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C O N T. I think in this instance it was simply the case that Ben Miller - star of said show - just didn't want to do it any more. He's half of a comedy duo, sometime writer, and is currently on the stage in London. While it's pretty standard that US actors sign up for five or seven years when they get cast in the pilot, that's simply not the case in the UK. The money isn't as good, and series don't run as long. Plus you can star in multiple series at the same time. Miller has a family, and probably didn't enjoy spending upwards of six months away in Guadeloupe (French tax credit reasons) away from his family, odd though that may sound. On the other hand, the series always gets high profile guest stars probably because they get to spend two weeks in the Caribbean shooting their episode! Things are changing, but even a big show internationally has these issues. For example, Dan Stevens was killed off on Downton purely because he wanted to get out. That show is actually made by an NBC subsidiary, so I'd imagine the contracts are a bit more constricted. But I think contracting even your star much beyond two or three years is unusual in the UK. However, it probably is dramatically lazy to kill off characters rather than send them away/overseas. It seriously limits your options for bringing them back later! With regard to Spooks, however, I rather like the fact that at any point, none of the characters was safe. When Spooks/MI:5 launched they actually made a big deal in all the pre-series PR about one actress being a series regular. So it was particularly shocking when she was killed off in episode two (Some had wondered how she was holding down the Spooks job while also appearing in a long running hospital drama, but as I say, starring in multiple series at once is common). I do find it problematical in some long running US dramas that however much peril a character can be in, you know they're going to survive for next week. It's the Superman problem. Obviously there are exceptions like Dexter, The Following, and I hear, The Walking Dead. But you know what I mean. Adam On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 7:05 AM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote: > If you haven't seen it, it is best described as a light-hearted "Murder > She Wrote" set in the French Caribbean, if the lead character was Arthur > Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and if his sidekick was The Cat > from Red Dwarf. I find its quirkiness to be fun and endure the procedural > elements of the show because that's the nature of most TV drama these days. > > However... > > S > P > O > I > L > E > R > > S > P > A > C > E > > ... Series/Season Three begins with the lead character found dead, and I > must say I'm getting annoyed by British shows killing off leads for no good > reason. The benefit of a British series over a US series is fewer episodes > which allows for series regulars to do other things, even other series, > while continuing with a hit show, but no. Kill off DI Poole. Kill off > Matthew Crawley. Kill off everybody in Spooks/MI-5 except Harry. Pointless. > Annoying. > > > http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/450969/Death-in-Paradise-spoiler-Det-Insp-Richard-Poole-in-New-Year-major-shock-storyline > > -- > Kevin M. (RPCV) > > -- > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
