Soap Opera Reality
The other day at work I got the idea of a comic about a “reality” TV show. These shows showcase popular stereotypes and are scripted to encourage conflict between them. The benefit for me would be to creatively express my general disgust with these common stereotypes. That would be the “big” idea, but satire is often pleasantly pluralist. This sort of outlet could also express the paradoxical nature of the progress of mass entertainment media: these sorts of shows have lost their novelty and are failing and the only way for the producers to keep their jobs is to find increasingly diverse-thus conflicting-stereotypical contestants.
The logical extent of this is an individual who conflicts with the very idea of the show itself; a nihilist who wants to bring down the complex from within by dismantling its grip on these stereotypes, illuminating how empty and devoid of real life they are, and challenging the audiences similarly through these interactions. Such a character is inherently threatening to the show itself, but this relationship is a source of great conflict, which makes for good television, so the producers paradoxically want to keep on the single element that directly wants to destroy them.
Problem: what is the show about? Most of these shows have some sort of interesting idea behind them, like contestants competing in singing or dance and being judged by the masses or a panel of judges, or living in the wilderness or a house for 100 days and being voted out via text messaging (how convenient!) What should this show be about? I’d like to say something about the democratic nature of these shows, and so perhaps it should be completely up to the audience: they suggest activities for the characters to do, situations for them to compete in, etc. and eventually get to vote for who they want kicked off.
I don’t know. Having some sort of competitive skill theme would also be interesting, but I’m drawing a blank there. The problem is I can’t get into the headspace of the people who watch these shows, hah.
Anyway… comments? Ideas?
The logical extent of this is an individual who conflicts with the very idea of the show itself; a nihilist who wants to bring down the complex from within by dismantling its grip on these stereotypes, illuminating how empty and devoid of real life they are, and challenging the audiences similarly through these interactions. Such a character is inherently threatening to the show itself, but this relationship is a source of great conflict, which makes for good television, so the producers paradoxically want to keep on the single element that directly wants to destroy them.
Problem: what is the show about? Most of these shows have some sort of interesting idea behind them, like contestants competing in singing or dance and being judged by the masses or a panel of judges, or living in the wilderness or a house for 100 days and being voted out via text messaging (how convenient!) What should this show be about? I’d like to say something about the democratic nature of these shows, and so perhaps it should be completely up to the audience: they suggest activities for the characters to do, situations for them to compete in, etc. and eventually get to vote for who they want kicked off.
I don’t know. Having some sort of competitive skill theme would also be interesting, but I’m drawing a blank there. The problem is I can’t get into the headspace of the people who watch these shows, hah.
Anyway… comments? Ideas?