What elements do you look for in a tv series?

The most important for me has to be an ongoing story. I hate series that just have the same thing happening over and over in every episode until the season finale, in which it barely pivots the setting for the next season.
The story has to follow and evolve to grip me. Like it can’t be some cops just going after different criminals every episode and just bagging them. They have to go after one badass criminal that keeps escaping them or fucking them over until the finale or something, where the cops gloriously pin his ass. I do like Law and Order though, don’t get me wrong, but that’s like nerd material where the story doesn’t matter much.

One example is Dragon Ball Z. Sure all they do is roar and elbow each other for most of the episodes, but the series makes it a point to follow what’s going on. It respects its own mythos. How absurd it does at times matters not, at least they make an effort, and respect said mythos. So even if the same thing happens, there’s progress going on. What’s important to me is that as a series grows, what happened in the earlier one affects what’s going on in the current one. Significantly too, not just as a drive by mention. It’s got to play in the story. if all fails, just use time travel for fuck sakes

I guess that’s why I lose interest in a lot of series quickly, unless it’s a sitcom, and there’s only one of those I ever stuck to.

Gots to keep the story going man, don’t just use a concept and make it stall there.

I totally get that, I do like law and order svu, though I rarely watch it a story that has the same plot every episode is like watching a paint by numbers movie. If you are going that route might as well watch 101 unconnected movies, at least you get different actors, even if they are a stereotype.

Good characterisation, good stories. And because I watch TV so infrequently, the episodes have to be understandable on their own without the need to watch all the previous ones. Quite the opposite of @Symbeline!

@Unbroken Paint by numbers, that’s good. I was trying to find a way to not make this too long an answer lol. Hope it makes sense, you got it, anyways. :)

@downtide My guess is that my type of favored series isn’t as popular because of that exactly, nobody wants to be confused, and not everyone has the luxury of watching or catching up on stuff they missed with the press of a button.
But what the hell, I wasn’t aware that in this age of internetting, people still used cable TV lol.

And I pay for my episodes online, so dun nobody rail on me. I still think pirates kick ass though.

@downtide under the circumstances I understand the desirability of a stand on its own episode. I love story and character building as well.

@Symbeline your answer was perfectly understandable I just felt compelled to put it in my own terms so I wouldn’t feel parrotish.. though pirates are sexy!

Strong Pornography.

It’s easier to say what doesn’t make a good series.

The characters can’t stay the same throughout the series. They have to evolve emotionally and mentally to the stuff that happens to them.

There shouldn’t be a “clean slate” every episode. If you resolve every problem in one episode, only to create more the next episode, effectively turning your series into something that can be watched at any point without missing key elements.

Humour, but I don’t like most obvious comedy. I also like to be able to learn something – and lastly, I need characters who are believable and interesting.

Taking off on what @Blackberry said, turnoffs for me (both figuratively and literally) include constantly jokey dialogue, overt violence (guns! guns! guns!), sleazy sex jokes, stereotypical characters like ultra-precocious kids / ultra-wise teens / dumb parents, and laugh tracks.

What I look for, whether in drama, comedy or dramedy, are strong writing and acting and compelling characters and story.

Show me something I haven’t seen before. Lose any predictability.
I thought The Sopranos and Breaking Bad were just okay, until people died I didn’t expect to die. That turned my attention around.
Also, make a point about society. Boston Legal and Battlestar Galactica both commented on current political policies, and made me rethink how I feel about some of the laws enacted post 9/11.

I don’t want to see sex. I suppose most people do, but it leaves me feeling like I went on a date, and spent the time watching everybody else’s action. Bleh. I am sick and tired of getting involved in a show which is about brainy things, then the writer’s get bored, and the star has to get laid to make everybody happy. I liked Boston Legal, but the captain of the Enterprise has not ever been able to control himself around females. House, Bones, CSI, so many shows,my little girl liked to watch with me, all the sudden, everyone is screwing and I have to turn the tv off. That’s why I started recording stuff like mad. I have movies, tv shows, children’s specials, and they run beyong a few hundred, it’s over a thousand. When tv becomes a punk, we have lots to choose from.
I like Elementary I can see the writers getting bored already though. I suppose gimp guy will get raped by sociopath chick or something. I like Blacklist, but it will turn out she is NOT his daughter.The writers will get bored, and we will find Reddington’s wife was dieing of some disease. He learned there was someone he could get to clone her, save her for himself later, but he had to swear away life as he knew it in return. The person who did the surgery is dead now, so he is trying to get back what he loved, job, country, family. You’ll see, they’ll be in bed soon.
What I DO like,stories written by people more clever than me, with plots, direction, purpose. Sometimes I like something funny, but not stupid funny, like body function humor. I thought I would love Betty White’s latest show PUHHHHH LEEEEAAASE!!!!!!!!!

