fandom - leads vs ensembles

[burntcopper]

Odd things come to you when checking between your toes for fluff.

Okay, shows tend to be split into :

a) leads with supporting characters

eg : Farscape, BtVS, Dalziel and Pascoe, House

b) ensemble.

eg : SG1/SGA, Lost, Firefly, BSG, ER.

Ensemble can have 'major' and 'minor' characters, btw.

there's also c), where a) gradually becomes b), as the supporting characters become more important just by virtue of longevity and interestingness, and they get equal, if not sometimes more time focussed on them, especially if their storyline becomes the focus of an arc.

eg : Angel, Robin of Sherwood

What I'm really interested in is trying to find out if any shows ever did - or managed - the lead leaving, and someone else becoming the lead. Either a new character or one of the current ones stepping up. Most of the ones I can think of where the lead left became ensemble shows. The only one I can currently think of where they tried to replace the lead was Robin of Sherwood, only that became an ensemble show because Robert of Huntingdon didn't have enough strength of personality to overwhelm the other characters, who'd already had two series to establish themselves. Robin #2 was the leader of the Merry Men, there was no dispute over that, it's just that he wasn't the lead/protagonist anymore. His storyline wasn't the most important.

Any takers? What happened to Blake's Seven? Was Babylon 5 always an ensemble show or did it just become one when whatsisface left? Did Taggart become an ensemble show after the lead actor died? Opinions on what shows count as leads and what count as ensemble? What shows do you count as transitioning from lead to ensemble?

Comments

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

X-Files? Although I didn't watch beyond the 6th season, so I really can't say if Mulder's replacement counted as a lead.

MASH switched out everybody except for Hawkeye and Hoolihan, so I don't think that counts.

Oh, good lord. Dr. Who. And the lead change is an intrinsic part of the show.

[mrslant]

Ah, but The Doctor is The Doctor - different body, same person. :-)

Blake's 7: what mingmerciless said.

[sakara75.livejournal.com]

well B5 was very much focused on Commander Sinclair at first, but when he left i think it did become more an ensemble, mainly to make the viewer see the variety of characters on the show and help hide the twists in the main characters.Captian Sheriden was still the main hero of the show and when the arcs of each story came to fruition they always came back to him.

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

RoS is weird, tho, cos half the fandom really only cares about Loxley/Praed, and the otehr half only cares about Huntingdon/Connery and Guy (cos they go together due to that wacky Brothers thing), and the two camps occasionally fued liek whoa. And in 'zines the Merries never get the same attention Marion and the Robins did.

(Except for mebbe Nasir. Cos he's MARK.)

[mingmerciless.livejournal.com]

B7: Blake was the lead for the first 2 seasons but even then Avon was still a major character, some would argue *the* major character. After Blake's departure, Avon became the lead.

B5: Arguably an ensemble show all the way through, just with a shift in major/lead character after season 1 and, if some of the rumours are to be believed, Sheridan was really following Sinclair's original storylines.