Eva Ludwig
Every time I hear rumors about a potential movie sequel or a new television show season, my reaction is frustration, not excitement. For all the time and emotions I’ve invested into the worlds of each series, the thought of consuming each new sequel sounds like a chore, not a fun reward or break from my daily life. Inevitably, I find myself watching each sequel anyway, my wages lining the pockets of studio executives in the process.
We’ve all seen the movie franchises that continue to pump out sequels despite the lead actors moving on to different projects or the TV show that continues to get renewed for a new season despite the writers running out of new content. This uncertainty of when a franchise or series will finally be laid to rest has ripple effects that negatively impact series as they continue along.
When TV shows continue to be renewed for new seasons over and over again, it diminishes the overall quality of said show, especially in its later seasons.
“For ‘Friends,’ the plotlines by the end of the show seemed to be very rushed and almost like [the writers] wanted to please the viewers more than they stood true to what the story actually was,” said senior Kaylin Longueville-Marks. “It made the story feel repetitive [and] there were no new developments to the characters by the end. It gets frustrating … watching [a show] that’s going nowhere, especially [if] you enjoyed [it] before.”
Not all additional TV show seasons are bad, but timing plays a key role in how well a show and its additional seasons will hold up as writers work toward reaching an ending. As an example, ”Avatar: the Last Airbender” is a series where the writers knew how many seasons their show would span. As a result, the ending and build-up to it feels well-paced and results in an overall stronger show. Contrast that to this show’s sequel, “The Legend of Korra,” which, while still good, faces issues where each season tries to have a satisfying close only for the little bits of progress made to be completely undone at the beginning of each new season.
One of the largest concerns about the constant production of sequels and remakes is that the prioritization of quick cash grabs could push out original stories from both new and old creatives in the industry. Producing any kind of movie, TV show or even book is expensive, leading the executives in charge of budgets to distribute money accordingly. Those with new or novel ideas that don’t ride off of the success of previous hits can be pushed aside in favor of producing a sequel or reboot of a series that already has a well-established fan base. The prioritization of guaranteed money-makers over artistry further limits the ability of those without connections or previous successes from breaking into this limited industry. Sequels also often do not have the luxury of time to allow writers to think about fresh, exciting ideas that flesh out the worlds or characters established in previous films, leading to a subsequent decline in the quality of sequels.
While many studios may be inclined to invest larger sums of money into the sequels of successful franchises, doing so tends to lead to larger losses that then lower the budgets of all subsequent films studios produce. “Joker” (2019) was a film that had a budget of $55 million before advertising costs and generated a profit of over $1 billion. The film was also fairly well received by audiences, currently holding a score of 88% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 68% with critics. Following such large success, the film’s sequel, “Joker: Folie À Deux,” was, according to Forbes, given a reported budget of $200 million before advertising costs and a subsequent $100 million for advertising costs, only to generate about $206 million profit globally, losing millions in the process. The film also earned much lower scores on Rotten Tomatoes than its predecessor, currently holding a 31% score with critics and audiences alike. While the director’s decision to include the musical genre in the film likely lowered the film’s overall reception with its intended audience, the losses it incurred for the studio will continue to impact future projects that aren’t related to this current Joker series.
Lowered funding causes problems for producers working on a sequel. In addition, to recoup costs, studios feel further pressure to fall back and rely on producing sequels because they know it will sell as opposed to taking on the risk of funding an entirely new property.
As Hollywood continues to churn out new content, there should be careful consideration about if a movie should get a sequel despite having a pretty conclusive end. While it isn’t wrong for audiences to appreciate and enjoy new sequels, executives should allow for new and novel ideas to come to light instead of prioritizing squeezing cash out of fans through sequel after sequel.
