite a bit on new and/or struggling shows. It's a big flashing sign that says, "Hey, you know that guy from that show that you're already watching? Well, he's gonna be on this other show that you're not watching. So if you watch him on this show, maybe you'll start watching it regularly". Admittedly, that would be a very, very big, flashing sign. I'm not saying that every series which does this is an awful one. I'm not even saying that this can't the job done, but maybe if they worked harder on making themselves the best possible show they can through good writing and acting and otherwise, they wouldn't have to put in an awkward cameo. It doesn't just seem forced; it is forced. And not to get too nostalgic, but I heard that some characters from St. Elsewhere showed up at the Cheers bar. St. Elsewhere, a show that ended up not actually even existing, did this. Yeah, someone was not thinking ahead on that one.
Look, again, I'm not saying that it can never work. I understand that they want everyone to watch their shows by any means necessary. It is, after all, a business. And I get why they do it in terms of shows that are somehow connected, what with spin offs and all. Also, if you enjoy them regularly, I'm glad for you. I'm actually trying to not be so judgmental this time. I'm only saying that I'm not a fan of these things, and here's why. I could go on and on with more examples, but let's end things now, while we all still love each other.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
