CBS

[Miss Q]

Hey Gang,

Has anyone else noticed the similar topics between Hawaii 5-0 and NCIS LA in the last few weeks...

First H50 has a head in a box, that week NCIS LA has a severed head in a medial container.

Last week H50 talks about CHIPS and its actors. THis week NCIS LA talks about it....

Seriously is the amount of new material so scare they need to copy each others episodes or is their one writter on both shows.....

[PhatCat]

HA! Well, as they say, it's all been done before. I'm sure keeping things original is nearly impossible for a lot of these crime shows. Think of all the lawyer shows too. They have to try to have unique cases. Boston Legal had some pretty crazy ones.

Seems even the medical shows need to veer off into the supernatural just to keep things from becoming boring.

I guess what I'm saying is a show has to be pretty character driven to be interesting anymore. How the particular characters react to the "same old" situations is what will keep the audience interested.

[Miss Q]

CSI this week - head in a box..... I think it was even the same prop used in all 3 shows....

[StarchedUndershirts]

CSI this week - head in a box..... I think it was even the same prop used in all 3 shows....

I know economic times are tough,but how hard is it to come up with an original idea?

[SelleckLover]

Trust me, they've all been done! Writers have been writing for television for over 50 years...there are only so many plots that can be used and then they have to be repeated.

[Styles Bitchley]

Trust me, they've all been done! Writers have been writing for television for over 50 years...there are only so many plots that can be used and then they have to be repeated.

That's probably why many newer shows have opted for more of a "soap opera" format, where you don't have to revolve an episode around a single plot. Its easier to simply have characters slowly evolve and deal with issues over a season or several episodes. Plus, the cliffhanger keeps people tuning in each week.