After reading the class discussion board on Cult TV I realized I do not watch too much Cult TV or at least I do not realize that I do. Lately I have been trying to get into TV shows that are no longer running but it is a long list and I only have so much time (upon that list is The Cape, Bible, I've watched a lot of The Good Guys but I need to finish it). I guess lately I have been more into extreme sports, documentaries and mixes between the two. There are a lot of Red Bull documentaries on Netflix that I have been watching and The History Channel has a great selection on there as well.
The only real Cult TV shows I watch currently are Family Guy, Archer (not sure if those are Cult TV) and Community. I try not to be involved in too many shows at once because it can become overwhelming. A lot of my friends are trying to get me into Game of Thrones and Spartacus so once I have time I will have to catch up on those shows as well.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Damn good writing
This week our class is talking about audience and how a TV show will sell an audience to a marketer rather than the other way around. It got me thinking about how a TV show then sets up an audience and holds onto that audience for the length of the show and it all comes down to how the show is written. One could say that acting has a lot to do with it but the writing tells the actor what to do.
I started thinking about this while I was watching NBC's show Community. For the three years that it has been on (they just started their fourth season after multiple delays) it has gathered a very strong cult following and it can be directly contributed to the writing in the show. Community is unlike any other show out there due to the fact of where the jokes come from: it relies heavily on pop-culture humor and referencing to other TV shows and movies. The shows references are so deeply rooted that the writing staff along with the shows creator must have an encyclopedia of knowledge of old TV shows and movies along with current running TV shows and recently released movies. Alongside the referencing of other media the show is amazing at referencing itself; it has been classified as having a "meta-humor" genre as in it continues to bring back past subjects used in the show and reuse them while still being subtle and original. This unique style of writing has made this show very popular among a particular group of people who appreciate a well written show. Community has even faced cancellation multiple times but due to the strong willed community of fans who lobbied to have the show saved, Community is still making new shows and audiences laugh on a weekly basis.
I started thinking about this while I was watching NBC's show Community. For the three years that it has been on (they just started their fourth season after multiple delays) it has gathered a very strong cult following and it can be directly contributed to the writing in the show. Community is unlike any other show out there due to the fact of where the jokes come from: it relies heavily on pop-culture humor and referencing to other TV shows and movies. The shows references are so deeply rooted that the writing staff along with the shows creator must have an encyclopedia of knowledge of old TV shows and movies along with current running TV shows and recently released movies. Alongside the referencing of other media the show is amazing at referencing itself; it has been classified as having a "meta-humor" genre as in it continues to bring back past subjects used in the show and reuse them while still being subtle and original. This unique style of writing has made this show very popular among a particular group of people who appreciate a well written show. Community has even faced cancellation multiple times but due to the strong willed community of fans who lobbied to have the show saved, Community is still making new shows and audiences laugh on a weekly basis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)