In Defense of the Procedural
Formula does not imply lack of value
In this Golden Age of Television, there is a tendency to laud the complex, dramas with season long arcs that build from each other. The works of art that win awards and captivate audiences for perhaps only a year or for many years.
These shows, like the immensely popular Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, certainly deserve the praise that they have been given. They are well-made, well-acted, well-crafted works of cinema.
But not all shows are at this level. Not all shows aspire to have engaging, season long plots. Not all shows are without a clear-cut formula. Before this Golden Age was the Era of the Procedural. Most shows conformed to this style. The thirty or sixty or whatever block of time given to the show had a specific flow and rhythm to it. For police procedurals, the establishing of the case, gaining detail, perhaps a failure, and eventual success. And so on.
Many well-regarded shows of the past are case-of-the-week style. Star Trek. X-Files. House.
I could give more examples. These shows have episodes that, are for the most part, self-contained. You can watch one without seeing any other. This was by design, in a time when not everyone could be up-to-date with what was going on.
Nowadays, that reasoning doesn’t hold up. Streaming, social media, make it very easy to be up-to-date on a show.
Yet this does not mean procedural style shows have lost their place or value. Even amidst all the great dramas pumped out by the television outlets, they still rank highly in viewership. Even though they are clearly still popular, they are sometimes chided for being ‘mediocre’ or simplistic. That assessment isn’t wrong.
In fact, that is probably why they still remain successful among (typically) an older demographic. After a long day of work do you want to unwind by watching a dreary Soap Opera? There are many days where I know I do not. So I turn to light procedural fair, such as Criminal Minds (pictured above). The characters are familiar. I’m not going to be surprised or shocked. The plot is simple and easy to understand. The resolution is also going to be within the block of time I am giving to the show. I am not forced to burn more time, expend more energy, to gain resolution of a plot. It is all right there within the episode. The humor. The steps. Everything. There is no trying or exertion with watching procedurals. It is very relaxing.
Entertainment should be exactly that. A thing people can do to put themselves at ease. Not something to conform to social expectations or to do to make themselves appear more cultured.
It really does not matter if a show is good or bad on some ‘objective’ measurement scale. B-grade movies are fun for a reason and TV shows deserve to have the same type of category. B-procedurals, maybe.
They aren’t trying to be Emmy winning material. They are trying to be something that causes enjoyment in their viewers without being too serious or too haughty. They aren’t trying to be a cultural phenomena. They are trying to be something to passively enjoy with a meal or to relax into a night. And they work. They remain at the top of the viewership ratings for that reason because there is a need for them. There is value in what they provide and that value will never wane.
