I am eh about that article. But I am amused that I misread the title, "'The Killing' Showrunner Responds to Finale Backlash: 'I Don't Want to Be Kinda Liked'" as "I Kinda Don't Want to Be Liked" and it made sense to me.
Honestly, I like the "it's a journey with complicated, flawed and interesting characters" shows more than a straight procedural. My issue with "The Killing" was that every ep felt like they were doing a procedural with a new bad guy and the ending was a cliffhanger every time showing that this ep's bad guy wasn't the bad guy and now it was someone new. For one ep. It's not nonformulaic, it's just a different format and one that apparently bugs me after a few eps.
I am more irritated by her answers in that interview than I was by the finale.
My issue with "The Killing" was that every ep felt like they were doing a procedural with a new bad guy and the ending was a cliffhanger every time showing that this ep's bad guy wasn't the bad guy and now it was someone new. For one ep. It's not nonformulaic, it's just a different format and one that apparently bugs me after a few eps.
This! I've been saying this all week long. In addition to, "AAARGH!" Just because you say you're not an old-fashioned procedural doesn't make it true. You're just a more annoying, less satisfying procedural.
I agree with you all. But I also wonder about how much folly it takes to base a show on the murder of a young woman, have two homicide cops be lead characters and say "hey, this isn't a procedural." Okay, sure, but then WTF did you structure the story such that we are FOLLOWING A POLICE INVESTIGATION every episode? It makes absolutely no fucking sense. Say you aren't doing a procedural in the manner of L&O or "The Closer", but don't say you aren't doing a procedural at all.
What are good examples of crime stories that aren't procedurals?
Anything where the police are not the most important part of the investigation. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Phillip Marlowe are all examples of crime stories that are not police procedurals. Police stories that are not procedurals - well umm Dexter ....
Incidentally in "The Protector" does Michelle Dulcett count as "Sassy Black Friend"?
What are good examples of crime stories that aren't procedurals?
Murder One, which, IIRC had a similar conceit where every hour of the show was one day of the trial. At least, that's what its original concept was.
Twin Peaks!
Which was sometimes frustrating in its own way but I never felt like David Lynch was trying to do a 13 hour episode of Law & Order.
ETA: Veronica Mars, first season, which we were just talking about today at work.
Murder One was an excellent example of it done well for many, many eps of the first season. It went off of the rails for me before they wrapped it up but I rewatched it recently on Hulu and it totally stands up. Then again, that clearly didn't work for enough viewers because they changed the whole a lot for the last few eps of even the first season. I loved it though.
Incidentally in "The Protector" does Michelle Dulcett count as "Sassy Black Friend"?
Is that Tisha Campbell's character name?
