I’m always a bit wary of sequels. They always come with problems. There’s a few that beat that rule, but not many. I’ve seen it time and time again, in movies and TV.
And here is why. It comes with the basics of storytelling, around the Hero’s Journey. This is a structure most stories use, even in comedy or rom come.
There is a hero, with wants and needs. He meets someone, a mentor or love interest. There’s a conflict, a main villain introduced. A quest to resolve the issue is added. The hero then goes on to fight the villain, or find the the treasure. He achieves his goal, gets his wants and needs, and then everything is resolved with a satisfying conclusion.
And this last bit is where sequels have problems. As everything has been wrapped up in the first book, there’s nothing for the sequel to build on. So they try to add extra drama, but it always falls flat, especially when things are forgotten, like charactors returning from the dead or remembering wiped memories. And it ends up feeling forced. Or just doesn’t work.
The few exceptions are ones where the narrative continues, where they’re not inventing something new, still building on events from previous books or movies. Sometimes sequels from different perspectives work, and I have enjoyed books series that do this.
Its why I’m a little wary of sequels. There’s a new series of a few shows I like coming soon, and I’m a little nervous to see if they will be a
