Welcome to another installment of Do Not Resuscitate. Since I've been absent much of 2023, I have not written another article until Christmas break. Today, I will talk about The Vampire Diaries, which was produced by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and was picked up in the middle of Twilight Mania and saw a spinoff in its heyday. Set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, it follows the life of Elena Gilbert as she falls in love with Stefan Salvatore and then his brother Damon.
The Original Hit Machine - The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
The Vampire Diaries premiered on September 10, 2009, with its pilot episode attracting the largest audience of any series premiere on the CW with 4.9 million viewers and a 2.0 in the key A18-49 demographic before being surpassed by Arrow. The first season averaged 3.6 million viewers. It was a staple on Thursday nights, never getting below a 1.0 until Halloween 2013 when it dropped to a 0.9 in the demo.
Since then, The Vampire Diaries hit a sub-1.0 regularly as the show progressed. After season six, Nina Dobrev departed the cast, and this show took an even bigger hit at the beginning of season seven. Eventually, the show moved to Fridays, where it hit a series low of 0.3 in the key demo.
Reasons Why This Show Needs to Stay Canceled
The Vampire Diaries came at a heyday for Twilight mania when it peaked. Now that Twilight is no longer popular, do we need this show back for a reboot?
Julie Plec mentioned that the logistics caused the show to end the way it did.
The cast has moved on from the show itself.
Anyways, all eight seasons of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries are available to stream on Max in the United States.
From soapy dramas to comedy, Desperate Housewives lasted for eight seasons and 180 episodes. Set in the suburb of Wisteria Lane, Desperate Housewives follows a group of women as seen through the eyes of a friend that committed suicide in the pilot episode. By the end of the series, it had surpassed Charmed with the most episodes featuring all female leads.
The Original Hit Machine -- Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)
The show premiered with a 8.9 in A18-49 and over 21 million viewers on Sunday night, where it always aired throughout its eight season run. Season 1 ended with a 13.4 in the key demo, rising along with viewership of over 30 million. It gave ABC the biggest success, being well received by both viewers and critics alike.
The show was also credited for turning around ABC's declining fortunes.
The fifth season saw a time jump of five years.
In later seasons, however, the show ended up placing out of the top 10 and then out of the top 30 by dropping 20% each season. The final season of the show averaged a 2.74 in the key A18-49 demo and 8.76 million viewers, down 21% from season 7.
The show ended up being outshined by newbie Once Upon a Time as it became a powerhouse in its own right.
Reasons this Show Needs to Stay Canceled
1. The cast has since moved on to new projects.
2. Primetime soap operas have not lasted as long as this show did as of recent. That is, unless you're Grey's Anatomy.
While they generally show disdain and disgust for each other, Duncan and Kimberly don't often get into heated physical fights that cause pain and property damage. They may frequently hurl insults at each other, but it rarely goes far beyond that. All that is thrown out the window in 'Sibling Revelry', an episode that ramps up the dysfunctional aspect of the brother-sister duo and places their unhinged fighting on full display. Although their brawls may come off as exaggerated and over-the-top, those scenes help push a plotline that puts the two in a riveting, new environment with legitimate danger in sight.
After the brawls between Kimberly and Duncan become out of control, Annie and Jack decide to send them off to Trust Falls therapy camp so they can work their problems out. As they become acquainted with their new setting, viewers are met with the fact that the Harris siblings can be smart when they decide to be. Instead of continuing to put up a fight like the other kids, Duncan and Kimberly pretend to be kind to each other and work together in order to decrease the amount of time they have to stay at camp. Unfortunately, that minor stroke of genius is canceled out by their stupidity when they reveal to the counselors that they've been putting on an act and then plummet off a zipline into the forest beneath them.
The installment really shines during this portion, with the action and suspense working overtime to create some genuinely exciting moments. Ultimately, it was a stellar move to cut the camp scenes short to make room for some engaging, Survivor-esque scenarios. In particular, seeing the two being chased onto a decaying bridge by a raging moose definitely raised the stakes to a higher level than usual. On top of that, the way this story rapidly escalates makes 'Sibling Revelry' all the more entertaining. Only a series like Duncanville could transition from the kids fighting to them being shipped to therapy camp to the two fending for themselves in the wild. All this culminates with the Harris siblings finally coming closer together and Annie getting the most from her $2,000 investment. Considering the breakneck pacing that the episode embodies, it does feel a bit refreshing to see 'Sibling Revelry' end on a calmer note.
