PARTY OF FIVE DISEASE:

A progressive, degenerative condition typically seen in dramas. Characters find themselves struggling against a continuous stream of ever-worsening hardships.

Cause(s): ratings-driven producing, episodic plots centering on premise instead of character

Symptoms: increased audience tolerance to character pain can lead to creative teams attempting to trump past travails with ever more ridiculous adversities.

Prognosis: Might go unnoticed for as many as several years, all the while eating away at the initial premise of a show