Time not on Their side
We recently re-watched the pilots of a handful of longrunning shows to see how they stacked up with where they are today. Not surprisingly, some have lost their way while others have really told their story and should be ready to say “the end.”
“The Good Wife”
Pilot air date: Sept. 22, 2009 on CBS
Then: In the wake of the scandals surrounding American politicians such as eliot Spitzer and the wives who stood by them, “The Good Wife” was the right show at the right time. We met Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), a lawyer who gave up her own career to raise a family while her husband, Illinois state’s attorney Peter Florrick (Chris Noth), pursued his political ambitions. The opening scene of Peter resigning from office in the wake of a prostitution scandal while a shell-shocked Alicia stood by his side promised great things to come.
now: Alicia’s story has peaked and we await the show’s graceful conclusion. Her story arc was mostly well-drawn. Having to resume her career while her husband served prison time, she landed a job at a prestigious firm and flourished in the courtroom. Many of the lessons she learned along the way were hard-won, including an unsuccessful bid for political office and a messy affair with a partner at the firm. Now Alicia is on her own, working low-level cases out of her apartment with the help of her teenage daughter while Peter runs for president. It’s a bit of a snooze, but what really has us scratching our heads is why the writers cover the goings-on at Alicia’s old firm when she’s moved on. The end of Season 7 should be the end of “The Good Wife.” — Robert Rorke
“Nashville”
Pilot air date: Oct. 10, 2012, on ABC
Then: Fading country superstar Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) attempted to revamp her career by grudgingly playing nice with upstart diva Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). From episode 1, the show depended on the rivalry between the two singers for dramatic thrust, best exemplified in the scene when record executives asked Rayna to open for Juliette on her tour. Rayna’s retort was so deliciously snide the writers should have let her attitude carry her throughout the series: “You can kiss my decision as it’s walking out the door.”
now: Rayna has devolved into an erratic music mogul who, in one moment, writes off Juliette as a spoiled brat and in the next attempts to be her surrogate mother and confidante. Once a pillar of strength, Rayna’s most dominant traits today are a furrowed brow and indecision. Do the show’s writers even remember that first episode?
— Eric Hegedüs
“American horror Story”
Pilot air date: Oct. 5, 2011, on FX
Then: We knew Ryan Murphy wasn’t the next Rod Serling, but the “AHS” premiere did give us goosebumps. Set in 1978, it introduced Adelaide (Katelyn Reed), a spooky girl who warned two local hooligans to stay out of a run-down California mansion. “You’re gonna regret it,” she implored. The boys died. Decades later, Ben (Dylan McDermott) and Vivien (Connie Britton) buy that same house and are subjected to a silent figure in head-to-toe leather determined to sire a demon child with Vivien. even Serling would have been creeped-out.
now: Murphy let style (and over-the-top Jessica Lange) rule over substance. The darker “AHS: Asylum” (Season 2) was visually harrowing, but confusing; the witches of anticlimactic “Coven” (Season 3) were scare-free; “Freak Show” (Season 4) was incoherent; and the current sexed-up “Hotel” is a patchwork of back stories, backsides and stunt casting (hello, Lady Gaga). It’s as if Season 1’s Adelaide was actually warning viewers who keep returning year after year: “You’re gonna regret it.” — EH
“Scandal”
Pilot air date: April 5, 2012, on ABC
Then: Shonda Rhimes’ pilot hooked us with DC super-fixer Olivia (Kerry Washington) and her coiffed associates. By the end of episode 1, we all wanted to be, in the words of wide-eyed Quinn (Katie Lowes), “a gladiator in a suit.” Olivia oozed charisma and power — and not just because she was President Fitzgerald Grant’s (Tony Goldwyn) mattress mate. She took down miscreants, then triumphantly uttered the series’ catchphrase: “It’s handled.”
now: Olivia is an emotional wreck whose off/on relationship with Fitz is annoying at best. The show is cluttered with breathless, rapid-fire dialogue, confusing stories (the shadowy B-613 spy ring) and outlandish plots (a kidnapped Olivia is worth billions on the foreign market). Plus, one-time gladiator Abby (Darby Stanchfield) is now a feckless White House press secretary. even Olivia Pope couldn’t fix this one. — EH