Hi, users! I noticed that many people think that Total Drama series are getting worse and worse. Well, I have to agree. Creators of Total Drama have made multiple mistakes. Can they repair them? Do they want to repair them? We don't know... And that's why I decided to write a blog about my hopes for future TD seasons (TDPI and possible next seasons). Let's start, shall we?
No more 13 episodes format[]
That's right. This is a very huge problem which caused a lot of damages in season 4-5, such as:
- Lack of screen time for contestants, especially for early outs.
- Lack of screen time for interactions.
- Lack of screen time for plots.
- Lack of screen time for challenges.
- Lack of screen time for Chris and Chef (especially the latter one).
- Lack of screen time for pre and post-elimination scenes.
And so on. Ok, maybe it's not that bad, especially with challenges but there's something important here and possibly most of you will agree with me. In order to make an interesting season, develop characters and their plots/interactions we need more episodes. Are 26 episodes too many for the creators now? But we have more than 26 contestants (and soon we will receive 14 newcomers). They can put 27 (or a few more) contestants into one long enough season now. Also 13 episodes is too short. It ends too fast. And the only ones who get fair amount of screen time are usually the winners.
Also, because of having not enough time contestants are falling in love without bonding (coughMikeandZoeycough) and some couples seem to be forced (coughCourtneyandScottcough).
Give us more serious antagonists[]
Out of all of our antagonists only Heather, Courtney and Alejandro are serious ones for me. They all won some challenges, had some smart strategy, manipulated somebody, made alliances and other contestants feared them. And what are we getting lately? Justin who barely can be counted as an antagonist, Scott who because of his lame strategy and a huge bad luck is half comic relief and half serious villain (see Grand Chef Auto where he actually showed that he can do bad things) and Mal who in theory seems to be the most evil guy on the planet but in practice is almost as lame as Justin. And what will we get? Max who is terrible. I hope Amy and Shawn will take the roles of antagonists of TDPI. Seriously, I miss well-done villains who knew what to do.
Give Chef some more important role[]
I'm annoyed by the fact that since TDWT Chef just appears there and does nothing, except for about 1-2 episodes where he actually gets some more important role. Ok, I know that even in TDI he had many minor appearances but he still managed to be one of the main characters. TDA was even better for him. Where are the good times of TDI and TDA when Chef could have some plot? Same can be said for Chris.
Bring back Underdogs but don't forget about All-Stars[]
I miss minor contestants like Ezekiel, Eva, Noah, Tyler, Dawn, Dakota, Brick, etc. I know that some of them are now waste of characters, because they have been replaced by some of the newcomers (for ecample Bridgette by Zoey, Eva by Jo, etc.) but I still think it'd be cool to bring them back. At least for couple episodes. I mean, do creators remember that characters like Katie, Sadie, Eva and Staci still exist? Eva could be the best one as mixing her anger and the fact that she hasn't competed for 5 seasons in a row can make her a really interesting antagonist. One of the most serious ones, whom I miss.
On the other hand, characters like Duncan, Heather, Gwen, Courtney, etc. are the true All-Stars of Total Drama, just like Chris and Chef! TD without them wouldn't be the same. But since even I'm kinda bored by them, I think they need a break (aka Total Drama: Pahkitew Island and season 7). Just let them make cameos or work as interns or whatever! In this case they won't be forgotten, unlike Underdogs who were.
Change the target audience[]
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Total Drama Island originally targeted for teens? What happened with cursing? What happened with sexual references? What happened with nudity? There haven't been any females who would be completely naked on-screen. I know that a beaver showed middle finger in Moon Madness and creators still enjoy their dark humor (Cameron getting seriously injured and exclusive clips) but that's not the same. TDI was known for being one of the most mature cartoons. So what happened?
Give Ezekiel and Dakota some medical treatment[]
I enjoyed Ezekiel's "very original" role in TDWT but now it's too much! Same with Dakota! Nobody wanted them to turn into monsters. WE want them to be normal again! I could also add Staci and Lightning but I'm pretty sure that Staci's hair grew back as she has short hair and (at least in my opinion) Lightning looks better with white hair.
No more predictable eliminations[]
Eliminations are important part of Total Drama. So, it ain't cool when we know (besause we were spoiled or it's too easy to predict) who will be eliminated. No, I'm not even gonna talk about spoilers because there's a way to aviod them - just don't read them! However, sometimes it's hard, trust me. Anyway, let's talk about "in-show" spoilers. I know, contestants need a reason to be eliminated. They can't be eliminated for no reason. So, they have to show us what contestant did to be eliminated. But Total Drama All-Stars was terrible at this topic. Most of eliminations were predictable, especially Heather's, Alejandro's and Courtney's. What is the best way to avoid such problems? Just simply let more contestants make mistakes that cost a challenge for their team or annoy somebody. Possibly the best example is The Sucky Outdoors where Katie and Sadie got lost in woods, thus losing a challenge for their team, Bridgette burned their tent and Izzy frightened her team. In this case you didn't know for sure who will be eliminated until the elimination ceremony. Twists like in Food Fright are also very good idea.
More mature, realistic and less childish show[]
This topic is very similar to the "Change the target audience" but this time I don't want to talk about missing elements, like swears and nudity. This time I want to touch the topic of how Total Drama becomes less and less realistic show. Ok, I know that TD has never been a completely realistic reality show (animals' scenes, Owen's dreams, etc.) but it was fine. And what do we have now? Mike whose MPD or DID is some kind of completely different movie genre and does not belong to TD series. I mean, since when contestants are walking on their brains for couple days, along with their personalities, surrounded by some crazy things, thus skipping the challenges? And don't forget about famous reset button.
Total Drama shouldn't be a soap opera![]
Yeah, TD became a soap opera. Don't you believe me? Here are some reasons:
- TD is endless (so far).
- Many couples broke up at some point, leaving only a few ones that are still ongoing and even a fewer ones that were since the beginning.
- TD is repetitive.
- TD is giving us a lot of new contestants, throwing away the old ones who were the best and whom we love.
- Because of this, TD is losing it's original climate.
Maybe not all of these examples are that bad. But don't change Total Drama into a soap opera, please!
Bring back the specials[]
I almost forgot about this one. Who doesn't love specials? Wanna know some secrets of the specials' success?
- There's enough screen time for everyone, even characters like Katie, Sadie and Eva.
- Each character is portrayed very well.
- In Celebrity Manhunt's Total Drama Action Reunion Special we can see a part of some contestants' "real life", which is great. I mean, every other episode of TD is about competing or Aftermaths.
- Specials don't leave a huge gap between seasons and explain why somebody was chosen to compete in the next season!
Ok, I know. That's the same problem as with 26 episodes format. It's done to save some money. Also, I can understand why there was no special in TDWT - why would they show how characters reached the shore if Chris, Chef and Alejandro were already seen safe in an exclusive clip? Also, specials aren't very needed when the next season intoduces brand new cast. But special WAS NEEDED in TDRI to explain why some of All-Stars didn't compete and why Sam did!!! Plus, special is almost like a movie! TD series deserves to have a movie! And did I mention that fans love them?!
So, do you agree with me? Do you have any other ideas how to repair Total Drama series before it's too late? Or maybe it is already too late? Feel free to comment!