ALAN D. M A N N I N G We might refer to them collectively as 'the shows that wouldn't die': programs that enjoy perpetual popularity in syndication, some of which barely lasted three years in first run (e.g., Gilligan's Island, Star Trek, and more recently, M*A*S*H -- programs that apparently retain their appeal even after every episode has been seen numerous times). This acceptable repetition is remarkable given the ephemeral nature of most television programming: 'it's a rerun' is usually a denunciation and our cue to switch channels, and most programs 'die' upon cancellation or after a few cycles in syndication at best. The clear exceptions deserve explanation, and where possible, one coherent explanation, which can only be formulated if we can identify significant properties common to these exceptional 'undying' programs -- properties not also typical of most, less durable series. I propose here that many of these exceptional programs share a common underlying formula of character-group organization that surfaces empirically as a simple rule: the number of main characters1 in a perpetually successful syndicated series is typically a function of some power of two (2n). This is, four ( 2 x 2 = 22) or eight
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Paralinguistic character structure in popular syndicated television: 2 n TV
MANNING, ALAN D.
Follow Semiotica - Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies / Revue de l'Association Internationale de Sémiotique
, Volume 89 (1-3)
de Gruyter – Jan 1, 1992
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