Erin Avondet: Television Producer and Writer

Following a series of extremely disappointing events on all of my favorite television shows and a long conversation over dinner with a friend about these events, I have decided to become a television producer and writer. In my dinner conversation, my friend and I rewrote a few TV shows to fit our liking. All of our rewrites made us downright giddy. We almost did a happy dance in the middle of the restaurant. This abrupt and desperately needed career change stems from one thing and one thing only: the inability of television-powers-that-be to make their characters happy.

I mean THINK about it. Have you ever watched a TV show where the character is actually happy? Legitimately happy. NO. Okay, well actually, with the exception of Jim and Pam on The Office, there are ZERO totally happy characters gracing the television. Something always has to go wrong. ALWAYS. And where is the justice in that? And how realistic is it? Not at all. They only get to be happy when the television network finally decides to cancel a show.

Example:
I'm going to take this example from Chuck because it's the one that has me mad. For those who do not watch this wonderful slice of heaven, Chuck, the adorable nerd, is in love with Sarah, the hot spy, who secretly loves him back. These two have clearly been set up from the beginning of the show to be together. Everyone knows it and it's no longer "will they, won't they?", it's "they will...but when?" Scenarios like this are beyond frustrating. Especially when they've confessed their feelings, had a steamy make-out session, and one half of the couple has asked the other to run away with her to live a life of baby making and bliss. How can writers logically and rightfully continue to keep them apart?

I know that everyone says once you put the two lovers together, the show loses its spark and the only way to get it back is to break them up, a.k.a. The Ross/Rachel Conundrum. I disagree. A show should not be based on the romance. One should be able to get two characters together and keep the show interesting by using the relationship. Jim and Pam have done it, and people are still watching The Office. Granted, it's not as good as it used to be, but that's not because Jim and Pam are boring. It's because the writers are running out of material.

On another note, making characters happy doesn't necessarily have to do with romance. It's about the character's interests and their desires. On Alias, Sydney Bristow is never happy until the end. Again, they use these tragedies and road blocks to set up plot points, but COME ON! Give them a little happiness every once in a while rather than giving them a taste and then totally ripping it out from underneath them. That's just cruel. Not to the characters. No, no. They're not real. It's the viewers I'm concerned about. I utterly despise feeling sad for fake people. And I hate feeling betrayed. And I really hate it when the writers are just dragging something out needlessly. It's one thing when it's believable (which makes it bearable) and completely another when the show just feels like it's being altered to keep the suspense.



Thus, I will become a writer. I will have a TV show of happy people who end up with the people they love after the appropriate amount of time, without the extra love interests that keep them apart for no reason and without the excess pains that most writers insert into the lives of their characters. My new show will make people across America (and possibly Canada) happy. And because I will be a television producer as well, I will never have my show cancelled. One happy TV show. That's all I ask.