Genre-Curious

[major_clanger]

From this discussion thread on io9 regarding True Detective - a US crime drama that makes references to [spoiler redacted, but it's widely seen as a Lovecraftian piece of literature] - comes a very handy phrase: 'Genre-curious

Comments

[dalmeny]

Castle. Huge number of sff and fannish references set within a contemporary realish New York.

[bellinghman]

Not to mention the fun they had with the episode set at an SF con, riffing off Nathan Fillion's most previously famous role.

[major_clanger]

And of course I'm forgetting the CSI episode "A Space Oddity", where the plot was driven by negative fan reaction to the proposed dark-and-gritty reboot of a much-loved sf show - said episode begin written by two New Battlestar Galactica writers and featuring three cast members and the show-runner!

[gaspode]

This crossed with my post it seems ...

[mevennen]

Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, I'd suggest.

[major_clanger]

Oh yes - although I'd say Life on Mars was genre-curious, whereas Ashes to Ashes started that way but ended up as an outright genre show, given the explanation for the whole scenario of both shows it ended up with. But most of the way there, yes, very much a genre-curious show.

[gaspode]

Also I'd count Person Of Interest in there as it definitely started out a genre curious Bad Guy of the Week then morphed fairly rapidly into something else and become out and out SF by Season 2 (The Season 2 finale being arguably the best bit of true SF in its use of an AI on the screen last year) ...

[philmophlegm]

Ivor the Engine. Starts out as a programme about a simple steam railway in North Wales, then suddenly introduces dragons!

[major_clanger]

Amazingly, Google shows no sign that anyone has crossed over Ivor the Engine with Game of Thrones.

[tamaranth]

YET.

[inamac]

I've just learned that the forthcoming episode of Jonathan Creek includes a Sherlock pastiche - complete with flashy camera close ups and faux-detection.

It's a send-up, but I really really would like to be able to turn on the TV once in a while and not have to watch another Sherlock reference.