1. Characters
Arguably, the most important part of a show is its characters. A show can have amazing plot, but if the audience dislikes the show's characters, they won't want to watch the show. Take The Legend of Korra, for example. I think the show had sloppy writing for the first two seasons. I liked the 3rd and 4th season better, but I still didn't really enjoy watching the show. I don't like the protagonist, Korra, and that is part of the reason I don't like the show. If you have ever read Harry Potter, you know who Proffesor Umbridge is. She is extremely unlikable. She's the type of character who makes you exclaim as you read, even though you know she can't hear you. Her being unlikable works because she is an antagonist character. Korra's character doesn't work well because she's the protagonist. We spend a lot of time with her and we are supposed to root for her, so it's hard to watch the show sometimes. Some people love Korra because she's so flawed, but a lot of people hate her because she never really improves.Along with having likable characters, having character development is important. Shows get cancelled and lose viewers when their characters start to feel stale. I personally get invested into shows that have character development. A great show, Community, has characters that don't really change. They're archytypes. Community can get away with that because the show makes spin-offs on pop-culture genres rather than episodes about a character themself. So while avoiding it has been done before, most TV shows need to change and develop their characters.
2. Heart
The best shows have heart. One reason why I think The Office works is because, while the premise is ordinary, the relationships between the characters are not. Good shows prove that family and friends are important, and having characters that work well together is important. People like shows with heart for the same reason people like feel-good movies.3. Balance
This one is very important. I think balance applies in two different ways. Shows should not try to do too much, but they shouldn't do too little either. The right amount of plotlines and complexity is needed so the audience stays interested, but knows what's going on. The second way it applies is in whatever point or element the creator is trying to get accross. For example, making The Good Place be about philosophy and goodness without making it seem preachy.I want to flesh out this series and really analyze different aspects of TV-shows. I think in two weeks I will talk about redemption arcs. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon.