Why Bomb Girls?
Why do you like this show? What's so great about it? Will your letter actually matter? Do fan campaigns ever really work? These are some of the questions that my sons, ages 14 and 12, asked me after finding the draft of a letter I was writing to some Canadian networks and to Netflix in an effort to try and save "Bomb Girls", a show that I had recently fallen in love with. I hadn't meant for them to find my draft letter. I had accidentally left it out in the rush to get to my second shift at work. I ended up being glad that I left it out though because that letter and my answers to their questions are what ultimately got them interested in watching the show with me (and the catchy phrase, "Don't be Hitler's helper!") which has led to some very interesting discussions with them about Canadian history, gay rights in the 1940s, women's rights in the 1940s and what motivates people to make the choices they make. We've done research to find out anything we didn't know about Canada's history during the war which was an awful lot! We've tried out a week on war rations for dinner to see what it was like although no beef tongue was consumed nor were strange jello molded salads. Not many shows get my whole family this interested in wanting to know more and seeking out that knowledge!
Originally I started watching this show because I needed a way to pass the time while washing dishes. It was in the "Top 10 Suggestions for You" on Netflix and all summer long I would read the description of the show then change my mind and watch something else instead. I hadn't heard of the show before nor seen anything about it online even though Meg Tilly was in it. So I figured it must not be that good and put off watching it. I'm so glad that I was WRONG! Within 2 episodes I was hooked and by the sixth episode of Season 1, I was googling to learn everything I could about the show which is how I came to learn that it was canceled. After much disappointment over the cancellation, I started Season 2 and managed to finish it off within a few days. Then I started with selling the show to everyone I know to try and get them to watch it.
Why Bomb Girls? Because it's a great show filled with great acting and storytelling featuring extremely nuanced female lead characters in a time period in history when women were expected to do nothing more than get married and have children until the war changed it. With the majority of men overseas fighting, women had the opportunity to move away from their families, have some freedom and step into the work world that had once been reserved for men. Bomb Girls is a Canadian show so it focuses on the Canadian experience during World War II which gives it a unique perspective on the 1940s and the war.
Why do I like this show? What's so great about it? I don't like this show. I love, LURVE, this show because of all the reasons I listed above: great acting, good storytelling, and believable, strong nuanced female lead characters. No character makes only "good" or "bad" choices, they are more complex than that. Their decisions are more in the grey area like real people's decisions are which makes the characters more believable and certainly more easy to relate to. Supporting character storylines are fully developed and feel real, you get upset when something happens to them instead of feeling like they were just fodder added by the writers. Not many shows invest in their supporting characters as fully as Bomb Girls does. Also the dialogue is perfect with tons of easily quotable lines that get stuck in both your head and your heart. My favorites besides "Don't be Hitler's helper" are "Smile when you're giving it to Hitler" and "You don't need everyone liking you, only the ones that matter."
Will my letter actually matter? Do fan campaigns ever really work? I think my letters have mattered. I've received correspondence in the mail from Netflix about BombGirls and promising to look into it to see if it fits in with their original programming on offer. I've received two emails from CBC thanking me for my interest in the show which may not be what I wanted but it's better than my letter and email being ignored. I think fan campaigns can work but only when conditions are right between the network, production company and the fans [I left out the actors but only because in most shows I've loved that were canceled, the actors were thrilled about what they were doing and wanted to continue]. Part of what leads to shows being cancelled is the networks misunderstanding of the show's viewers and their need to maximize advertising dollars in order to survive so they often cull shows that are slow to build up the target audience that they want and replace them with more mainstream ones that will accomplish that. Those two reasons alone have killed many shows over the years that I liked. Sometimes a well done fan campaign can make a difference and secure the outcome the fans would like (Roswell, Felicity, Star Trek). But sometimes they fail miserably too (Firefly, Veronica Mars, Angel). Still other times it takes a dedicated writer, actors, and the fans plus a kickstarter campaign to achieve the closure that everyone involved has wanted like in the case of Veronica Mars. It took 6 years after cancellation to finally bring the Veronica Mars movie to life through fan funding so there is always hope.
What can I do to help BombGirls? Join the network writing campaign to try and save the show. While it's great that a movie is in production which may offer some closure, another season or more would be better of course! Write or email the networks listed at http://www.savebombgirls.com. Also consider writing to Hulu since they are picking up shows to add to their programming too. Let them know what the show means to you and why it's important. Consider taking part in the live tweet alongs on Twitter every Saturday while season 2 is airing in the U.K. to help show support for the show and meet other like minded fans. But most of all never give up and keep trying because who knows what can happen if we all pitch in and do our part. All shoulders to the wheel!
Originally I started watching this show because I needed a way to pass the time while washing dishes. It was in the "Top 10 Suggestions for You" on Netflix and all summer long I would read the description of the show then change my mind and watch something else instead. I hadn't heard of the show before nor seen anything about it online even though Meg Tilly was in it. So I figured it must not be that good and put off watching it. I'm so glad that I was WRONG! Within 2 episodes I was hooked and by the sixth episode of Season 1, I was googling to learn everything I could about the show which is how I came to learn that it was canceled. After much disappointment over the cancellation, I started Season 2 and managed to finish it off within a few days. Then I started with selling the show to everyone I know to try and get them to watch it.
Why Bomb Girls? Because it's a great show filled with great acting and storytelling featuring extremely nuanced female lead characters in a time period in history when women were expected to do nothing more than get married and have children until the war changed it. With the majority of men overseas fighting, women had the opportunity to move away from their families, have some freedom and step into the work world that had once been reserved for men. Bomb Girls is a Canadian show so it focuses on the Canadian experience during World War II which gives it a unique perspective on the 1940s and the war.
Why do I like this show? What's so great about it? I don't like this show. I love, LURVE, this show because of all the reasons I listed above: great acting, good storytelling, and believable, strong nuanced female lead characters. No character makes only "good" or "bad" choices, they are more complex than that. Their decisions are more in the grey area like real people's decisions are which makes the characters more believable and certainly more easy to relate to. Supporting character storylines are fully developed and feel real, you get upset when something happens to them instead of feeling like they were just fodder added by the writers. Not many shows invest in their supporting characters as fully as Bomb Girls does. Also the dialogue is perfect with tons of easily quotable lines that get stuck in both your head and your heart. My favorites besides "Don't be Hitler's helper" are "Smile when you're giving it to Hitler" and "You don't need everyone liking you, only the ones that matter."
Will my letter actually matter? Do fan campaigns ever really work? I think my letters have mattered. I've received correspondence in the mail from Netflix about BombGirls and promising to look into it to see if it fits in with their original programming on offer. I've received two emails from CBC thanking me for my interest in the show which may not be what I wanted but it's better than my letter and email being ignored. I think fan campaigns can work but only when conditions are right between the network, production company and the fans [I left out the actors but only because in most shows I've loved that were canceled, the actors were thrilled about what they were doing and wanted to continue]. Part of what leads to shows being cancelled is the networks misunderstanding of the show's viewers and their need to maximize advertising dollars in order to survive so they often cull shows that are slow to build up the target audience that they want and replace them with more mainstream ones that will accomplish that. Those two reasons alone have killed many shows over the years that I liked. Sometimes a well done fan campaign can make a difference and secure the outcome the fans would like (Roswell, Felicity, Star Trek). But sometimes they fail miserably too (Firefly, Veronica Mars, Angel). Still other times it takes a dedicated writer, actors, and the fans plus a kickstarter campaign to achieve the closure that everyone involved has wanted like in the case of Veronica Mars. It took 6 years after cancellation to finally bring the Veronica Mars movie to life through fan funding so there is always hope.
What can I do to help BombGirls? Join the network writing campaign to try and save the show. While it's great that a movie is in production which may offer some closure, another season or more would be better of course! Write or email the networks listed at http://www.savebombgirls.com. Also consider writing to Hulu since they are picking up shows to add to their programming too. Let them know what the show means to you and why it's important. Consider taking part in the live tweet alongs on Twitter every Saturday while season 2 is airing in the U.K. to help show support for the show and meet other like minded fans. But most of all never give up and keep trying because who knows what can happen if we all pitch in and do our part. All shoulders to the wheel!