Medical shows sharing storylines (commercial, tv show, filmed, series)
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Chicago Med (episode 2) and New Amsterdam (episode 3) both have a mass psychogenic illness storyline, basically within a week of each other.
This has happened before multiple times with these and other medical shows like The Resident, The Good Doctor, etc. They are each on different networks but they keep having similar storylines at about the same time. I get that some might be driven by news stories, but it happens too frequently. Well, that and I watch too many medical dramas!
Keep in mind it's not like they were written, filmed, and aired all last week. TV shows are written about a year before they air.
It takes a month or two to write it, edit it, get approval from the network, fix their suggestions and end up with a final script.
It can take a week or two for the cast to read it, make suggestions, get the suggestions implemented, have the set built, get guest stars in, etc before it's filmed.
Then it's edited, a laugh track added (if appropriate), commercial breaks times out, etc.
And finally it sits on the shelf, waiting to be aired in the right order, with the air date shifted, postponed past summer etc, to suit sweeps week.
We all spot similarities in plot lines because writers steal (barrow) from each other, from similar new sources and even from classical books. There aren't that many original thoughts left. At least not in a show that's not Number One in it's rating.
I figured as much, which is why it was still surprising to me that shows would come out with the same storyline at the same time. If they were "borrowing" from each other, one would be out before the other. Or they would at least try to separate the episodes a bit, you know?
Keep in mind it's not like they were written, filmed, and aired all last week. TV shows are written about a year before they air.
It takes a month or two to write it, edit it, get approval from the network, fix their suggestions and end up with a final script.
It can take a week or two for the cast to read it, make suggestions, get the suggestions implemented, have the set built, get guest stars in, etc before it's filmed.
Then it's edited, a laugh track added (if appropriate), commercial breaks times out, etc.
And finally it sits on the shelf, waiting to be aired in the right order, with the air date shifted, postponed past summer etc, to suit sweeps week.
We all spot similarities in plot lines because writers steal (barrow) from each other, from similar new sources and even from classical books. There aren't that many original thoughts left. At least not in a show that's not Number One in it's rating.
Actually shows for the fall season start being written around June/July(ish) and filming usually begins in August.
The only time a show is filmed a year before it airs is when it is a new series and that first season may have sat on the shelf for a bit after being picked up.
I don't think any two shows were ever in greater lockstep than Bonanza and the Big Valley. They did the same shows all the time. The most frequently recurring themes were:
A) One of them falls in love with someone who...turns out to be an outlaw, turns out to have an incurable disease, is murdered, is already married, who is a con artist, who is a princess/prince who must return to native country...et etc
B) One of them is shot/badly injured and its touch and go if they will recover...they will.
C) One of them gets temporary amnesia, always when far from home and alone.
D) One of them suffers temporary blindness, but always just temporary.
E) One of them gets kidnapped.
F) One of them goes off on a mission of personal revenge...but always walks away from it rather than killing the target.
H) One of them is falsely accused of murder..although they are never charged with anything for all the people they actually kill.
I actually thought of what I think would make an amazing crossover - Scandal and House of Cards.
They were both set in Washington DC and due to the activities of the various characters in each series, I could completely envision them crossing paths with each other. I envisioned Frank Underwood walking down the hallway of the White House and running into Olivia Pope. I think they could have done a lot with it.
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