I know exactly what it is, but I can’t seem to verbalize it. So maybe you guys can figure out what these shows have in common. The only thing I can think of is, very charismatic figures, that are more realistic looking rather than super-star gorgeous (well, Mark Harmon is kinda pretty, but now that he’s older, he looks more like a real person, which I like). I also like a good mystery with a bit of a twist, dynamic, intelligent, witty bantering dialogue, ensemble casts with great chemistry, maybe a side story or two thrown in for good measure, and really great humor (could be subtle, could be ROTFLOL humor) but humor is so subjective. I think the funniest 2 shows on TV are Doc Martin and The Big Bang Theory, but their humor is so different from each other. And it helps if there is a slow burning, will they or won’t they, romantic couple. I really like that. A few quirky characters also helps. Here’s some of my favorites, so maybe you guys can figure out if there are any other things linking them.

NCIS (although I really haven’t been able to watch since Ziva left, leaving the Tiva void).

The Big Bang Theory

Doc Martin

Downton Abbey (only it’s been off the air for so long, that I can barely remember it, and I think they made a lot of bad casting mistakes by killing off key members).

Elementary

Sherlock (also love this, but it’s been missing in action for too long, I hope it will still be good when it comes back).

Two Broke Girls

Shows that are no longer on the air that I enjoyed were:

The Nanny

Star Trek the Next Generation

Voyager

Scrubs

Newhart

Frazier

Two shows that I love that are not sitcoms are House Hunters (mystery) and Love it or List It (with a bantering Realtor and designer, who have great sexual tension).

I love the TV anthology series that were so popular in the ‘60s. In an anthology, there’s a completely different story with different characters in different locations each week, but one character appears in every story and serves as the grounding element that holds the series together.

The one I liked best was Route 66 in which two 20-something guys looking for fun and adventure drive a Corvette around the country doing odd jobs and helping strangers in need.

I have the whole series (1960–64) on DVD and still enjoy watching it because I was still in high school when it started and wanted so badly to do what they were doing. The writing was great and the actors who played the main characters (Buz and Tod) were terrific.

@ragingloli Your taste is epitome of class. :)

@Blackberry I agree I love character growth. The commitment to follow a series.

@longgone Again characters are so important. Wellrounded complex and a little controversial are my faves. Glad you added learning something. Many intellectuals poo poo fiction as junk food. I have found this not to be true to me. There are always gems, and so much to learn about humanity.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Ah dramadies!!! Yes. Drama in and of itself is so compelling. And characters not caricatures are a treat, not that on occasion I don’t enjoy caricatures. Just not as much or as often unless they are meta. I find them rarely worth a rewatch.

@filmfann I too loved BSG and Boston Legal, Newsroom was also quite good in that regard as well. Much more direct. And playing off an older series book and episodes Dune.

As to predictability and losing it, in a world where so many stories have been done before it is a huge plus. I didn’t watch much of breaking bad, I have been talked into giving it another go…or the sopranos but say deadwood or mad man were great in that regard.

@Jonesn4burgers I haven’t watched Elementary I will keep it in mind. I don’t have children and I guess I have no problem with voyeurism. What I do take issue is sex being thrown in just for the purpose of ratings. Girls is very sexual but that’s the story, its a girls story and she is sexual. Or deadwood, there were prostitutes in mining towns of that nature and to have not included that element would have been unnatural.

@Kardamom your tastes like mine are all over the board. I think I get what you are saying though I can’t verbalize it any better then you. Recently I caught a few episodes of scrubs again, I still love it, it is still funny.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room that sounds really interesting. The closest thing I have read to that type of storyline that I really loved is dune series. Though I think there have been a number of romantic books that had similar concepts. I am interested in seeing the show now. Thanks for adding it.

@Unbroken, you’ll find Route 66 dated and some of the stories silly, but I think the series verall still holds up for people of “a certain age.”

I loved the first season of Homeland, but season two was a letdown and three has been all over the map—until the last couple of episodes, which have been terrific. The acting by Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis is remarkable.

I had a group of shows was floating around in my head, I matched the name of one with description of another. I only just caught myself this morning. I listed Elementary, which I do like, the man has a knack, but the show I described was Point Of Interest. I also like that one a lot.

I like shows that take the time to develop their characters. That’s why I dislike most network dramas, they’re so busy with trying to keep the viewer interested in random subplots that don’t matter

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room I just found homeland season one at the secondhand store. I can’t wait to start watching it.

@rockfan so true.

I wanted to say that while I view character development as essential I love shows that really turn their show into a masterpiece. Soundtracks, visual depth and interesting camera angles, dialogue that is worthy of quotes.

Justified, deadwood, and even true blood, to an extent, had a lot of this in it as did band of brothers and several more.

Where the dialog and plot are more complex than a fifth grade level.
I tend to love historical drama but am open to many many genres.

I enjoy the PBS version of Sherlock at this moment. I also watch Elementary. I’ve always been drawn to Sherlock Holmes variations but despise the films.

I’m wait with baited breath for the next season of Vikings.