Moderation is the key to everything, and that does not leave the entertainment industry out. For the Nigerian entertainment industry, however, some do not know when to stop. It is either over-flogging a beat that an artist’s sounds start to feel like it’s just one song, or making more parts to a movie that should have stopped in one movie. Taking the lead on the platter of ‘not knowing when to stop’ is Nigerian TV shows.
There are a couple of shows that have been on for so long that the people have forgotten what the show is really about, while there are shows that are adaptations of a movie that the creators have refused to end.
In the Nigerian movie scene right now, there are a number of those shows, spanning from ones that have run for too long that should have been stopped to those adapted from movies that should not even have more than ten episodes.
Here are some of them in no particular order.
Papa Ajasco and Company
If you are below 26 or 27, you’ve not been born when this show started. It’s that old and all or almost all the old cast of the show has been changed.
The show is a Nigerian family television sitcom created by Wale Adenuga in 1996, and it is a spin-off of a feature film of the same title made in 1984.
It is surprising that a Nigerian TV show that has been on for that long still continues till now, not developed or with better scripting but with the same old characters doing the same old shenanigans.
If at all people still watch it, the story becomes boring after seeing the same characters for that long period of time.
Tinsel
For a Nigerian TV show that is based on a tale of romance, betrayal, and triumph, Tinsel has gone on for way too long.
The plot of the show is centered around the rivalry between two film companies, and the show started airing in 2008. In May 2013, the show has recorded a thousand episodes, and even though it was regarded as the most successful television drama on Nigerian TV at the time, the creators continued to add twists and turn to the show.
After the 3000th episode aired in January 2021, the important question to ask is if the creators ever see the need to stop before the show loses its touch.
Jenifa’s Diary
The TV series is centered around Jenifa, a naive and funny character who left her village to seek greener pasture in the city. On her quest to live like the city people, she desperately strives to leave her ratchet way of life behind.
24 seasons and 292 episodes later and all we can say is ‘rest Jenifa.’
According to a Twitter user who expressed his dissatisfaction with how long the show has run, “Jenifa’s diary is starting to become a history textbook.”
Conclusion
There are more TV shows that have either run for too long or have too many episodes people are calling for them to stop but these 3 tops the list.