As Duncan and Kimberly duke it out in the wilderness, Jing is able to absorb the undivided attention of her parents for the first time. But, she soon realizes that she does not enjoy their constant presence as much as she thought she did. Given the fact that most subplots are unrelated to the main story, it's satisfying that the B-story is a direct result of the central plotline. Jing works best as a comic relief, so it is somewhat awkward to have her character do most of the heavy-lifting in the dialogue department. Still, her "wise beyond her years" shtick remains fairly charming, especially as Annie and Jack morph into child-like figures who need Jing's assistance. If nothing else, this functions as an amusing role reversal that may not make viewers laugh out loud but will likely elicit a chuckle or two.
'Sibling Revelry' is another strong episode in a second season that feels more ambitious than the first. The writers of the sitcom feel determined to switch up the scenery and character dynamics for each installment, resulting in every outing having its own, distinct atmosphere to it. Duncanville continues to be fun, airy viewing that can catch you off-guard with unexpected sight gags and occasionally tug at your heartstrings.
Stray Thoughts
It doesn't appear that the pandemic exists in the Duncanville universe so it was odd to hear Jack say he got a stimulus check.
Another minor character from season 1, Bradley, makes a reappearance.
"If You Give a Moose a Muffin"
While it would be nice to see more of Mr. Mitch, the summer setting probably makes that unlikely.
After an episode that delved deeper into Duncan's relationship with his father Jack, it only makes sense that mother Annie gets her chance to form a tighter bond with the titular character. 'Who's Vroomin' Who?' fully embraces the racecourse backdrop that happens to be the main setting of the installment. As a result, the episode showcases some unbridled chaos in the form of violent car crashes and fiery turmoil. That wild energy ultimately makes up for a story that mostly plays it safe, resulting in an exhilarating twenty-two minutes.
Following her failed attempt at trying to reconnect with Duncan through bowling, Annie is able to build a closer connection with her son through their shared interest of stock car racing. What really drives this simplistic storyline to solid status is the addition of explosive racing sequences that are peppered throughout the half-hour. A great deal of excitement comes from seeing Duncan and Annie zoom past other cars while sabotaging unexpecting drivers, thus leading them to a fiery crash. This type of lawless cartoon violence fits perfectly in Duncanville's wheelhouse, with the series knowing not to steer into outright gory territory like the average Seth MacFarlane toon.
Even as Duncan achieves success on the racetrack, he becomes embarrassed with the fact that his fans fondly refer to him as "Momma's Boy". This detail only seems to come up for the sake of adding some conflict in the second-act, and it gets resolved rather quickly when it turns out that Duncan is an awful driver without Annie's assistance. Nonetheless, this detour leads to the storyline closing out in a pleasant manner. Duncan realizes he may need his mom more than he thinks and Annie decides to give her son more space to hang with his friends and be a teenager. These development will likely be erased by the time the next episode rolls around, but it still works as a satisfying way to cap things off. The eccentric comedic elements coupled with a dash of heart results in an enjoyable ride, even if the emotional beats are rather predictable.
The side-plot of this installment once again focuses on the pairing of Kimberly and Jing. As Jack attempts to renovate Jing's room, the youngest Harris sibling moves in with Kimberly and ends up growing much closer to her. Considering the two were having a great time just an episode earlier in 'Duncan's New Word', it feels a bit off-putting that they initially have a difficult time connecting with one another. But, it's commonplace for sitcoms with low stakes to reset relationship dynamics at the start of a new outing, and the comedy more than makes up for the inconsistency in continuity. Jing has been the breakout character since the show's debut and her easygoing, happy-go-lucky attitude bounces off the stressed, agitated Kimberly rather well, even getting the latter to soften up as a result of her cheerful attitude. In the midst, Jack works on Jing's room and ends up having a meltdown over what role model he wants his daughter to see on her walls. Since he has always been the most well-meaning character in the series, it makes perfect sense that Jack would become so frustrated with this task. Despite that, it would be nice if some of that confidence from the confrontation with his father spilled into his current demeanor.
'Who's Vrooming Who?' may not appear as ambitious as 'Duncan's New Word' in the storytelling department, but it definitely packs in more action than the previous two installments. On top of supplying a nice amount of amusing pop culture references and callbacks, Duncanville plays around with its format just enough to continuously keep its episodes fresh. 'Who's Vrooming Who?' confirms that the series is still firing on all cylinders and further reaffirms that the Amy Poehler cartoon remains worthy of weekly viewing.
Stray Thoughts
Annie doing a perfect Duncan impression is a great reference to the fact that Amy Poehler voices both characters.
The Stay at Gnome dads from season 1's "Red Head Redemption" could be seen in the bleachers.
The driver crashing his car after Annie flashed him with a "Hillary 2024" shirt caught me completely off-guard. Might be the best joke of the night.
