Anatomy of a Cult Show

Mar 19, 2013 13:28

(disclaimer: i love all the tv shows i watch(ed). i also have no substantiation for things i say in the post, it's all opinion. and i hope i can make it say what i want to say ( Read more... )

cult, farscape, thinky post, tv shows, castle, ymwv, meta, the cw

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blackdecember8 March 20 2013, 18:27:02 UTC
usually shows like lost, alcatraz, 666 park avenue, cult, etc. intrigue me and i find it sad that so many people lose interest in shows that make you think too much or are maybe a little confusing, but i agree that it is probably why certain shows fail. there are times i want mindless tv or to watch something i dont have to give my undivided attention to, but not EVERY show i watch. i like shows that make you think and to talk to others about them to see each other's thoughs/ theories/ etc.

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trystan830 March 20 2013, 18:29:01 UTC
i like shows that make you think and to talk to others about them to see each other's thoughs/ theories/ etc.
this exactly. but it does seem that a lot of people DO lose interest if the show makes you think too much, or hurts your brain.

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blackdecember8 March 20 2013, 18:49:04 UTC
uh huh. i know thats one reason my dad didnt like about lost. a lot of these shows were trying too hard to be mysterious without revealing enough to keep people interested, as well, so i think that is also a problem. at lest if you reveal things at a reasonable pace, the mystery and intrigue starts to make sense and is still appealing.

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trystan830 March 20 2013, 18:50:24 UTC
the question then is: what's a reasonable pace? if you go too slow, people lose interest. if you go to quick, mystery's solved before the season is over and now what?

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blackdecember8 March 20 2013, 20:54:51 UTC
good point lol. with alcatraz and 666 it seemed liek they were trying to hard to be mysterious and vague, so by the time the shows finally started to reveal things, it was probably too late with some people. but yah you cant rush everything otherwise youre right, what about the rest of the season.

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trystan830 March 20 2013, 21:23:24 UTC
Yeah.....

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beccadg March 21 2013, 16:07:40 UTC
the question then is: what's a reasonable pace?

There's also the question of whether or not you've got enough story to have a satisfying conclusion for each season. I never watched The Killing but I know the fan outrage over it's first season finale did actually translate to fewer viewers it's second season. I think I remember hearing the numbers having been down 33% at the start of its second season. While some writers may be able to sustain complex serialized TV shows, not all of the ones who like to think they can are actually able to.

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trystan830 March 21 2013, 16:17:43 UTC
this too.

i'm not familiar with the Killing, and don't know about the season finale.

however, i fully expect the following of all my shows, whether they've been renewed or not. it helps greatly when one or both parts are not true. and it is this:

the show will end on a cliffhanger, and then get cancelled.lovely attitude to have, right? so when it ends on a cliffhanger, i've anticipated this. and if it's on my tv when the new season starts, i have a bonus! i find out how the characters get out of their cliff-hangery situation ( ... )

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beccadg March 21 2013, 17:21:28 UTC
'm not familiar with the Killing, and don't know about the season finale.

From what I understand... a lot of the audience had gotten the feeling they'd get an answer about the murder mystery at the end of the season, but they instead got something which left them feeling cheated by the show's writers in a sort of "bait and switch" way.

i fully expect the following of all my shows ... the show will end on a cliffhanger, and then get cancelled.

It varies from show to show with me. Some times I'm surprised if a show ends on a cliffhanger, and I wonder if it's ratings have dipped enough it feels it has to end on a stunt like that in an effort to be brought back. Other series I get used to them ending on a cliffhanger, and only wonder if their ratings have dipped if they don't end that way. The implication being that they made the non-cliffhanger ending as a possible series finale.

And you're right - not all of the writers who think they can are able to pull off a serialized show.

Thanks.

...sometimes the writers CAN pull off a ( ... )

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trystan830 March 21 2013, 17:25:51 UTC
re the Killing: ah, yeah, that sounds like it would suck as an ending.

It varies from show to show with me.
it used to vary for me too. but if you look on my sidebar, under the shows "...i miss"? yeah, there's a lot. and a lot of them i kinda don't really remember either, just that i watched them, liked them - and then they were gone. so yeah: the show will end on a cliffhanger, and then get cancelled.

I think some times the interference is unwarranted
totally agree with you here.

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beccadg March 21 2013, 19:26:06 UTC
It used to vary for me too. but if you look on my sidebar, under the shows "...i miss"? yeah, there's a lot.

Looking at that list reminds me that sometimes I wonder if sci-fi/fantasy series have a higher than average rate of self destructing. I mean I know all about "jumping the shark." I remember when the website still existed, and just how short the list was of series that ranked as having never jumped the shark. I just have the feeling sometimes that sci-fi/fantasy series are especially prone to making changes just for the sake of making changes. You know what I mean?

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trystan830 March 21 2013, 19:32:18 UTC
yeah, i think i know what you mean.

want to know something else about that list? there's only two shows on there that i used to watch from before i got married (1994): The Young Riders and the New Dark Shadows. i do remember seeing Twin Peaks episodes from time to time, but i didn't really *watch* the show.

pretty much all of that list is only since 1994 then. (and that's a LOT of tv.)

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beccadg March 21 2013, 20:31:07 UTC
Yeah, I think I know what you mean.

Thanks. I wasn't sure I could describe it better.

Want to know something else about that list? There's only two shows on there that i used to watch from before i got married (1994)...

Cool. I did wonder when I saw the list has Highlander: The Raven but not Highlander: The Series.

The Young Riders and the New Dark Shadows.

Hey! I watched both of those!! My favorite Young Rider was The Kid. Course, I liked seeing Josh Brolin play "Young K" in MIB 3. And I thought Ben Cross made a great vampire. :D

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