frustration with schedule - careful: rant ahead

[brabbel.livejournal.com]

I'm extremely frustrated, now that I've examined the CBS-schedule for CM - after today's episode there's another 3-week hiatus planned. How do they expect people to keep interest in a series when they keep interrupting the season for 3 weeks after just 2 episodes. And why does this season only have 22 episodes (my guess, since a season generally runs just to the middle of May)? Okay, we had the Olympic Games which account for 2 weeks without CM - but 24 episodes would still have been possible...

It seems as if they spent all their efforts on one mediocre episode (The Fight), respectively on the hype around 100 - and don't know quite how to continue from there... which is majorly disappointing, especially the non-follow up so far to the events of the first half of the season. If that's a spectre of what this series has still to offer in coming seasons, I'm seriously underwhelmed.

Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. Let's just hope the last 4 episodes of season 5 at least reflect some of what makes CM such a good programme, so that I'm inclined to switch on my TV again next season... right now, I'm very ambivalent about this series unfortunately.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nextboldmove_/]

Am I the only one who thinks this is the best case season yet?

Also, according to Joe Mantegna, they are filming through the end of April. If you do the math, that means they are filming 24 episodes (or the finale is a two-hour ep). I think the long breaks in between eps not only accomodate for the time it takes film and produce an ep. 8 days to film, up to 4 weeks post production. MGG's episode filmed last week of January to Feb. 3 and he was still editing the Monday before it aired (also another reason why he was bsrely in The Fight, he was editing when that was filmed), but also because of the Olympics and March madness.

The reason season 4 was so long is because they changed the filming schedule after the writers strike, since the cast/crew got Nov-Feb off, they started filming season 4 much earlier than usual (usually last week of July) and they already had written/paid for episodes that needed to be produced.

Whew, I guess understanding how it all works does make me less resentful of things, but I understand the frustration. But I think I'm in the minority here when I say I LOVE LOVE LOVE this season. Sure, the show has always had continuity and character development issues, but the cases this season are WOW imo.

[moon-raven2.livejournal.com]

I actually agree with you. A lot of episodes I see people really hating on are episodes I liked very much this season - like "The Performer." Maybe that's just my love for Gavin Rossdale? But I thought he and Prentiss had amazing chemistry, and the whole ep was fun and different.

I feel like "The Fight" was too violent and scattered, as many people have said, but overall it's been a pretty decent season. Things like a 100th ep, a spin-off, and the Olympics can really screw with a TV schedule/season arc, so yeah, there've been weaknesses, but overall I don't think it's as bad as this thread is making it sound like.