One-shot tales offer breath of fresh air
‘Guest Book,’ ‘104’ producers like the format’s flexibility
Haven’t checked into an episodic anthology in a while? Two new series offer invitations to very different lodgings.
Room 104 (HBO, Friday, 11:30 ET/PT), produced by brothers Mark and Jay Duplass ( Togeth
erness, Animals), takes place in a nondescript motel, where wide-ranging stories involve horror, intimacy and even physical fighting. TBS’ comedic The Guest
Book (Aug. 3, 10 ET/PT), which evolved from imaginary tales Greg Garcia ( My Name Is Earl,
Raising Hope) wrote in real vacation-home guest books, is set in a bucolic cottage where guests’ awkward pursuits yield comedy and unintentional drama. In the opener, a husband’s side trip to a bikini bar threat- ens his marriage.
The shows feature a different story and characters in each episode, compared with anthologies such as American Horror Story and Fargo, which change characters and many cast members after entire seasons. They join HBO’s High Maintenance and two British series, sci-fi
Black Mirror (Netflix) and darkly comedic Inside No. 9 (BritBox), in a mini-revival of a form that mostly disappeared after a longgone golden era that featured such classics as The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
TV moved away from anthologies as the medium began focus- ing on “the opportunity to develop stories over an extended period of time,” says David Bushman, TV curator at the Paley Center for Media. “For viewers, the advantage of the continuing series is the chance to develop a relationship with characters.”
On the plus side, creators say the format provides freedom and opportunity.
“We liked the idea of making a cheap show that worked within limits: What can you do when you’re stuck inside a 400-foot box and you have only three days to shoot? That’s how we came up as independent filmmakers,” says Mark Duplass, who wrote seven of 104’ s 12 scripts.
Different stories let the brothers delve into “wild and weird” material, he says. Room 104 swings from “Ralphie,” an eerie babysitting story that veers into horror to an MMA battle between two women in “The Fight” and an intimate study of a long-married couple in “My Love.”
Guest Book has roots in Hope, as Garcia wrote his first fanciful guest-book tale — which featured a fork attack — while staying in a mountain cabin outlining stories for the Fox comedy. Everyone laughed when he read the story back on set, Garcia says, and “I made it a routine to go away and write.” Eventually, he came up with 15 short stories that evolved into the 10-episode series.
Anthologies allow producers to recruit actors who might not commit to a regular series role. Garcia structures Guest Book as “a little bit of a hybrid” with continuing supporting characters played by Garret Dillahunt as a cottage neighbor and Charlie Robinson as property manager.
One-shot stories provide a refreshing alternative in a bingewatching era when many can’t keep up with so much great TV.